Great expectations is a coming-of-age story with the main theme of search for identity and other strong themes of loyalty, morality, conscience, and relationships. The main character Pip, an orphan being raised by his sister and her husband, is originally a good person with a conscience. When circumstances make him do something immoral, he feels extremely guilty. Thus, a desire for self-improvement—educational, social, and moral -- takes root in his psyche.

The protagonist first goes for moral improvement, after a convict threatens and makes him steal from his blacksmith uncle’s shop. Later, Pip wants to become a gentleman, the kind of the then-British society. As to his educational improvement, he ends up in Mr. Wopsle’s aunt’s school. Still, his schooling is not enough, also, and at the end, he learns what matters the most is conscience and affection over anything else.

In the novel, crime, punishment, guilt, and innocence themes plus superficial morality ideas are also explored. The structure of the novel is complex with events, ideas, and people with their doubles, such as two invalids, Mrs. Joe and Miss Havisham, two young women of interest, Biddy and Estella, and two convicts, Magwitch and Compeyson. Then there’s the mismatched relationships between Miss Havisham and Compeyson mirrored by the affection of Pip for Estella. Despite all those doubles, different themes, settings, and twists in the plot, a reader finds that everything around Pip is connected. In fact, I found this novel to have more unity than the other novels by Dickens I have read so far.

The story is told through Pip’s voice and in the first-person point of view from sometime in Pip’s future. The tone is ironic and wistful with a hint of humor added to it, even when Pip describes the most tragic or scary scenes.

Plot (as a whole):

Pip (Philip Pirrip) grows up in Kent, London, near the marshlands where he is taken in by his sister after his whole family dies. His sister’s husband Joe Gargery is a good and kind man and he is very friendly with Pip, unlike Pip’s own sister who is sour-faced and cross most of the time, although toward her end, she mellows down.

While visiting the graveyard one day, Pip is accosted by a convict, Abel Magwitch, who has escaped from the convict ship. Scared by the convict’s threats, the seven-year-old Pip steals food and a file from Joe’s shop and brings it to Magwitch. Soon Magwitch and Compeyson, another supposedly gentleman-convict, are caught and Compeyson takes the blame for the stolen goods and Pip is not found out, but the feelings of guilt eat up the insides of the boy.

Later in the story, Pip begins to work in his uncle’s shop and is made to pay visits to (the antagonist) Miss Havisham’s place, the Satis House. Pip falls in love with Miss Havisham’s adopted daughter, the beautiful Estella. Miss Havisham, a disturbed woman left at the altar, teaches Estella the art of tormenting men. Pip’s feelings for Estella are not returned and Pip feels even more ashamed of his lowly position in society and poor background. Miss Havisham seems as if she is backing Pip, but in reality she is not, as she is playing him as if he is someone for Estella to practice on.

Years later, a lawyer, Mr. Jaggers, tells Pip that an anonymous benefactor is sending him to school. Pip assumes that his benefactor is Miss Havisham while Miss Havisham doesn’t refute Pip’s assumption. In the school, Pip makes friends with Herbert who is Matthew Pocket’s son who teaches him. Another teacher is Bentley Drummle, who later marries Estella.

Time passes, and when Pip turns into a bit of gentleman, he finds out that it was the convict Magwitch was his benefactor and not Miss Havisham, who played Pip along. Pip rejects any more financial help from Magwitch, who had managed to escape to Australia and became rich, but later Pip grows to like Magwitch and appreciates him.

Meanwhile, Pip visits the Satis house where Miss Havisham begs for his forgiveness, and Pip forgives her. During that day, Miss Havisham catches fire from the fireplace, and she becomes an invalid.

Later, Magwitch runs the risk of getting put in jail again when the authorities find out that is in London. Pip and his friend Herbert try to help Magwitch. They decide that Pip and Magwitch leave England. Before they leave, Pip visits the Satis House and confronts Miss Havisham for letting him believe she was his benefactor. While there, he discovers that Magwitch was Estella’s father and Compeyson was Miss Havisham’s lover.

Just when Pip and Magwitch are leaving, Compeyson and the police arrive, and a fight between Compeyson and Magwitch begins, during which they both fall into the Thames. Compeyson drowns and Magwitch survives. Magwitch later dies, too, while waiting for his execution.

A very depressed Pip with failing health is arrested for his debts but is let go. Pip is nursed back to health, and he later finds out that his uncle Joe has paid all his bills. Joe tells Pip that Miss Havisham has died. After that, Pip goes to Cairo to work in a branch of Herbert’s firm. After more than ten years, he returns to London and goes to Satis House’s place, where Estella, now a widow, meets him. Pip takes her hand with the idea that they will never part again.

This is the second time, I read this novel. The first one was during the sixties. I had fun reading it again. It is said that, in the original version, Pip and Estella weren’t united but a happier conclusion was pushed on Dickens again so he rewrote the ending. I have to say I favor the original version, as I didn’t like Estella one bit, even though Miss Havisham is considered to be the antagonist.

its characters. I think, Dickens' art of characterization shines in this book.

The author was Charles John Huffam Dickens, (1812 - 1870), an author, journalist, editor, illustrator and social-critic who created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His most famous books include Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, Nicholas Nickleby, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities.

It is understandable enough and fun to read and unlike Dickens's other works, the number of characters are reduced and the plot doesn't go all over the place.

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Created Sep 06, 2020 at 4:02pm • Submit your own review...