Great Expectations

A detailed Summary of Great Expectations

The famous British novelist Fay Weldon once said this about happy endings, "The writers, I do believe, who get the best and most lasting response from readers are the writers who offer a happy ending through moral development. By a happy ending, I do not mean mere fortunate events- a marriage or a last minute rescue from death- but some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation, even with the self, even at death." Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations uses symbolism, irony, and imagery to illustrate that Pip, the main character and narrator, will evidently live a "happy ending." Dickens lead builds his themes and plots so that the reader ultimately guesses the wrong outcome for Pit, which is not the traditional ending of a Victorian novel.

The novel begins with the main characters want for a moral self- improvement. In the first few pages of the novel, Pip has been introduced to a man while visiting his parents' grave site. Pip describes this man as "a fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg." The reader can see that Pip has been introduced to a man who symbolizes crime and evil deeds. Because of the placement of the symbol in the text, being very close to the fr

The end of Great Expectations can be seen as a "happy ending" because the main character understands that social improvement is irrelevant to one's real worth, and that his good deeds and his ability to be moral are valued above social status. Through his portrayal of Magwitch and his portrayal of Drummle, Dickens goes against the structures of society, and proves that even a man of the most wretched status, Magwitch, can be more moral than one of a high aristocratic class. Therefore, Pip has gained something greater than wealth or social advancement. He has gained morality.

"A man with no hat, and with broken shoes, and with and old rag tied around his head. A man who had been soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and cut by flints, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars; who limped, and shivered, and glared and growled, and whose teeth chattered in his head.."

As soon as Pip had conceived a want for a higher social status, he assumed that education would be the final factor. Even as a child, Pip understands that if he had no education, he would stay an ignorant country boy. He soon begins to learn to read and write by learning from Mr. Pocket, a gentleman who lives in London. But, Pip's quest to totally disown his past causes him to become very vain and superficial. The phrase "not with pleasure, though I was bound to him by so many ties; no; with considerable disturbance, some mortification, and a keen sense of incongruity," reflects Pip's initial reaction to Joe's visit to him. Words like "disturbance," and "mortification," contribute to the idea that Pip is truly unhappy with Joe's arrival. The reader can see that Pip feels this way towards Joe, and ultimately his past because he put himself in the higher social class. When Pip continues to describe his feelings towards the visit of his old friend, he says "If I could have kept him away by paying money, I certainly would have paid money." This opens the reader to bribery, and though Pip thinks that he has already achieved moral, educational, and social improvement, the reader can see that this is all an il

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Approximate Word count = 1429
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English