Book Review
Great Expectations “Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but I hope - into a better shape.”
Emma Fellure October 8, 2023
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Pip was introduced to Miss Havisham and Estella as a young boy, affecting the way he viewed others from an early age.
Introduction Great Expectations was written in 1860 by Charles Dickens. It has moved readers for years by showing different issues in Victorian London during the mid-19th century. Dickens expertly addresses topics such as growing up, poverty, crime, and romance. The use of various characters helps move the plot and convey dramatic and comedic elements that have touched reader’s hearts for centuries. This coming-of-age novel tackles social issues of that time which has greatly impacted the history of writing.
Background Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England on February 7, 1812, and died on June 8, 1870. He was born into a poor family and his father was put in a debtor prison when Dickens was 12 years old which has been reflected in many of his writings. His first job was editing and writing for a weekly journal which he did for 20 years. His first literary success was The Pickwick Papers in 1836. Dickens's writing style commonly used the element of cliffhangers because each chapter of a novel was published weekly, leaving readers in suspense. This also allowed him to alter the plot and characters over time from critical feedback. He became well-known for his use of wit, making a serious topic have a lighthearted tone. He married Catherine Hogarth in 1836 but separated in 1858, which may allude to the normality of the separation of his characters. His last novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, remains unfinished because he died before it was done and left no notes as to who the murderer was.
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Plot Great Expectations opens with the main character, Pip, as a poor, young, orphaned boy in the marshes and encounters an escaped convict. This memory stays with him for the rest of his life. His best friend is his sister’s husband, Joe, a blacksmith. One day, he is called to Miss Havisham, a wealthy spinster, who once was left at the alter, and falls in love with her adopted daughter, Estella, but she does not love him. Unhappy with his life, Pip is unexpectedly given the opportunity to move to London and become a gentleman by an unknown benefactor. Over time, he finds that his great expectations of being rich and finding love were fictional illusions and begins to regret the decisions of his youth. Pip later finds out that the mysterious benefactor was the convict he met so long ago, and attempts to help him escape London. Unfortunately, the plan fails and the convict is arrested and dies. Pip becomes depressed and ill before realizing the best people he knew were the ones from his childhood and is later reunited with Joe. Years pass, and Pip becomes satisfied with his modest life as a bachelor until he meets Estella back where they first met and walk off hand in hand.
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Pip’s traumatic memory of the convict in the marshes continues to haunt him throughout his life in London.
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Literary Elements One of the main elements of fiction Dickens incorporates throughout the story is the meaning of the title Great Expectations. The first time the phrase is used is when Pip learns of his chance to become a gentleman, saying that he has the opportunity to fulfill his “great expectations.” This is shown by Pip’s longing to be rich, fall in love, and leave his small, uneducated town. Throughout the novel, the phrase is commonly used to continuously describe what it is Pip wants. It begins as a positive message of growing in status and makes the reader want to root for Pip to achieve these goals. However, as the story progresses, the character falls into debt, is rejected by Estella multiple times, and loses contact with those who support him. His pridefulness is a humbling experience that shifts the meaning of his great expectations. He begins to look at the phrase as dreams that were ultimately unattainable because of his arrogance, leading to his downfall. Pip learns the life lesson that loyalty and friendship are more important than social status and money. Dickens does an amazing job of making readers feel sorry for Pip, while also reminding them to look for self-improvement and be aware of their ambitions. The setting and diction of the characters are key points to highlight in order to understand the details of the novel. The story takes place in two main places: Pip’s small hometown by the marshes and 19th-century London. By opening the novel in the marshlands, the reader can understand why Pip would want to leave so badly. The people in the town are mainly uneducated because it is a poor area. However, when Pip moves to London, it is during the Victorian era, showing there is an element of newness and modernism he experiences that he would not have received in his hometown. Where he grew up, the town was small, so everyone could walk to
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where they needed to go, but in London, the city is so big, that the characters sometimes require stagecoaches and boats to take them throughout the city.
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One of the settings where Pip grew up is the Kent Marshes.
This also is reflected in their diction. By the marshlands, the people there are poor, and many are unschooled, meaning they talk informally and speak in grammatically incorrect sentences. Whereas in London, Pip is around higher-class families who are educated and follow stricter social guidelines. There is even a difference in diction between everyone else and the convict, Magwitch. He grew up in a criminal lifestyle which is seen by his incomplete words and sentences and strong accent. These differences between the two demographics are commonly pointed out by Pip. The first time he goes to Miss Havisham’s house, he is amazed at how large and grand the property is. Later, when he lives in London, Joe visits him on one occasion and Pip is worried his mannerisms will embarrass them both around his upper-class friends.
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One of the most important parts of analyzing a story is the theme, and in this case, Dickens purposefully had many different themes. The main theme is to put affection towards loved ones before personal gain. As stated previously, this ties in with the title of the novel towards the main character, but also applies to others, not just Pip. For example, Miss Havisham finds meaning in life to take revenge on men after she was jilted. Pip is subject to this of Estella, and later has bitter feelings towards Miss Havisham after she allows her daughter to marry a stuck-up rich boy Pip hates. Near the end of the novel, after Estella has gone abroad, Miss Havisham breaks down and pities Pip for making him love her before breaking his heart. After, Miss Havisham dies from the effects of a housefire, but not before learning her lesson that people have feelings and to cherish them, not manipulate them for personal gain, similar to what Pip learns. There is also an element of redemption to her character, as Pip forgives her before she dies. Another theme is more of a hidden message purposefully put in by Dickens: the critique of social classes. Pip’s yearning to become wealthy shows the real-life struggle of the poor in that time of longing to have more money. It shows how many of those with power would not use it to help those in need, making them arrogant. This is shown through Pip’s benefactor being a criminal with a secret wealth who understood what it was like to be poor, not someone actually in the upper class. This theme in particular was revolutionary for the time period because it helped shift the cultural norms of the mid-1800s.
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Conclusion Personally, I loved this book. I did not have many expectations going into it, but the writing style was captivating and the characterization of everyone was perfect. At first, it started off slow, but as I kept reading, it picked up the pace and became extremely fascinating. The different storylines that intersected made it an enjoyable read. I would recommend this book to anyone because it checks off many different elements people would like. A coming-of-age, romance, and crime fiction make it a timeless novel for people who prefer different genres. Dickens’s expertise in writing makes readers want to laugh and cry at many different points. I also believe many people will find this book emotional because it can relate to many people. Even now, we see people chasing after worldly objects, but there is always a negative side to it. I hope people read this book and feel changed towards how they look at their friends and family and their relationship with physical objects.
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Pip and Estella meet where they originally met, signifying a new chapter in their lives.
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Bibliography Dickens, Charles, and John Irving. Great Expectations: With an Introduction by John Irving. 1860. Bantam Books, 1986. Collins, Philip. "Charles Dickens". Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Jan. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Dickens-British-novelist.
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