Great Expectations

高考学习网 中国最大高考学习网站 G 我们负责传递知识 Great Expectations Charles Dickens Setting London England 1800s Background Information Pip lives with his very strict martinet older sister Mrs Joe and her husband Joe Gargery Mrs Joe is abusive and is the dominant force in the household having raised Pip by hand Joe is a kind and caring role model for Pip whose parents died right after his birth Pip ventures to the churchyard to visit their graves often This very place is where this classic tale unfolds Characters Pip Philip Pirrip narrator His ambition is to better himself socially However in doing this he rejects many of his closest friends in order to achieve his goals His devotes most of his life pursuing Estella Estella Havisham adopted daughter of Miss Havisham She was brought up on Miss Havisham s desire to get revenge on men She is condescending despite her beauty Miss Havisham an eccentric old lady who lives in seclusion with her adopted daughter Estella She was deserted on her wedding day and then made it her goal in life to get revenge on men She lives in the past wearing her yellowing wedding dress All the clocks in her estate are stopped on the minute she found out her fiancee left her Joe Gargery Pip s brother in law He s a gentle giant who is Pip s best friend and father figure He is a hard worker and a very moral man Abel Magwitch the first convict that Pip encounters in the graveyard With Pip s help he escapes and later repays Pip by becoming his benefactor Mrs Joe Pip s older sister She raised Pip by hand using the tickler 高考学习网 中国最大高考学习网站 G 我们负责传递知识 Herbert Pocket the pale young gentleman who becomes a close friend of Pip s Mr Jaggers lawyer who defends Magwitch Magwitch orders him to keep track of Pip s finances Jaggers serves as Pip s guardian Plot Summary Pip lives with his older sister and her husband One day while visiting his parents grave Pip encounters a convict Magwitch who he helps escape by providing him with a file and food Pip is hired as a playmate for Miss Havisham s adopted daughter Estella who he falls in love with Pip finds out that he has a benefactor and assumes that it is Miss Havisham He moves to the city of London with great expectations of increasing his social status During this metamorphosis Pip neglects his friendships with Biddy and Joe As time passes Pip meets his true benefactor Magwitch who made a fortune after being exiled from England Magwitch wanted to repay Pip for helping him escape earlier in the novel Pip in return for the large fortune must keep Magwitch in hiding near a river since he is forbidden in England Pip learns that Estella who he has long obsessed over has married Bentley Drummle Suddenly Miss Havisham s estate goes on fire and Pip courageously saves Miss Havisham It is then revealed that Magwitch is Estella s father In an attempt to flee Magwitch is caught but dies before his conviction Pip falls ill and is nursed back to health by Joe who marries Biddy after the death of Mrs Joe It is also revealed that Estella is educated by suffering and the two go off on their separate ways Sub Plots Pip s obsession with Estella controls his life actions and ambitions Pip s rescuing of Magwitch from the river The instance with Molly and Jaggers Molly is Jagger s lowly housemaid yet she is the real mother of Estella Magwitch is the real father Possible Themes 1 Gratitude Pip does not show gratitude towards Joe 高考学习网 中国最大高考学习网站 G 我们负责传递知识 2 Suffering Miss Havisham suffers from having lived her entire life in the past 3 Obsession Pip is obsessed with Estella 4 Prejudice Estella resents Pip for not being refined Pip is appalled by Magwitch s appearance and behavior 5 Greed Pip only wants to heighten his social and economic status 6 Envy Pip envies Estella s wealth and social status 7 Loneliness Pip often visits the graveyard where his parents are buried Key Issues Envy Pip envies Estella for her social position and wealth He is jealous that she takes her wealth for granted as she lives with the money that he longs for His great expectation in life is to achieve a higher standard of living while cruel heartless Estella was born into it This envy of Estella s wealth stays with Pip as he grows into a man hidden in the back of his mind Gratitude Joe Gargery was Pip s greatest friend yet Pip took him for granted He did not show any signs of gratitude for Joe s constant friendship Towards the end of the novel Joe was the one who nursed Pip back to health Ultimately Pip realizes the trueness of his friendship with Joe and eventually shows him the gratitude he deserves Prejudice Estella immediately looked down on Pip upon seeing how coarse his hands and boots were Because of his poor social status she did not accept him as an equal Rather than seeing him as a playmate or a possible future husband Estella saw Pip as a victim for her cruelty In Pip s adulthood he was prejudiced against Magwitch for being so grimy and brutish He was both appalled and embarrassed by the man who had given him his fortune Maturity of Relationships Pip ultimately matures when he takes care of Magwitch after the accident at the river He discovers the importance and the goodness of what Magwitch had done for him The relationship between Magwitch 高考学习网 中国最大高考学习网站 G 我们负责传递知识 and Pip grows due to the Pip s maturity The relationship between Pip and Joe also develops once Pip realizes how valuable of a friend Joe is Morals and Life Applications Great Expectations encompasses almost every aspect of the human condition From this novel one learns that true fr