Novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens:
Preface:
Great Expectation is an 18th-century novel, written by Charles Dickens from 1860 to 1861. The novel is set in Kent in England in the early 19th century mid and highlights certain issues of that time in Britain's regime.
The great expectations by Charles Dickens are narrated in the first-person and have attained incredible acclaim from the critics of the time.
Character sketch of Great Expectations:
Charles Dickens’s novel great expectations highlight the following characters:
- Phillip Pirrip also called Pip
- Miss Havisham
- Estella
- Abel Magwitch
- Mr. Jeo Gargery
- Mrs. Jeo Gargery
- Mr. Pumblechook
- Biddy
- Compeyson
- Herbert Pocket and his father, Matthew Pocket
- Biddy
- Orlick
- Bentley Drummle
Summary of the novel Great Expectations:
Pip, a young orphan boy, is living with his sister and brother-in-law. The novel starts when one evening Pip is at a cemetery at his parent's tombstone, when suddenly a Convict, who has escaped from prison, appears. He grabs Pip and asks him for some food from home. Young, feeling afraid still goes and steals some food from home. The Convict gets so touched with his this aft and thanks him.
Later, Pips’s uncle Pumblechook takes him to play at Sati's house. The Satis house is owned by a wealthy and eccentric dowager, Miss Havisham. Pip sees that Miss Havisham is wearing the same wedding dress everywhere and is having a high command over everything. During his visit to Satis House, Pip encounters a young charismatic lady Estella and gets attracted to him. Estella however is a showy and egoistic girl and pays no attention to him.
Nevertheless, Pip falls for him and dreams to become wealthy and a gentleman so Miss Havisham gives him, her hand. However, Miss Havisham keeps him as a laborer in her family business.
With her guidance, he became an apprentice to his brother-in-law, Joe Gargery who is a Blacksmith. Pips work with him unhappily, hoping to get a better education and become a gentleman.
Biddy, a kind-hearted girl helps him in his studies. Pips also make an encounter with Joe’s day laborer, Orlick, who is jealous of Pip. One day, Orlick attacks Pip's sister, Mrs. Jeo, who becomes unable to speak.
One day, Jaggers, a lawyer, appears with strange notice of a hidden benefactor, who desires Pip's great fortune. Pip thinks of Miss Havisham as his secret benefactor and shifts to London. There he befriends Herbert Pocket and acquires an education from Matthew Pocket, Herbert’s father.
Back in the village, Orlick is disdained by Mr. Leo after learning about his attack and now he works for Miss Havisham. Later, Mrs. Jeo dies, and pips attend her funeral, feeling gloomy.
Several years go by, while pip learns to act as a gentleman. One day, a familiar face appears before him. Pip recalls him as the same Convict from the cemetery. Pip stuns after hearing the real secret benefactor was him, Magwitch, not Miss Havisham.
Magwitch tells pip that he was so moved by his kind act, that he decided to make Pip a gentleman. For that, he has struggled in Australia to make a good fortune, and now he’s finding a way to flee from London to Australia. Pip considers himself bound to help Magwitch escape London, while the Police and his old crime partner, Compeyson are after him.
A strange mystery appears before Pip. He learns that Compeyson is the man who deceived and left Miss Havisham on their wedding day. That was the reason why Miss Havisham wore the same wedding dress everywhere and taught Estella to break men’s hearts as revenge for the pain she suffered. Pip also learns that Estella is Magwitch’s daughter, who is now married to an upper-class guy, Bentley Drummle.
Pip then visits Sati's house, where Miss Havisham seeks his forgiveness. Pip forgives her and later saves her when she gets caught on the fire. Miss Havisham becomes invalid and repents for her misdeeds.
The time comes when Pip and his friend Herbert are helping Magwitch escape down the river through a boat. The police catch them. Compeyson is also with the police. Both, Compeyson and Magwitch fall into a fight. Compeyson drowns in the river while Magwitch is sentenced to death. Magwitch sees this way as a reputation for his sins, while Pip losses his fortune.
Pip falls sick and Joe comes to London to look after him. Later Pip goes back to the village with intention of getting married to Biddy. But there he gets to know that she is already married to Mr. Jeo.
Pip is convinced to go abroad with Herbert to work. Returning after years, he faces Estella in a miserable condition and discovers her divorce from her abusive husband, Bentley Drummle.
He notices that the cold and self-centered girl has been replaced by sad kindness. However, the novel ends with them both leaving the ground hand in hand.
Two Endings of the novel Great Expectations:
Charles Dickens's novel Great Expectations has two endings.
> The first and originals end of the novel was tragic and Dickens has set Pip and Estella both apart. At the start, Dickens ended the novel with Estella being remarried to someone else and Pip remaining single.
However, after advice from a close friend, Charles Dickens changed the ending of the Great Expectations novel to preserve it's melancholy and ended it happily with both Pip and Estella's hand in hand.
Philosophical Outlook within the novel Great Expectations:
The novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens has achieved near-universal appeal because of its philosophical concerns.
Some of them are;
Capitalism:
- Charles Dickens is against capitalism as it relates morality to money.
- The standard of gentility is money.
- Capitalism makes people earn money on interest.
- They are CEC ( crime encouraging center).
Charles Dickens in the novel Great Expectations highlights several relationships;
Gentility Vs Morality, Capitalism Vs Religion, Gentlemen ship Vs True Gentility, Industry and Idleness, Family and Relationship, Religion and Spirituality, Sin and Punishment of Sin, Law and its judgment.
The main themes of the novel Great Expectations revolve around;
Love, Social advancement, Gentlemen’s ship, Class consciousness, Materialism, Broken families, Justice, Homelessness, Familial love, Evil, Social abuses, and power.
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