That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But, it is the same with any life. Imagine one selected day struck out of it, and think how different its course would have been. Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day.
– Charles Dickens
Great Expectations, Chapter 9. On his return to his modest home after a visit to the upper class Satis House, Pip reflects on the fateful day he met Miss Havisham and Estella. Foreshadowed is that his encounter with them will profoundly change the course of his life from that moment on. The metaphor of chains is used to show how it will improve his life (bring gold, flowers), but will also prove bad for him (iron, thorns). Signaled here is Pip’s obsession with class and desire to improve himself by scaling the social ladder.