Great Expectations By Charles Dickens

In the coming of age novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Pip and Estella are both puppets and prisoners under similar situations with contrasting intentions and origins. Estella is just a baby girl when her parents get into a fight and her mother threatens to murder her. She is taken away from her parents, leaving her father to believe she is dead, and given to Miss Havisham; a woman whose heart becomes shattered by a man from which she becomes obsessed over. Pip is a small boy whose family with the exception of his sadistic sister have all perished. Pip’s sister constantly beats him over the tiniest of things and when Joe, his sister’s husband, tries to step in, is only beaten harder.

Estella lives in the Manor House with her adoptive mother Miss Havisham who has raised her up as a tool to be used to break men’s hearts. Although she constantly insults and makes fun of Pip, he falls in love with her. This love for her makes Pip vulnerable to any and every little insult that comes out of her mouth and Pip puts to heart everything she says. So, when she says, "He calls the knaves, Jacks, this boy!...And what course hands he has! And what thick boots!" he takes it to heart (Dickens 105). It is at this point that Pip begins to feel ashamed of his uneducated family, and longs to become a gentleman. Due to Estella’s cold-hearted character and her arrogant personality, Pip is made to feel that he stands no chance with her. Even more dangerous is her destructive influence on Pip which makes him strive to become a gentleman no matter the cost. Rather than being surrounded by people such as Estella who do nothing but put Pip’s character down, he should surround himself with supportive and encouraging individuals who are always there for him and appreciate his unique personality. This is what causes growth in a person.

It is said that right before someone dies, they see their life flash before their eyes. They are said to see the things most dear to them. However, no one on their deathbed regrets the amount of money that they have. In the moment of clarity, most realize that a number on a paycheck is not as important as emotional and mental possessions. People always tell each other that money can not buy happiness, yet most end up spending every waking moment thinking about money. Why do people waste their time and energy pursuing something that is not what they truly need? Often, they use social class to fill a void in their lives that can not be filled by materialistic possessions. Many people realize this, but it is often too late. Charles Dickens demonstrates the effects of social climbing in his novel, Great Expectations. This novel explores the connections and effects of human nature and society, which are the two most powerful forces that guide people’s decisions. Some may say that social climbing is good, but as will be proven, pursuing social class for the wrong reason can result in disastrous consequences. The motivation to obtain higher social status leaves those who pursue it dissatisfied with reality and with a wider void in their lives as shown by Pip, Estella, and Magwitch.

Estella violently dehumanizes Pip because she is of a higher class, and she wants to propel her own self-worth. When Estella first meets Pip, she points out the fact that “he calls the knaves jacks,” and that he has “coarse hands” and “thick boots” (Dickens 122). Estella wants to prove that she is superior to Pip, because she is of a higher class. But the only way to do this successfully is to dehumanize Pip, by pointing out things that take away his humanity, like his coarse hands and thick boots. Before he meets Estella, Pip does not share

Throughout Great Expectations, the main character Pip seems to undergo a transformation. He starts off as a common boy who will soon be a blacksmith apprentice and will learn from his sister 's husband, Joe, who also acts as a father figure for Pip. Pip has a lot of respect for money and strongly desires to become a gentleman to impress the girl that he is in love with, Estella. Because of this he travels to London where he learns the way of a gentleman. With the people that Pip knows back home and the new ones that he meets in London, his behavior and attitude is clearly influenced by the people that he surrounds himself with. Sometimes it’s a good influence and other times it’s not. Pip also seems to have a set idea of what a gentleman is and because of that he misinterprets what an actual gentleman is suppose to be like.

Monett, after reading your post this week, I agree with you that it we should all help one another Jesus said it like this according to Matthew 25:40 “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me”. Having a heart for the less fortunate is a Kingdome principle and one we should all have. I do believe that Dickens was adamant in pointing that out, especially with the effective use of ghost of Christmas future, that particular apparition was able to put the fear of God in the man, so much so, that he truly embrace the Christmas spirit, however the Union workhouses Scrooge referred to, based on my limited research were not all that helpful they seemly took advantage of the people situation rather

In Great Expectations, throughout Pip’s childhood and adulthood, he develops expectations and conceptions of others around him. In addition to Mrs. Joe Gargery, there is another character who influences Pip’s decision to pursue a lavish lifestyle in London. Mrs. Havisham is a wealthy, unmarried woman who requests to see Pip several times throughout the novel. Estella, Miss Havisham’s adopted daughter who Pip falls in love with early on, degrades Pip for being part of a common family. She represents this degradation through several rude commands and statements. “ ‘With this boy! Why, he is a common labouring-boy’ ” (Dickens 61). After being devastated by Estella’s comments, Pip begins to question the way Joe, his brother-in-law and father

When Pip first meets Estella it begins Pip’s extremely interesting journey up the social ladder. Pip wants to show Estella that he is a gentleman with class; he does not want to be known as a common boy. This is an example of trying to impress people with their social status and class. Pip is ashamed of his “thick boots” and “coarse hands” because they make him just a “common labouring boy” (Dickens 61, 62). These decisions show Pip’s ungrateful and ashamed of who he is and where he came from.

The beginning of the video started off by introducing a man named John Dickens, who worked at a naval pay office on the docks of Portsmouth, and lived in a small house at 387 Mile End Terrace. His wife was Elizabeth Barrow who he met at his office, and who he also had a kid with named, Charles Dickens. But within 7 months of Charles being born everything seemed to go wrong for them, from running into financial problems to being forced to move to several different locations, until they settled in a house up the hill from the docks of Chatham, London. This is where Charles had his happiest memories of his childhood.

Great Expectations, occurs in the early 1800s over three major settings: his sister’s house in the Kent marshes, Satis House, and London. Pip describes his first home with his sister and brother-in-law as, “...the marsh country, down by the river...this bleak place” (1). Pip regards his hometown to be dull and boring. This symbolizes how plain Pip’s life was before his benefactor’s generosity enabled Pip to go to more thriving places and have more lively experiences. Here, Pip spends his days gloomily, as his sister always scolds him, and he cannot escape it. However, one day, Mr. Pumblechook gives Pip an opportunity to be whisked to Satis House, the residence of Miss Havisham and Estella. Miss Havisham lives an isolated, restricted life which can be seen in the architecture of her house. It was “...of old brick, and dismal, and had a great many iron bars to it” (54). Miss Havisham’s residence represents her well because the worn bricks show how old and tired she is of life, and the iron bars symbolize how she lives as if she were in a prison. She mainly keeps to herself and does not step outside her house. In Miss Havisham’s manor, Pip’s life changes as he meets Estella, his beloved, and he encounters people different than him. Pip then travels to the metropolis of London with Mr. Jaggers and money from his benefactor. Pip, at first glance at the enormous city, “...was scared by the immensity of London...rather ugly, crooked, narrow, and dirty” (161). During the early

The introduction and characterization of Estella and Miss Havisham provide an outlook on this view. When Pip first meets Estella, she is nothing but rude to Pip. She ridicules him for his coarse-hands and common boots. Even more, Estella brings Pip his first decent meal by putting, "the mud down on the stones of the yard, and gave me the bread and meat without looking at me, as insolently as if I were a dog in disgrace." This shows Estella is embarrassed to have to see Pip, much less serve him a meal.

Initially, Charles Dickens portrays Estella as disrespectful to the lower class and self-centered because of her wealth. When Pip visits her for the first time at the Satis house, she treats him as if he is worth nothing. Instead of feeding him with warmth and kindness, “she put the mug down on the stones of the yard, and gave me the bread and meat without looking at me, as insolently as if I were a dog in disgrace. I was so humiliated, hurt, spurned, offended, angry, sorry…” (Dickens 58).

Estella has a big influence on Pip’s demeanor. First, Estella influences Pip’s decision to become a gentleman because of her disdainful yet rich way of life. “The beautiful young lady at Miss Havisham’s, and she is more beautiful than anybody ever was, and I admire her dreadfully, and I want to be a gentleman on her account.” (Dickens 65) Pip

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 also is a victim to her guardian in the novel. She too is never given the chance to be her own person and live life to its fullest. Estella is conditioned by her guardian, Miss Havisham, to make men suffer, and in return it is Estella who will be made to suffer for her guardian's actions. Miss Havisham is a severely disturbed old woman who has adopted Estella. Miss Havisham was abandoned on her wedding day and as a result she forever maintains hatred toward men. Thus for her dirty work, Miss Havisham uses Estella to meet this purpose. Pip concludes that Miss Havisham "had done a grievous thing in taking an impressionable child (Estella) and had manipulated into the form that her wild resentment, spurned affection, and wounded pride, found vengeance in". Miss Havisham makes Estella have a fear of men being close to her and not to allow herself to become attached to them emotionally. Dickens’ made Estella an almost identical copy of Frankenstein: trained to perform specific tasks for the pleasure of their guardian. However someday, they crack and see the illness in their lives. Estella was Miss Havisham’s toy. Estella never