Great Expectations

Great Expectations

The title of this novel is Great Expectations and was written by Charles Dickens. Dickens wrote and set this novel in near the mid-1800 in London, England. Great Expectations is about a young, common boy named Pip that blossoms into a gentleman with high expectations of himself.

The main and supporting characters are Pip, Estella, Miss Havisham, Magwitch, and Jaggers.

Pip is the protagonist and narrator of the novel. The novel spans the time in which he was a young boy through his age in which he is recognized as a true man of the world. Pip has immature tendencies in which he will believe that he deserves better than what he gets in life. Although everyone should have a certain level of self-esteem and respect, he holds himself in high regard against other people. Pip feels that he should be able to move up into high society. After meeting Estella, he wants nothing more than to gain the respect and hand of her through becoming a gentleman. Through a serious of very fortunate events, beginning with showing the convict in the first chapter kindness, he is able to fulfill his expectations and hopes. As the story progresses, maturity overcomes Pip. He realizes that being a gentleman will not always get him what he wants in life, including Estella.

Estella is introduced to Pip through Miss Havisham. Estella plays antagonist to Pip through the course of his life. Miss Havisham adopts Estella as more of a puppet rather than a young girl. Miss Havisham was stood up on her wedding day and refuses to let go of that moment in life, so Miss Havisham uses Estella as a human form of unrequited love and revenge on Pip. Not only that, but Miss Havisham uses her social status as a means of an excuse to treat anyone as she feels. This is why Estella turns out to be cold-hearted to Pip. She flaunts her wealth in his face, she treats him like he is nothing but common trash, and she toys with his emotions. Unbeknownst to her, social status is not everything. She thought she could get the best with her social status, but in the end, she wound up with the worst. As for Miss Havisham, she gets a taste of reality also. Miss Havisham realizes that the past is the past. She is remorseful about the way she has raised Estella to treat Pip