Fall 2018 book review (great expectations)

Aman Mahant Mr. MeyerHumanities/Composition 2 1 December 2018 Great Expectations Today, I am reviewing an novel called Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. This novel was published in 1861 and was quite a hit. I think this is an drama, action type genre and it is an fictional novel. Charles Dickens audience target was the Middle Class to show how the middle class lived. This novel had many significant characters such as Pip, which was a short name for Pirrip. Pip was the leader and narrator of the novel.

Pip is shown as an small orphan child living in Kent (near England) with his sister and her husband. Pip is shown as a romantic little boy who was very passionate. Then, there was Estrella. In the novel, she is introduced as Pip’s distant love dream. She is also the daughter of Miss. Havisham. You might be wondering who is Miss. Havisham? Well, Miss. Havisham is a wealthy, eccentric old woman who lives in a huge manor near Pip’s house.

When I was reading this novel it seemed like Pip narrated is by telling of how crazy and manic she looks. According to Pip, Miss. Havisham always wears a fitted wedding dress around the house. She has been doing this after her ex-fianc© had second thoughts about their marriage and left her alone. The last significant character is Abel Magwitch who is a convict in other words a fearless criminal. Let’s keep it like that for now, you’ll know more soon! Rest of characters who are in the novel but don’t play a significant role are Joe Gargery, Pip’s Brother-in-law. Jaggers, a Powerful lawyer, Herbert Pocket. Biddy and Mrs. Joe, Pip’s sister who is raising and living with him. Finally, you’ll get to know what actually happened in Great Expectations. The novel starts by Pip at the cemetery looking at his parents grave. He started hearing voices but wasn’t sure what was happening. Out of nowhere, Abel Magwitch popped out of an tombstone and snatch Pip. Pip was terrified of what just happened because he wasn’t aware of what was happening. The frightening convict then orders Pip to get him some food and an iron for his pants. Pip obeys his commands and proceeds to get him the stuff he ordered, but the Magwitch is captured by the police and protects Pip by saying that he stole the items for himself and Pip had nothing to do with this. One day, Pip’s uncle took Pip to Miss. Havisham’s palace. As I addressed the wedding dress, this is when Pip discovered the wedding dress. Another thing, that is different in the house is all the clocks are stopped at the same time. Just like the time stopped at the house, something else in Pip’s body stopped was his heart. He saw an amazing young girl who was Estrella. He had met Estrella before but she treated him arrogantly and heartlessly. But that didn’t stop Pip at all, She became the woman of his dreams and dreamt to become a wealthy man and marry Estrella, he also had hoped that Miss. Havisham converts him a sophisticated gentleman and mature enough to marry Estrella. He started making regular visits to her house. To become an gentleman, Pip started to work at his Brother-in-law Joe’s shop. Joe was the village blacksmith. Pip was sad when working there because he was extremely struggling to keep up with his education, learning how to be an wealthy man. He met Joe’s employee, Orlick who did not give a good vibe to Pip. Later One Night, Pip’s sister, Mrs. Joe had an argument with Orlick and she was physically attacked. After the attack, Mrs. Joe became mute which is a illness. No one knew that Orlick was the one who did this but, Pip knew that Orlick had something to do with this after Mrs. Joe was sending signals to Pip. After a couple months, A lawyer, Jaggers suddenly appears in Kent for strange news for Pip. Jaggers tells Pip that a patron gave a fortune to Pip, and offered Pip to come to London and begin his education and increase a step to becoming an wealthy gentlemen. Pip assumed the secret patron is Miss. Havisham who has the intention of making him rich and wealthy and marry Estrella and fulfil his dreams. Pip agrees and heads towards London. After settling, Pip makes a young gentlemen called Herbert Pocket and also Jagger’s law clerk who helped him in London named Wemmick. He tells them that he misses his family and friends in Kent, but he wants to follow his love to Estrella. He starts his education and tutors with Herbert’s Father, Matthew Pocket. As time went, Herbert taught Pip how to become an gentleman. After finishing school and everything at 25, Pip gets his first amount of money from his fortune. He then decides to help himself and Herbert into the business they both wanted to work in. But, Pip had to wait for that right now that had to wait since they both were enjoying themselves and adding debt. Out of nowhere, Orlick pops up again in Pip’s life. He said that he was now an employee of Miss. Havisham but he didn’t stick around because Jaggers fired him after Pip told him what he had done in the past. After Orlick leaving, Pip discovered devastating news of his sister passing away, and he immediately leaves for Kent for the funeral. He was sad that he decided to stay in Kent for awhile. Several years later back in London, a mystery man appears and enters through the window. It was the convict. Still being shocked, Magwitch gives more shocking news that he was the patron who supported him and sent him to London not Miss. Havisham. He explained to Pip why he decided to help him become an gentleman. He explains that, he was touched when he supported him when he asked for food and an iron and did not escape as he thought he would. So he went to Australia to make an fortune and help Pip out. Pip is horrified, but he decides to help Magwitch escape London but everyone is looking for him such as the police and his ex-crime partner Compeyson. Pip discovers that Compeyson is actually Miss. Havisham’s ex-fiance and Estrella is the convict’s daughter and that Miss. Havisham is taking care of Estrella. After living with Magwitch for awhile, he started seeing some good in him and drafted a plan for his escape. Pip finds out the Estrella has been married so he visits her to congratulate them, he also discovers that Miss. Havisham had a incident with her fireplace and she is fighting her final days. He begs for Pip’s forgiveness for how she treated him in the past and Pip forgives her. He heads back to London for the great escape. Just before they start the mission, Pip is called into a dark alley to meet someone, Orlicks appears and wants to kill Pip for all the damage he caused, Pip was edge of being dead but then suddenly Herbert and his friends appear and save Pip. Orlicks dies and they continue their mission. They sneak Magwitch to the riverboat but then they were discovered by police after his ex partner tipped them off. Compeyson and Magwitch fight in the river and drowns Compeyson, After all this Magwitch is sentenced to death and he accepted this punishment and Pip loses his fortune and is left with no money. After all this, Pip falls ill and Joe travels to London to take care of him. He decides to leave for Kent with Joe and decides to marry Biddy who taught him how to read and write. But after reaching, he discovers that she has already been married and Pip is still single. Pip decides to be in a business with Herbert and he travels the world with him, The story ends with him returning after several years later and seeing Estrella in the graveyard after her husband died. They become together and Pip decided that they will never part again. After reading this novel, I would give it an 9/10. I enjoyed reading this novel by Charles Dickens but they were some things in the novel that were not explained well or I thought were not necessary while reading. I agree there is some mystery and drama happening so it kept me going to finishing it. What I really enjoyed was the how to story was made, All the characters had an significant role and it made it interesting to read. I wonder how just givin
g bail for a big crime such as helping someone escape is easy to do. Enclosed in the letter, was a receipt for the debt and costs on which I had been arrested. Down to that moment I had vainly supposed that my creditor had withdrawn or suspended proceedings until I should be quite recovered. I had never dreamed of Joe’s having paid the money; but, Joe had paid it, and the receipt was in his name (Dickens 441). Pip was in the clear as soon as Joe paid the bail money his record was clear as after that and they moved on. One other thing that was weird and in a way negative was when, Jaggers came to Kent to see Pip, he just explained of the fortune and Pip just agreed without asking that many questions just because he had a hunch that it was Miss. Havisham. As stated in the novel, My name,’ he said, is Jaggers, and I am a lawyer in London. I am pretty well known. I have unusual business to transact with you, and I commence by explaining that it is not of my originating. If my advice had been asked, I should not have been here. It was not asked, and you see me here. What I have to do as the confidential agent of another, I do. No less, no more I am instructed to communicate to him,’ said Mr Jaggers, throwing his finger at me sideways, that he will come into a handsome property. Further, that it is the desire of the present possessor of that property, that he be immediately removed from his present sphere of life and from this place, and be brought up as a gentleman – in a word, as a young fellow of great expectations.’ My dream was out; my wild fancy was surpassed by sober reality; Miss Havisham was going to make my fortune on a grand scale (Dickens 127-128). That’s all it took for Pip to agree to go to London with Jaggers. He just wanted to become a gentleman to marry Estrella, even though in the future he was too late. I think Charles Dickens could’ve added like a small mission Pip could’ve done and it could’ve added some suspense in the novel. I really like how the ending turned out as Pip got to be with Estrella after all as best friends then something more in the future. This quoted section was the part that made me happy, I have often thought of you,’ said Estella. Have you?’ Of late, very often. There was a long hard time when I kept far from me, the remembrance, of what I had thrown away when I was quite ignorant of its worth. But, since my duty has not been incompatible with the admission of that remembrance, I have given it a place in my heart.’ You have always held your place in my heart,’ I answered .. Glad to part again, Estella? To me, parting is a painful thing. To me, the remembrance of our last parting has been ever mournful and painful. We are friends,’ said I, rising and bending over her, as she rose from the bench. And will continue friends apart,’ said Estella. I took her hand in mine, and we went out of the ruined place.. (Dickens 452) . They had a rocky few years but at the end they were together. Overall this was another successful novel made by the legend Charles Dickens. Another fun fact about Great Expectations is there was an movie made in 1988 based on the story, it does have few tweaks to make into a movie. It got 7/10 by IMdb as well. I’m sure you would want to read this novel now don’t ya? Well you can purchase this book at Amazon for $10. 87. Just search up Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and it will be there. Here are some pictures of the novel and some ads published.