Lloyd Jones Presents Conflict In Mister Pip

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Lloyd Jones; in the novel of ‘Mister Pip’; portrays the central theme of conflict by reflecting it onto subcategories including culture, setting, character – relationships and education - social class. In this essay I will be doing close analysis of individual words; exploring the various effects Lloyd Jones intended to generate on the reader; and the effects it had on me through his unique style and use of language.

My focus on this essay is going to be analysis on the use of conflict through culture; specifically; ethnicity, religion and racial tension.

There is continuous repetition and emphasis on the colours of black and white. On page 3; Matilda narrates; "... whites as the white of your eyes, only sicker". The word ‘sicker’ is very significant; meaning ill and weak. The effect the author purposefully creates is it paints a picture of how different the white people are to the natives; giving a direct comparison to the reader in Matilda’s perspective. They are almost ‘diseased’; whereas the natives are seen as ‘normal’. The reader’s first impression of Mr Watts is almost as a bizarre figure - because of this. The author makes the reader intrigued by describing the white people in this way; as it leaves them to wonder what the character is like; whereas if Lloyd Jones described them vaguely it wouldn’t have created an accurate image; like this has. ‘Sicker’ could also be referring to the slang of the word better; and awesome. This point is emphasized when Matilda narrates on page 4; - "maybe these white people could jump backwards or somersault over trees". The reader can sense curiosity building within Matilda – especially when she says ‘maybe’; meaning perhaps. She doesn’t know what to expect or think of white people; because she’s never spoken to them. It also explains why Matilda relates to Mr Watts so much. The conflict between her mother’s culture and Mr Watts is so great that she’s unsure what to believe; leaving an open-minded and vulnerable young child.

In terms of stylistic effect; the fact that Lloyd Jones describes the first part of the sentence by comparing it with your eyes has a paradoxical effect on the reader; as this is a form of ambiguous language. It can be interpreted that white is referring to purity and cleanliness; or it could be contradicting by referring to a pale and ill person. However; when he puts the words ‘only’ and ‘sicker’ together it makes it all the more powerful; as the word ‘only’ helps to emphasize the importance of the word ‘sicker’. The word ‘only’ refers to something that exists of its or their own kind – effectively it’s stressing the difference in colour again and suggesting how strange and foreign Mr Watts is.

Additionally; the fact that the sentence is broken down by the use of the comma contrasts the beginning of the sentence to the end; making it even more effective as the reader can conjure what these people are like – weak and fragile. This all helps to emphasize and stress the juxtaposition between white people and the natives; that Lloyd Jones is trying to communicate to the reader.

The effect this passage had on me was very similar. The white people are described as if they were aliens to the island; because it is so unusual for the villagers to see people like this. It helps me to sympathise for the white people; and Mr Watts; as you can see the way that Matilda judges people. She has very strong views; making me wonder what the other natives think about white people; and the stereotypical ideas they have such as her mother. It is like the saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’- we don’t actually know what Mr Watts is really like; and already rumours and ideas are starting to circulate. Lloyd Jones creates a negative perception of the white people; when we don’t actually know anything about them; or their personalities; which is what is intriguing and makes the reader want to find out more.

The passage on page 3 contradicts to that on page 2; "For the younger kids the sight consisted only of a white man towing a black woman" – The effects that this sentence has is it portrays white people as ‘superior, powerful and scary’ to the black people and the children; who are used to seeing such brutality. On the other hand; the quote on page 3 could actually be linked to page 2; as ‘sicker’ could actually mean how bad and evil the white people are and the way in which they are treating the natives. The fact that the word ‘only’ is used again similar to the other sentence shows that black people never tow white people; emphasizing the power and effect this has had on their lives; and shows why the natives are weary and incredulous towards Mr Watts.

Another point I would like to present can be found on page 4; when Matilda narrates "When our ancestors saw the first white they thought they were looking at ghosts or maybe some people who had just fallen into bad luck". ‘Ghost’ is a very peculiar and interesting word that Lloyd Jones has chosen for description meaning the spirit of a dead person, believed to haunt people or places. The effect he is trying sustain from page 3 is the underlying mystery that we previously identified. As a native; Matilda would have thought that the white people are a feared and dangerous minority especially when Lloyd Jones adds ‘bad luck’ referring to their misfortune. This further emphasizes how scary and unknown the white people are and forms a disarray between the two races because cannot relate to one another as for the natives in particular it brings back the memories from before.

In terms of punctual effect; I believe that it’s very interesting that the author uses no punctuation at all in that sentence. I would have thought that he would put a semi-colon between ghosts and or as it helps to break down the sentence much more. However, I understand the effect he’s trying to create here; the sentence flows freely but when Matilda says ‘or’ the reader can sense the opposing and contradicting ideas that she’s thinking in her head.

The structural effect Lloyd Jones purposefully creates by putting that sentence in a paragraph is to create a large force of power. The author puts a collection of sentences with a similar effect together to create an enormous amount of juxtaposition. This helps build up the difference between the races and develops racial tension.

My view on this passage is that the way in which the ancestors describe the white people as ‘ghosts’ shows how isolated their community is from the outside world. It also shows how unequivocal and un-open they are to new ideas. In a way; you sympathize for them because they are being deprived of new experiences. They have very strong links to their past and present and these bonds are difficult to break.

Furthermore; on page 21 Matilda narrates "Mr Watts had given us kids another world to spend the night in". The words ‘another’ meaning an additional thing and ‘world’ in this case meaning the life someone leads and the things they come to experience; are very eminent. The effect Lloyd Jones intends to create on the reader can be interpreted in three different ways. Firstly, the novel ‘Great Expectations’ is a fundamental example of how these impacts lure its audience; Matilda; in particular to the point that she is obsessed. Lloyd Jones hints to the reader the amount of power that this novel has already brought to the island. Additionally it shows how vulnerable and open-minded Matilda is; for example; Matilda, through the recitation of one chapter in ‘Great Expectations’ was completely engrossed and believed that she was addressed and "spoken to by this boy pip". To have "spoken" means that you have conversed and this word helps to show how close Matilda feels to Pip and the tight relationship that has already been formed between them.

Moreover, the effect Lloyd Jones produces can also be interpreted by the reader as Matilda’s mother’s strong dedication to the bible to correspond and conflict with Matilda’s immersion of ‘Great Expectations’ and this is because ‘Great Expectations’ and the Bible were conjointly established due to European ramifications and in essence have had a substantially large influence on both Matilda and her mothers’ lives. This links to page 108 when Matilda tries to "retrieve Great Expectations" – ‘retrieve’ means to regain possession of something. Once the inhabitants belongings are irrevocably burned and forever lost as a consequence of the redskins visit, Matilda attempts to recollect fragments of ‘Great Expectations’ which is etched in her memory; similarly her mother also reminisced on her beloved Bible. Since it correlates greatly with Matilda’s emotional and sentimental attachment to ‘Great Expectations’ then it evinces the colossal amount of power that the Bible has but conversely also demonstrates that it subjugates both her mother’s notions, actions and even way of life therefore intimating that the Bible’s engrossment on her mother is strong, if not stronger than ‘Great Expectations’ is to Matilda. This helps to emphasize the difference in culture and race because it seems as though Matilda can relate more to Pip than she can to her own mother. It also compares the similarity between them by indirectly juxtaposing the two conflicting ideas.

Or perhaps Lloyd Jones is intentionally trying to emphasize the fact that Matilda’s mother has not told her everything about the world and the truth regarding her father. On page 23 this point is further emphasized when her mother says "I want to know everything that happens in that book". The word ‘everything’ is particularly significant meaning all things; which is effective because it emphasizes the power of ‘Great Expectations’. Matilda’s mother being a devout Christian; would have wanted to know what she’s up against so that she can formulate ways to protect her daughter from the novel as she can see the way it influences her. For Matilda the novel is her idol – almost godlike. When Matilda attempts to elucidate the world and aura of Great Expectations for her mother; unfortunately, her mother is extremely dubious of firstly Mr Watts and the mysterious character of Mister Pip. She has an inimical and cynical persona and concerned for the welfare and morality of her daughter. This is shown when she says "If a man was hiding in the jungle and he ask you to steal from me. Would you do that?" – The fact that she says ‘me’ which is the objective case of I is compelling because the effect that the author generates here is similar to a rhetorical question. It leaves the reader wondering whether or not Matilda would commit something like that because her relationship with her mother is very unsettled and distant. This links back to the beginning of the novel because her husband is in the secure confines of Townsville, shielded from her mother’s solitary, tentative and indecisive life.

The stylistic effect Lloyd Jones creates from the sentence on page 21 I believe is clever - "Mr Watts had given us kids another world to spend the night in". Lloyd Jones could have used the word ‘experience’ instead of using ‘spend the night in’; but this is effective as it shows how distant the worlds are. They only really get to feel the full power of the novel when Mr Watts himself reads to them and this shows how Pip treks further than the precincts of Great Expectations into their evolving cognizance. Lloyd Jones uses no punctuation in the first quote which is effective as it allows the sentence to flow freely emphasizing the power of each word. The structural effect Lloyd Jones creates by using an indentation at the beginning of the paragraph helps to separate it from surrounding text again emphasizing how significant it is from other passages. The use of the paragraph in general tells the reader that Matilda is talking about a new subject; she constantly reverts back to the colour white but in different contexts – she is trying to stress a point.

It also links to page 20, "It was just the blimmin’ dogs and the blimmin’ roosters that tried to keep us here". ‘Tried’ meaning attempted is an effective word used to show that Matilda is trying to escape the grasp that her roots and heritage are clasping on her. The sound of the dogs and the roosters is disrupting her ‘fantasy’ of ‘Great Expectations’. The repetition of ‘blimmin’ shows how annoyed Matilda is because she’s not completely free; she’s so near yet so far. This emphasizes the difference in culture as Matilda is neglecting her own heritage as she discovers more about the white world.

It further links to the quote "you cannot be any more stuck than the only white person living among black people. Mr Watts was another I regarded as stuck" on page 51. The effect Lloyd Jones wants to create in this passage is to show the reader how troublesome cultural imperialism is in the novel. The word ‘stuck’ meaning unable to move along with ‘only’ are two significant words because it shows how difficult it is for Mr Watts to cope on this terrifying island; being the only white in the village. Mr Watts is an unknown quantity because the natives cannot imagine where he came from. He doesn’t know what to do and resorts to ‘Great Expectations’ as it is the only thing that he can relate to. It can also be interpreted to mean how weak and defenceless Mr Watts is against the very dismissive and judgemental villagers and that white people cannot live in a minority. In terms of structure; this passage is presented at the beginning of the paragraph. The effect that this has being at the beginning has a lot of power as it is very memorable. It stands out; and it is the first thing that the reader sees after turning the page. The stylistic effect Lloyd Jones creates by using the word ‘stuck’ has a lot of impact; especially because it is repeated so it stays in the readers head.

black people. Mr Watts was another I regarded as stuck" on page 51. The effect Lloyd Jones wants to create in this passage is to show the reader how problematic cultural imperialism is in the novel. The word ‘stuck’ meaning unable to move along with ‘only’ are two significant words because it shows how difficult it is for Mr Watts to cope on this terrifying island; being the only white in the village. Mr Watts is an anonymous foreign figure as the natives cannot envisage his roots. He doesn’t know what to do and the only conceivable thing is to read ‘Great Expectations’ as he can easily relate to it. It can also be interpreted to mean how weak and defenceless Mr Watts is against the very dismissive and judgemental villagers and that white people cannot live in a minority. In terms of structure; this passage is presented at the beginning of the paragraph. The effect that this has being at the beginning has a lot of power as it is very memorable. It stands out; and it is the first thing that the reader sees after turning the page. The stylistic effect Lloyd Jones creates by using the word ‘stuck’ has a lot of impact; especially because it is repeated so it stays in the readers head.

Page 120; "I suppose you heard. Grace Watts is dead". The word ‘suppose’ is very compelling. It means to be inclined to think. The effect that Lloyd Jones intentionally creates to the reader can be interpreted in two different ways. First of all; Matilda’s mother is very abrupt and direct when delivering the news of Grace’s death almost in a smug manner. The two sentences are very short; meaning that Dolores has little emotional attachment to Grace. You would have thought that Dolores would be much more shocked and utterly surprised after Grace’s death – after all this was one of her close friends; but then at the same time since Mr Watts is Grace’s husband then it leads you to wonder how she will cope – since the whole island frowned their relationship. The other interpretation could be Dolores in her grieving stage. She may not have experienced traumatic events like this before and so doesn’t know how to deliver it to other people. The structural effect that Lloyd Jones creates is very effective. He leaves a large gap; emphasizing the shock. The sentence is also eye-catching to the reader. It stands out on the page – which is very significant. I believe that Lloyd Jones wants to create an emotional attachment between the reader and Dolores. Matilda’s mother "offers a prayer for Grace" in spite of opposing Mr Watts’ view and heavy influence on Matilda. This links to page 122 "that’s when I heard my mum offer a prayer for Grace". I think that it’s rather ironic because Grace’s husband is her enemy but she puts her emotions aside and is sympathetic. This shows the kind-heartedness of the islander’s not only in the way they describe Grace with "kind words" and reverence and this also develops "a picture of his dead wife" – so Mr Watts learns and almost migrates into Grace’s world like he transported the children into Pip’s world. On page 123 "it was like adding kindling to a fire". This emphasizes the unity of the villagers. They are adding more memories to the fire; the last gracious thing they can do for Grace. It shows the real emotional value.

It also links to two other quotes, the first on page 74 when Matilda narrates; "the change in the atmosphere was instant. We braced ourselves". This is tragicomic – because even though the humour may appear extraneous, Lloyd Jones intimates that violence and distress are the norm and this is further emphasized as it stands out structurally to again present conflict. The second is on page 93 – Matilda’s mother – Dolores never confided or depended on Mr Watts and this is because he "didn’t believe in the devil" – so in her eyes he was a heathen. At the same time Matilda also understood that her mother was trapped and "stuck" because if she were to admit the whereabouts on ‘Great Expectations’ then it would only descend into utter turmoil so her only escape was through silence, but additionally, Dolores purposely kept quiet to damage her enemy – Mr Watts – no matter what the consequences would be. This is a very unique style Lloyd Jones uses. It is the first time the reader is provided Matilda’s emotions. The word ‘betrayed’ meaning to be disloyal to something is effective because Matilda thought that she could trust her mother. Lloyd Jones; presents this sentence at the end of a paragraph; which I believe has a great deal of effect. Firstly; it is very striking and eye-catching on the page; compared to other paragraphs. This has a prolonging effect on the reader; as again it stresses the diversity between the two races. Nevertheless; it also leaves the reader on a cliff-hanger – to wonder what is going to occur after this; as tension and inequality between the races is slowly building up.

Page 179 "... I hardly noticed storm clouds gathering for the brightness of the sun in a blue sky. The day held so many layers, almost too many things, contradictory things, all jumbled up, that the world lost any sense of order" – Pathetic fallacy is used when Matilda narrates about the storm clouds which mirror what has happened to Matilda and how she feels. The most significant words I thought were used in this passage were "contradictory things" meaning to be contrary to one another. The effect the author purposefully creates is to contradict both Mr Watts to Matilda’s mother – Dolores who both parallel one another’s character and traits and also Bougainville with the white culture and society. This helps to portray the astonishment that Matilda is feeling at that moment in time which she has been concealing for long periods of time, she has been a very lenient and forbearing, but after losing everything she is completely devastated and confused. At the same time Lloyd Jones wants to show the reader the strong bonds that Matilda has to both her mother and Mr Watts of unconditional love.

This quote also links to that on page 186; "I thought we must have drifted near the old airfield long since overgrown. That was okay. I was no longer afraid." The word ‘overgrown’ meaning something that has grown too large I believe is an excellent choice for description because it compares to the reader Matilda’s old life – as a young, innocent and vulnerable girl who has matured into a naive, wise and highly observant woman. It creates a lot of juxtaposition; between the ‘two’ Matilda’s. The distance between her old life and her new one has reached the point of no return. The word ‘overgrown’ shows the strong grasp that her roots had on her which should have been broken a long time before and after all these events she’s changed. Perhaps; Lloyd Jones also wants to show the reader that the word ‘overgrown’ is referring to her mother who was trying to protect her for a long time but now that she’s gone Matilda’s free. Also; "in the near distance I could make out the schoolhouse" – The word ‘near’ meaning within a short distance helps to show the reader how close Matilda is to her new life; yet; some of her roots are still with her. The change is almost complete.

Conversely, one can argue concept of conflict in culture being presented in the novel of ‘Mister Pip’ as firstly, there are more important aspects of conflict shown in the novel such as the war between the Rambos and the Rebels. The islanders live in an idyllic paradise which is "one of the most fertile places on earth" with "beach palms spreading up to a blue sky" but this completely juxtaposes with the tension arising around them with "the beating of blades" and people "running in all directions". This helps to parallel their lives to show how vulnerable and innocent they are compared to the horror and tragedy that they have already witnessed. On page 33 Matilda narrates; "the next morning we woke to the helicopters again. My mum was bent over me, her face pinched with panic" – Fear and tension are slowly brewing up and this builds a negative and distorted atmosphere. When Lloyd Jones uses the word ‘pinched’; meaning the stress of circumstances in this case it sounds eerily scary and even spooky. The war was the root of all the problems (the conflicts) which grew because of it such as the cultural clash and if the war did not occur then both Matilda and her mother would be safe in Townsville with her father without meeting Mr Watts or reading the "greatest book in the world" ‘Great Expectations’ and this shows that no one was able to even experience the value of calm and peace that we usually take for granted until it has disappeared.

In this essay, my objectives were to explore the various techniques that Lloyd Jones uses to present conflict in culture. Concluding this; Lloyd Jones helps to personify and emphasize the significance and power that fiction has on people’s lives through paralleling two contradictory worlds to show how fiction is more emotionally captivating and realistic than the real world, how the morals of the novel of ‘Great Expectations’ help to guide and lead you to make the correct decisions in life more than anything else in Matilda’s life such as her own mother and the problems resulting from it through juxtapositioning of words like ‘black and white’ and ‘redskin and Rambo’s’ to show racial tension and upheaval as well as other emotions such as felicity, uncertainty and in the end a solution. Jones cleverly uses intertextuality as he links the book with ‘Great Expectations’ to provide Matilda a wider perspective on her own heritage and to also make links with the characters in the novel and those around her. An example is Matilda’s mother – Dolores linking with the character of Miss Havisham on page 49, as "she had more in common with Miss Havisham – Miss Havisham who cannot move on from the day of her greatest disappointment", "I had an idea my mum was stuck in a similar moment" and finally "I had an idea that whatever my dad had said still rang in her ears." The significance of these quotes is that it proves just how analogous the two contrasting races are as Matilda develops a sense of understanding to the root of her mothers very disapproving and negative outlook that she had on her life – after Matildas father moved to Townsville, Australia for work Dolores has become more secluded and less open-minded to things, in particular modern opportunities and experiences, similar to Miss Havisham who had an everlasting jealously for being abandoned at the altar.