When Magwitch appears the reader is taken a back as he appears suddenly. The first thing is we hear his voice "Hold your noise! It's sharp and aggressive and described as a "terrible voice." It goes on to say "as a man started up from among the grave." This gives an impression like he's arising from the dead. "Keep still, you little devil, or I"ll cut your throat!" He uses imperatives and barks orders he is violent and aggressive. Dickens describes his appearance as a "fearful man, all in coarse grey." He's rough and dark looking. "A man with no hat, and with broken shoes." He is no gentleman, he's shabby looking. Dickens uses many verbs to show what has happened to Magwitch like "soaked in water" "smothered in mud" "lamed by stones" "cut by flints" "stung by nettles." It says he's hurting "limped and shivered." So although he is aggressive and violent we are made to feel pity on Magwitch as he has suffered great hardship and cruel conditions.
Magwitch's wickedness is emphasised through the presentation of Pip as being vulnerable and frightened. Pip is very scared and at one point Pip "held tighter to the tombstone on which he had put me on; partly, to keep myself from crying." Although Pip is scared of Magwitch he shows great bravery when he says "If you would kindly please to let me keep upright, sir perhaps I shouldn't be sick, and perhaps I could attend more." This shows a contrast between Pip and the horror of the man.
The significance of the "gibbet that once held a pirate" at the end of chapter one is that it shows you what happens to Magwitch and how cruel the Victorian Law was.
In chapter three, Dickens creates a change in atmosphere between Pip and Magwitch. In chapter three Pip returns to Magwitch with the food and file he has stolen from Mrs Joe Gargery.
We are made to have sympathy for Magwitch, we see he is hurt and cold. "He was awfully cold to be sure." "I half expected to see him drop down before my face and die of deadly cold.
