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Great Expectations by Charles Dickens depicts the tale of Pip, an English orphan who grows wealthy, abandons his true friends, and is ultimately humbled by his own conceit. It also introduces Miss Havisham, one of literature's more colorful characters. Charles Dickens wrote Great Expectations at a time when England was rising to prominence as a wealthy global power. Such themes are present in the novel as machines increase factory productivity while people continue to live in appalling conditions.
Known as a coming-of-age story, Great Expectations is a bildungsroman. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger are further works that use this structure. Because of his elitism and the horrible behavior that results from it against certain other characters, including Joe Gargery, Pip, the primary character of Great Expectations, is exceptional in that he is frequently difficult to empathize with.
Like a lot of Charles Dickens's writing, Great Expectations was first released in installments with just a few chapters each in a popular magazine. Many of the chapters in the book don't have a dramatic conclusion, which was done to entice readers to purchase the next volume.
Many critics have criticized the book's cheerful ending, which implies that Pip and Estella would wed, throughout the years since its publication, arguing that such a climax is irreconcilable with the protagonists as we have grown to comprehend them. In fact, Dickens originally intended for Pip and Estella to first meet before saying a few calming words before finally parting ways.
Pip (Philip Pirrip) tells the story from an unidentified future time. He is raised in the swamplands of Kent, wherein he shares a home with his obnoxious sister and her kind-hearted blacksmith husband, Joe Gargery. The young Pip meets Abel Magwitch, the escaped prisoner while visiting the graves of his family members in the churchyard. Pip offers him some meal and a folder, but the runaway and Compeyson—his former gangmate and supposed nobleman who is now his adversary—are soon apprehended.
Later, Pip is asked to visit Miss Havisham, who had been left half-crazy by the departure of her beloved on the day of their wedding years previously. Estella, Miss Havisham's adoptive daughter, resides with her at Satis House, where Estella is being trained to seduce men using her beauty. Pip, although cautious initially, later developed a fascination for Estella, who rejected him. Increasingly ashamed of his modest upbringing, he strives to upgrade himself in order to impress Estella. He is dissatisfied when he ends himself working for Joe as an apprentice.
A few years later, a lawyer by the name of Mr. Jaggers shows in and tells Pip that an unnamed donor has provided the opportunity for him to receive an education in London. Pip assumes Miss Havisham is the source of the funding, and she does not convince him otherwise. When Pip arrives in London, Matthew Pocket and his son Herbert - whom Pip had met at Satis House years earlier - teach him how to behave like a gentleman. Bentley Drummle, who is dim-witted and unlikeable, is also receiving tuition.
Later, Pip, becoming increasingly snobby, is appalled to learn that his secret sponsor is Magwitch. Magwitch could be arrested, and Pip's social standing is also in jeopardy. As Pip tells Herbert about the circumstance, it is determined both Magwitch & Pip should go from England. Before leaving, Pip stops by Satis's House and accuses Miss Havisham of deceiving him into thinking she is his customer. Moreover, he declares his love for Estella, but she rejects him. Pip forewarns her about Drummle since he is after her, but she declares that she intends to marry him. Following these shocking revelations, Pip learns that Compeyson is Miss Havisham's lover and that Magwitch is Estella's father. Also, he becomes close to Magwitch and respects him.
The cops and Compeyson show up as Pip and Magwitch make an effort to board a boat out of London. Only Magwitch emerges from the fight between the two prisoners in the River; Compeyson's body is later found. The hurt Magwitch is detained, found guilty, and then passes away while being executed. Due to his mounting debts, a dejected Pip is arrested, but due to his deteriorating health, he is not put in jail. Joe then shows up and tends to Pip's recovery. Joe also lets him know that Miss Havisham has passed away. Pip learns that his brother-in-law has paid all of his bills after Joe departs. Later, Pip accepts a job offer from Herbert's company's Egypt office and lives a straightforward but happy life.
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Great Expectations' central tension is around Pip's ambitious desire to recreate himself and move up the social scale. He says, "She's more attractive than anybody else ever was, and I adore her horribly, and I would like to become a gentleman on her account," which reflects his motivation for social advancement. As Pip accepts an invitation to visit Satis House, he meets Estella and Miss Havisham for the first time. The triggering event, however, occurred earlier when Pip encountered an escaped prisoner in what appeared to be a chance encounter; neither he nor the reader will realize for a long time that this experience will truly shape the trajectory of his life.
Pip's growing discontentment with the idea of leading a simple life as a rural blacksmith drives the mounting action forward. He says, "Until I can lead a totally different form of life from the life I lead now, I never shall or can be comfortable."
Pip moves to London after learning that he will get financial support from an unnamed donor. There, he develops into a more intelligent and polished man while simultaneously becoming lavish and self-absorbed. After some time, Pip is shocked to learn that Magwitch, the felon is actually his benefactor. Due to his affiliation with a criminal, this finding exacerbates the struggle surrounding Pip's desire to be viewed as a gentleman and to win Estella's love. The escalating conflict compels Pip to confess his affection to Estella because he is about to leave England to hide his feelings.
But Estella says that she intends to marry another man in response to his statement that "You are part of my existence, part of myself." Much of the issue is resolved in this conversation when Pip realizes Estella is unable to love him.
Pip continues to fight to protect Magwitch as well as bring him to safety, which adds to the conflict between his ambition to be a gentleman and his embarrassment at his social status. Pip discovers along the way that Magwitch is Estella's father. This finding alters Pip's perception of social standing and crime. Pip had believed that Estella and the criminal underworld that Magwitch represents were in conflict with one another, but he now realizes that Estella and Magwitch were always intertwined.
Finally, Pip confides in a dying Magwitch that his lost child is living now. She is a lady and stunning. And that he loves her. By treating a criminal kindly and referring to Estella as both a lady and the offspring of a felon, Pip demonstrates that he no longer sees social rank as a binary. The struggle is resolved when Pip gives up his social ambitions and focuses instead on making up with the people who have stood by him the entire time, paying off his pending debts, and making an honest income.
Pip, the book's main character and narrator, is an orphan youngster at the beginning of the narrative, which his sister and brother-in-law are fostering in the marshy region of Kent in the southeast of England. Pip has an idealistic, romantic, and passionate nature and frequently has higher expectations. Also, Pip has a strong conscience and a strong desire to develop both ethically and socially.
Estella, Miss Havisham's stunning young daughter, is Pip's unachievable fantasy throughout the entire book. Although she occasionally acts as though he were a friend, she is mostly cold, harsh, and indifferent towards him despite his intense affection for her. She continuously tells him that she has no heart as they mature together.
Miss Havisham is a rich, eccentric elderly woman who resides close to Pip's village in a manor known as Satis House. She runs around her house in a faded wedding dress, keeps a decomposing meal on the table, and surrounds herself with clocks set to twenty minutes to nine. She is maniacal and frequently appears insane. Miss Havisham harbors a grudge against all men because she was dumped by her fiancé when she was a young woman just before their wedding. She intentionally nurtures Estella to serve as her weapon of retaliation, teaching her to manipulate men's emotions.
At the start of Great Expectations, a terrifying criminal named Magwitch breaks out of jail and terrorizes Pip at the graveyard. However, Pip's charity leaves a lasting impression on him, and as a result, he dedicates himself to amassing a fortune and using it to move Pip up the social scale. Through the lawyer Jaggers, he becomes Pip's covert patron, paying for Pip's schooling and sumptuous lifestyle in London.
The village blacksmith and Pip's brother-in-law Joe stay with his domineering, violent wife, Mrs. Joe, only out of affection for Pip. One of the only truly interesting characters of Great Expectations is Joe because of his unassuming decency. Despite being uneducated and crude, he continually acts in the interests of those he loves and endures Pip's cruel treatment in silence.
The formidable, menacing attorney Magwitch recruited to oversee Pip's ascent to the wealthy elite. Mr. Jaggers knows a lot of dirty tricks because he is one of the most significant criminal defense attorneys in London. He associates with violent crooks, and even they fear him. Yet, Jaggers is more than his tough appearance. He frequently exhibits signs of concern about Pip, and just before the story starts, he assists Miss Havisham in deciding to adopt Estella. Mr. Jaggers has a strong soapy scent because he continually washes his hands to prevent the criminal taint from corrupting him.
In the gardens of Satis House, Pip first encounters Herbert Pocket, who challenges him to a duel as a frail young man. Years later, they cross paths once more in London, and after Pip is elevated to the rank of gentleman, Herbert becomes his closest friend and most important ally. Herbert knows Pip as "Handel." He aspires to be a businessman so that he can manage to wed Clara Barley. He is the son of Miss Havisham's cousin Matthew Pocket.
Wemmick, a clerk for Jaggers and a friend of Pip, is one of the most peculiar figures in Great Expectations. At home in Walworth, he is humorous, wry, and a tender carer of his 'Aged Parent,' in contrast to his hard, cynical, caustic obsession with 'portable property' at work.
Biddy, a straightforward and generous rural girl, meets Pip for the first time at their shared school. Biddy goes into Pip's house to take care of Mrs. Joe when she is attacked and becomes disabled. Biddy serves as Estella's antithesis for most of the book; she is unassuming, moral, and of Pip's socioeconomic class.
Orlick, a slouching day worker in Joe's forge, is the epitome of evil. He is cunning and wicked, harming people merely for his own amusement. He is in charge of the assault on Mrs. Joe, and he also nearly pulls off the murder of Pip later on.
Joe's wife and sister are referred to in the book simply as "Mrs. Joe." Pip and Joe find Mrs. Joe to be overpowering and severe. She maintains an immaculate home and frequently threatens her brother and husband with her cane, which she refers to as "Tickler." She also makes them drink tar water, a disgusting combination. Mrs. Joe is conceited and ambitious; her deepest desire is to be someone other than the local blacksmith's wife.
Uncle Pip is a pretentious, snobbish man. Although he is Joe's uncle and Pip's "uncle-in-law," Pip and his sister call him "Uncle Pumblechook." Pumblechook, a money-obsessed businessman, organized Pip's first encounter with Madam Havisham. He will brazenly claim credit for Pip's increase in social standing throughout the remainder of the book, despite the fact that he had nothing to do with it because Pip's true supporter is Magwitch, not Miss Havisham.
Compeyson is a criminal and Magwitch's former companion. He is a well-educated outlaw who starkly contrasts the vulgar and illiterate Magwitch. In the book's conclusion, Magwitch was taken prisoner thanks to Compeyson. On the day of Miss Havisham's wedding, he also dumped her.
Drummle is an oafish, rude young man, a small member of the nobility, who attends tutoring services with Pip at the Pockets' house. The feeling of power this provides him causes him to feel vindicated in behaving cruelly and harshly against everyone around him. To Pip's dismay, Drummle eventually weds Estella; she is unhappy in their union and reconciles with Pip after Drummle passes some eleven years later.
Other than these 14 major characters, there are a few more characters in the story. They are –
In the final scene of the original edition of Great Expectations, Pip and Estella are reunited in the Satis House garden after a protracted separation. After an unfortunate wedding wherein her husband "treated her with great cruelty," Estella became widowed. Pip makes the dubious statement that he "saw the shadow of no parting from her" in the book's last lines. Pip may finally get to spend time with Estella after years of longing for her, especially since they both seem to have matured as a result of their ordeals. Nonetheless, Pip's well-known propensity to misjudge circumstances and make incorrect conclusions has also been made clear in the novel.
Dickens may be subtly undermining exactly how much Pip has actually developed or evolved by having him divulge yet another wishful illusion, or "expectation," towards the book's conclusion.
But here’s the catch. Readers should be aware that this is not the conclusion that Dickens had in mind when he wrote the story. In the novel's initial manuscript, Pip and Estella cross together by accident on a London Street rather than at Satis House. The likelihood that Estella and Pip's reunion will lead to a new relationship is diminished by the fact that she not only lost her former husband but also remarried. In reality, Pip describes the experience as a one-off, saying, "I was thereafter extremely delighted to have the interview."
Although the original conclusion clarifies that Pip and Estella do not end up together, encountering Estella again and getting the sensation that aging has softened and made her nicer offers Pip a sense of serenity. Several of Dickens' friends advised him to alter the conclusion before it was published so that there was at least a chance of reconciliation. Dickens made the adjustment, although somewhat reluctantly.
That brings us to the end of this blog. However, we have also tried to cover the common queries students come to us with regarding the topic. Read to find the answers to your queries! Read More about Highlight Your Education on Resume – A Comprehensive Guide.
Pip meets a convict in the graveyard who is hiding there. Pip went to the graveyard to visit the tombs of his family members.
The convicted man is interested to know that Pip’s brother-in-law is a blacksmith because only the latter can cut open the iron chain wrapped around the former’s leg.
The portion of the text that indicates that the convicted man is a wretched person is “A fearful man in coarse grey… seized me by the chin.”
The phrase was written on the grave and the boy thought it to be her name. He also has never seen his mother and thus had no idea of the original name.
In Madam Havisham's brewery, Pip notices a ghostly image of a woman swinging by her neck. The phantom lady is donning a wedding gown that resembles Miss Havisham's. This picture gives off a feeling of self-induced death. One could argue that Miss Havisham engaged in a form of spiritual suicide. Moreover, Satis House has been put in a state of decay or death by Miss Havisham. Due to her influence, this house doesn't appear to have changed significantly for a long time aside from deterioration or death.
The title of the book is primarily derived from Pip's ambition to be a better version because he thinks he can develop in life, he has "high aspirations" for the future.
Despite Dickens does not explicitly identify Orlick as the aggressor until much later in the book, he is the one who attacks Mrs. Joe. Pip speculates that the perpetrator of the attack in Chapter 21 will either be Orlick, with whom Mrs. Joe had just argued. Or, it could be the enigmatic man who they saw at the Jolly Bargemen. One prisoner's leg iron that had been filed down was the only item of evidence found at the crime scene. Orlick admits to the attack in Chapter 53 as he gets ready to kill Pip.
Because she finds her existence at Stasis House to be boring, Estella declares in Chapter 44 that she intends to wed Drummle. To Pip's dismay, Estella claims that Drummle is a good bet than a guy who will rapidly feel the effects of her icy heart's incapacity to properly love since she claims that now the wedding is her decision and not Miss Havisham's. Even while her intentions seem to be centered on limiting the harm that her engagement to any husband will ultimately result in, she unintentionally causes anguish to Pip by making this decision. Estella believes that the best way to accomplish this is to wed a person who is likewise cruel and uninterested.
In Great Expectations, money plays an important part. Pip has high aspirations in terms of money, and when he gets a gentleman's income from a mysterious donor, his life is drastically changed. Dickens demonstrates how money warps interpersonal relationships through examples like Pip's escalating snobbishness towards Joe as he becomes wealthy. When Pip comes to the realization that a man's character matters more than their apparent status or wealth, he grows.
It's fair to say that Pip and Estella's relationship in Great Expectations is complicated. The two first meet when they are young, and adult emotions come into play as they grow older, complicating matters considerably.
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