Great Expectations By Charles Dicken

In many novels, the society created by the author is surrounded by wealth and corruption. Numerous amount of times these settings are produced based on the life in which the author lives. Charles Dickens is no different. In the midst of most of his novels, Dickens exposes the deception of Victorian England and the strict society that holds everything together. In Dickens' novel Our Mutual Friend, a satire is created where the basis of the novel is the mockery against money and morals. Throughout this novel, multiple symbols and depictions of the characters display the corruption of the mind that surrounds social classes in Victorian England.

Relationships have shaped humanity since the beginning of time. From Adam and Eve to Romeo and Juliet to Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, relationships influence culture and fuel the imaginations and passions of many. Perhaps the most important aspect of a relationship lies in what it brings long-term: the continuation of our species. For all these reasons, relationships constantly appear and reappear in culture, music, and literature. However Charles Dickens and Betty Smith do not focus the effect of relationships on the bonding of two people together, but rather the full development and maturation of one individual’s identity. In their respective novels, Great Expectations and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Dickens and Smith explore how relationships impact a person’s identity and the importance of caution in selecting a lifelong partner.

Herbert is a friend we hope we always have. Herbert is always there for Pip, even when he is mean or rude, because friends don’t judge.Pip is just the opposite. He is never there for Herbert and doesn’t show any caring or good friendship qualities.In a way, I don’t think that Pip sees Herbert as a friend,more just like someone he knows and can talk to .

In A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, isolation impacts Madame Defarge and Sydney Carton by altering their perception of life, influencing Madame to become obsessive with her vengeful goal of eliminating the aristocracy and damaging Carton by forcing him to contain his depressive emotions.

Many works of literature contain a character who intentionally deceives others. The character’s dishonestly may be intended either to help or to hurt. In Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen, George Wickham deceives the characters within the novel. Wickham fooled the Bennet family, especially Lydia, and attempted to fool Mr. Darcy and his young, innocent sister. Wickham purposefully lied to these characters to benefit himself and continue to live in his lavish lifestyle.

Since the beginning of time, humans tend to develop the common misconception of those who possess wealth and fame posse’s happiness. The average numbers of wealthy people interviewed every year report back describing them as being miserable and never truly happy despite their wealth. This misconception that any common man would believe is due to the fact that one can never know true wealth unless he has it .When people come upon wealth and start climbing the social ladder, they tend to lose their moral ethics and become more corrupt by changing their life style in becoming less humane. Since the discovery of wealth and social power, society has been separated into two classes, the ruler and the ruled, the rich and the poor. Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations and F. Scot Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby contradicts the relation of wealth and happiness in their books because they both show that in order to be truly happy, one must reject superficial things, such as one’s position in the caste system of society, and pursue one’s true desires.

What effect does the realization of the flaws of one’s social class and lifestyle have on an individual’s attitude in life?

Innovation and creativity is what sets humans apart. To get where we are today, humans have created tools, ideas, stories, medicine, technology, and more that nobody has created before; and thus, they create a precedent for our society. The common phrase “What will they think of next?” is then asked, and shortly after the question is answered with another new, inspiring innovation. We have committees today like the Nobel Prize and The MacArthur Foundation that recognize innovators and role models who instigate a positive change in our society. These awards not only commemorate the recipients, but broadcast their ideas, creations, or stories, that in turn inspire others to do the same.

First, the true friends in Great Expectations were Pip and Herbert, who stuck together against all animosity. Pip and Herbert were a humorous duo; they would poke jokes at each other constantly and genuinely enjoy each others company. This was apparent right from the beginning of their friendship, going back to the day they first

Usually in society, people make the assumption that a person with a formal education is superior to a person without one. This is a social construct that does not hold any truth. In the book Great Expectations, we see the stark difference between formally educated and informally educated people. Pip becomes a gentleman and learns in a formal way. He has plenty of money but yet he is unsatisfied with his life.

Also for the fact that he decided to marry Clara to relieve her from taking care of her drunk father. Herbert's overwhelming politeness and patience is particularly contrasted to Pip's increasing rudeness and bad behaviour when Joe comes to stay. Herbert treats him better than Pip himself. The fact that Hebert is a 'gentleman' is surprising as his mother especially is rude and lazy while his uncles and aunts are all money-grabbing and attempt to please Miss Havisham for her money although they have no real love for her.

Throughout the book Pip was not happy with his life and wanted to become something more; his name meant “seed”, like a seed Pip was “planted” and the reader watches him grow. Estella told Pip that he was just a common-labouring boy. (chapter 8) Pip had never thought as himself as common, but now he wanted to become a gentleman so that he would be worthy of Estella. However once Pip becomes a gentleman he realizes that it is not what he thought it would be. Consequently he starts to neglect Joe and Biddy, however in the end, Pip starts to change back to the person he used to be and tries to repair his relationship with Joe and Biddy. In addition he gives his money to Herbert so that he can go to merchant school and Herbert ends up giving Pip a job in the end. This shows that you gain from giving, if Pip would not have gave Herbert the money he would not have gotten the job offer.

Dinaw Mengestu’s riveting novel, All Our Names, is a story about so many complex aspects of life and revolves around a theme of humanity. It can, more or less, be viewed as two separate stories that eventually collide with the characters from each representing diverse views of what it means to be human. With vastly different experiences being represented, the reader is able to see the struggle of people trying to survive in a country torn by politics as well as the struggle of a relationship trying to survive in a country torn by hate. So appropriately referenced in the novel was Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities as what the characters experienced truly were the best of times and the worst of times. And while

Pip and Herbert meet at Miss. Havisham’s garden, where he challenges Pip to a fight. When him and Pip are reunited in London, they become the best of friends where Herbert is there for Pip through his transition to a “gentleman” (Dickens). The symbolic meaning behind this that as Pip grows a closer bond with Herbert he learns his name. Dickens does this with several characters as Pip forms a bond with several charterers their names are revealed. The opposite is also present in the novel in which some character names are never revealed such as Pip’s sister.

Great Expectations’ main character, Phillip Pirrip- generally known as Pip- had a rough upbringing as a child. His sister, Mrs. Joe had “brought him up by hand”, after their parents and five brothers had all been laid to rest many years ago. Another character, Herbert Pocket experienced a bizarre childhood, though in a different manner. Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations develops through the novel following Pip, a young “common boy” who grew up in the countryside. As he matured so did his love for a girl of higher class, Estella. However, being a common boy, Pip was not good enough for his Estella, thus once he was given an opportunity to become a gentleman in London he seized it without much hesitation. Charles Dickens’ had his own