Film Comparison

Charles Dickens’ aptly titled novel Great Expectations focuses on the journey of the stories chief protagonist, Pip, to fulfill the expectations of his life that have been set for him by external forces. The fusing of the seemingly unattainable aspects of high society and upper class, coupled with Pip’s insatiable desire to reach such status, drives him to realize these expectations that have been prescribed for him. The encompassing desire that he feels stems from his experiences with Mrs. Havisham and the unbridled passion that he feels for Estella. Pip realizes that due to the society-imposed caste system that he is trapped in, he will never be able to acquire

      Mr. Darcy, as one of the main characters, is for the better part of the novel a focus of the theme of pride. His pride is very obvious. It is a part of his nature and is seen in his mannerisms and in his speech. Darcy has such a high opinion of himself that he does not care what others think of him or his prideful actions. He believes that he is the best in every way possible and finds that his standing in society gives him the right to be critical of those not as perfect as he.

In the novel “Great Expectations”, the author, Charles Dickens, shows the views of the people of different social classes. The main character, known as Pip, shows these many views throughout his own life. Pip’s misguided interpretation of what it is to be a gentleman leads him to push people away that matter most to him, follow deceptive dreams, and reject the love that is continually shown to him.

Since he has a large fortune to inherit, he is therefore allowed certain amount of social pride, even if it is disagreeable. His wealth seems to justify his low, prideful behavior in society. But, Elizabeth's attitude toward Darcy changes dramatically, when she overhears him talking negatively about her to his friend Bingley, "I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men."

In great expectations, the book is mainly about social class and how money can change you and the ones around you. It also talks about a young boy named Pip who ends up falling in love with Estella, who was raised by Miss Havisham. Estella's name actually comes from a Latin word called star. Which they are far from our reach and very pretty. This sets Pip on a romantic expectation with Estella. My critical response will examine how the Victorian Era in 1837-1901 and a Modern Day women in 2016 will interpret the texts differently.

Charles Dickens, author of Great Expectations, provides a perfect example of the hope of class mobility. The novel portrays very diverse and varied social classes which spread from a diligent, hardworking peasant (Joe) to a good-natured middle class man (Mr. Wemmick) to a rich, beautiful young girl (Estella). Pip, in particular, elevates in the social pyramid from a common boy to a gentleman with great expectations. With his rise in society, he also alters his attitude, from being a caring child to an apathetic gentleman. During this process, Pip learns how he should act and how to become a real gentleman. Social mobility and wealth, furthermore, carves a disposition and how a character is looked upon.

In literature, plot is what drives a story, gives it purpose and depth. The same is true in cinema, and theatre as well. Some works of literature that have been transcribed into works of cinema try to keep true to the source material, but many are changed and rewritten into slightly different , and often completely different stories. While this may be unfortunate for those who prefer the original texts, it may be a more enjoyable experience for those who prefer cinema. A very good example of drastic change and deviation from the source material, is the cinematic adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1970 short story; “Button, Button”. In 2009, it was adapted into a Motion picture, and we retitled “The Box”. This cinematic version was quite different from the source material, as the entire story and its plot were re-worked from the ground up, and much of the original themes and elements of the story had been changed completely. You can almost look at it as an experiment in storytelling, with constants and variable that change and do not change at all- constants being self-explanatory, and variables being deviations from the source material.

Mr. Darcy is a proud, haughty, intelligent, and very conscious man. Mr. Darcy’s pride for his status and wealth ultimately leads to his prejudice for Elizabeth’s lower-class status. “One can not wonder that so very fine a young man with family, fortune, everything in his favor, should think so highly of himself. If I may so express it, he has a right to be proud.” (Chapter 4, Page 21).

Darcy’s pride and his sense of superiority are considered rude and ungentlemanly behavior, and no amount of money or fine looks can save him from falling into disgrace with the people of Hertfordshire. Later, when Darcy first proposes to Elizabeth, she shocks him when she angrily exclaims that “had [he] behaved in a more gentleman-like manner” (168), then she may have felt

Changing cultural attitudes were also reflected in film. The films Carnal Knowledge and The Marriage of a Young

In Great Expectations, a novel written by Charles Dickens, the well-portrayed characters play a big role in conveying the story’s message. One of them is Estella, a girl adopted by Miss Havisham, a rich, old lady to break men’s hearts by her beauty. She also is the protagonist, Pip’s love interest. Estella is a very complex and dynamic character that has a tremendous impact on Pip’s life Estella is very well aware of her high social status, which is very evident from the way she speaks. Her first encounter with a common boy was when she meets Pip when he comes to the Satis House.

Estella and Pip are brought up by two separate forces to become a lady and a gentleman. Both of them are raised into the upper classes of the socially divided England, specifically in London. In the nineteenth century, many aspects of English life were bound to social divisions and class. According to Joe Gargery, “Diwisions among such must come, and must be met as they come,” (Dickens 248) which explains that in their current lifetime, lives are separated depending on the various social classes in their society. In the bildungsroman, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Miss Havisham and Magwitch bring up Estella and Pip, respectively, by contrasting methods, motives, and with different results.

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice illuminates a social courtship between the proud Mister Fitzwilliam Darcy and the shrewd, unconventional Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth is proud of her own identity. She astutely justifies herself as “a gentleman’s daughter” (Austen 337) in her confrontation with the prejudiced and class-conscious Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Mister Fitzwilliam Darcy, who shares Elizabeth’s sharp tongue, comes from a family of high social status; his privileged upbringing instilled in him “pride and conceit” (Austen 349) that blinds him from acknowledging the similarity and equality between him and Elizabeth. Upon first proposing to Elizabeth, he does not realize that he is not raising her social status by marrying her.

Dickens, through Pip’s journey from a blacksmith’s family to becoming a gentleman, brings to light the class snobbery and atrocity that prevails in a so-called 'sophisticated society'. Throughout Great Expectations, Dickens portrays the class system of Victorian society from the lowest class of convict to the poor working class of Joe and Biddy and up to the wealthy class of Miss Havisham.

Society has developed the concept of social class, to categorized people into different groups based on economic, political, and socio-economic status. This concept has made it difficult for the middle and lower class to succeed. Charles Dickens had a sense of writing during the Victorian Era as it sought to represent a large and comprehensive social world, with a variety of classes. Novels during this time were made to be realistic and Charles Dickens excelled at doing that and exceeded expectations. One of his most famous novels, Great Expectations was set in early Victorian Era when great social changes were sweeping the nation. Charles Dickens's Great Expectations tells the story of Pip, an English orphan who rises to wealth, deserts his true friends, and becomes humbled by his own arrogance. This piece, and a couple other of his pieces including one of his short novels, “George Silverman’s Explanation” and a poem classifying the rich, “The Fine Old English Gentleman” developed a concept of social class. Throughout each of the three pieces, the social class is somehow brought up, whether that being a short snippet, or the way it can change someone throughout the classifications of the social class.