In Chapter 39 Pip is alone and at home in London - Edexcel - GCSE English Literature - Question 2 - 2017 - Paper 2

In this passage, Charles Dickens effectively uses vivid imagery and metaphor to convey the unforgiving and chaotic nature of the weather. The description begins with 'It was wretched weather; stormy and wet; and mud, mud, deep in all the streets.' This repetition emphasizes not only the pervasiveness of the mud but also the relentlessness of the conditions Pip faces. The phrase 'Eternity of cloud and wind' suggests that the weather is not just a temporary disturbance but an overwhelming force that dominates Pip's surroundings.

The brutality of the storm is further illustrated through the imagery of trees being uprooted and the sails of windmills being carried away. Dickens employs hyperbole with statements like 'lead stripped off their roofs,' invoking a sense of destruction and chaos. The personification of nature with references like 'gloomy accounts' adds to the atmosphere of despair, suggesting that the weather has a malicious intent.

Pip’s perception of the weather is deepened when he compares it to a 'storm-beaten lighthouse,' illustrating his feelings of helplessness. The violent rain and wind create a sense of isolation, both physically in his environment and emotionally within his experiences. This extract, therefore, serves to reflect Pip’s internal state through the chaotic representation of the weather, culminating in a poignant illustration of his solitude and struggle against powerful external forces.