Great Expectations Analysis: A Quick Guide to Dickens' Classic

Great Expectations is Charles Dickens’ most loved novel. No one knows English literature better than Charles Dickens, and this coming-of-age story shows why. Pip, an orphan who grows up poor, is given the opportunity to enter high society by a mysterious benefactor. During his journey to become a gentleman, we are treated to some of literature’s richest explorations of themes like social class, guilt and shame, love and loyalty, and what actually makes a gentleman.

While "Great Expectations" fits the bildungsroman mold, it simultaneously exceeds and diminishes its typical scope. The book serves as both a sharp indictment of Victorian England and a deeply personal account of maturation and empathy. Now, let's get into the story, the people, the main ideas, and what we can learn from Dickens' Great Expectations.

About the Author

Charles Dickens (1812–1870) remains one of the most beloved novelists in the English language. He was born in Portsmouth, England, to a comfortable upbringing, but endured great hardship in his childhood. Dickens's father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison while Charles worked in a boot-blacking factory at age twelve. From that point on, Dickens was haunted by the shame and humiliation of poverty. As such, he never forgot the hypocrisy and injustice of those with power and money.

Dickens wrote novels about various flaws of Victorian society, including child labor, poverty, and class, through the lens of characters who struggled to survive the rampant misfortune that plagued the rapidly growing society. Dickens' novels illustrate his disdain for hierarchy and people who mindlessly chase status. These themes recur throughout Great Expectations and its criticisms of social class.

Dickens was extremely popular during his time, and many of his novels were published in serial form so readers would tune in to the latest edition. Some of Dickens's more notable novels include Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations.

Dickens will be remembered for his brilliant characters, social awareness, and storytelling techniques. He died in 1870, but his novels continue to be adapted into movies and are read today.

'Great Expectations' Summary

Great Expectations is organized chronologically and into three phases in Pip's journey through life as an orphan, learning lessons about money, love and self.

Stage One: Pip's Childhood

The story opens in rural Kent, in a haunted marsh where Pip, an orphan, lives with his abusive older sister and her gentle husband, Joe Gargery, the local blacksmith. Pip encounters two very different people who shape his future:

• The convict: Pip meets an escaped prisoner named Magwitch in a cemetery. Magwitch intimidates Pip into stealing food and a file to remove his shackles. Later, Magwitch is caught, and Pip believes himself responsible. He lives haunted by guilt and shame.
• Miss Havisham and Estella: Pip is brought to the mansion of wealthy Miss Havisham to play with her beautiful adopted daughter Estella. Miss Havisham was jilted by her fiancé many years ago and stopped living her life. Pip instantly falls in love with Estella and is ashamed of his low circumstances. Miss Havisham instructs Estella to drain his heart dry as part of her plan to punish men.

Comparing Pip's development with the motivations of Great Gatsby characters can lead to interesting literary analysis.

Stage Two: Pip's Great Expectations

Soon after Pip meets Estella, he learns from lawyer Jaggers that he has been granted an anonymous benefactor and will soon come into a large sum of money. Pip expects to become a gentleman and be worthy of Estella's love. He leaves the countryside for London to begin his new life.

In London, Pip:

• Becomes ashamed of Joe and starts calling him Mr. Jaggery.
• Becomes indebted and frivolously spends money as the gentlemen he associates with do.
• Meets and becomes friends with Herbert Pocket, who will become his loyal friend.
• Pip develops new desires as a gentleman as well.
• Pip wishes Estella would love him despite her constant assertions that she can never love anyone.

Stage Three: The Truth Revealed

The plot twist comes when Pip learns that his benefactor is not Miss Havisham but Magwitch, the convict from his past. Pip falls to his knees and laughs in gratitude when Jaggers tells him Miss Havisham paid for him to become a gentleman. He later learns that Magwitch did this secretly out of gratitude for Pip's help all those years ago. Pip becomes ashamed that his fortune was given to him by a convicted felon.

Suddenly, Pip's good fortune reverses:

• Pip discovers Estella is secretly Magwitch’s daughter.
• Miss Havisham confesses she used Pip and Estella to enact her revenge on all men, begs Pip’s forgiveness and dies in the fire she accidentally started in her home.
• Pip sneaks Magwitch out of London, but they are caught. Magwitch dies in prison, waiting to be transported back to England after Pip nurses him like a son.

Pip becomes flat broke from his imprudent lifestyle, contracts tuberculosis, and nearly dies. Joe nurses Pip back to health, renews their friendship, and Pip realizes that loyalty and love are superior to money and status.

In Dickens' original ending, Pip never reunites with Estella, but Dickens revised the book to give the reader a happier conclusion. We are left with the impression that Pip and Estella, both changed by suffering and loss, will enjoy each other's company as friends who will help each other heal.

After reading the novel, learning how to start a reflection paper can help you analyze its themes and personal impact.

Essay Sample on Great Expectations

Witness a model of excellence in literary critique through our sample essay that dissects Great Expectations with precision and academic rigor.

Great Expectations Themes and Motives

Social class is a very important determinant of one’s position in the book. Both Estella and Pip were orphans, but the girl was brought up to praise her status and humiliate everybody who didn’t share the same status as her. Estella is a victim of class inequality, she is taught to despise people and even things:

Chapter VII “I played the game to an end with Estella, and she beggared me. She threw the cards down on the table when she had won them all, as if she despised them for having been won of me”.

At the same time, the writer shows how some people were doomed to live and die in lower-class life, they had no chance to make it up the social ladder because others would never accept them:

Chapter IV “In his working-clothes, Joe was a well-knit characteristic-looking blacksmith; in his holiday clothes, he was more like a scarecrow in good circumstances, than anything else”.

Ambition and self-improvement: Charles Dickens makes fun of the shallow ambitions people often have, which is seen in the characters in “Great Expectations” – they are ordinary, and many of them are poor financially and/or emotionally. Pip’s biggest desire is to be a gentleman and he doesn’t appreciate himself because of where he came from:

Chapter VIII “I was a common laboring-boy; that my hands were coarse; that my boots were thick; that I had fallen into a despicable habit of calling knaves Jacks; that I was much more ignorant than I had considered myself last night, and generally that I was in a low-lived bad way”.

The young boy doesn’t strive for real self-improvement, he wants to have the image, the looks, and the respect—all of the superficial things.

Integrity and reputation: Being honest and sincere wasn’t worth much in those times. The characters were doing all the wrong things, but nobody stopped them. For example, Miss Havisham gladly accepts Pip’s gratitude even though she knows she isn’t the benefactor who paid for his lavish life in London. She later admits that she pretended to be the one who gave Pip money just to irritate her family.

Parents in the book are nothing more than empty vessels – they are absent from the lives of most characters, and those who assume parental duties do not perform them well. For example: “My sister… had established a great reputation with herself and the neighbors because she had brought me up “by hand” (Chapter II). Parents were supposed to put Pip in school, teach him to respect himself, and value others, but nobody was there to take care of him. Taking into account that Dickens wrote many children’s stories, you would assume that in “Great Expectations”, the author would try to discover the roots and causes of many childhood miseries and broken kids’ lives.

Justice is not evident, but an important theme in this book. What is “Great Expectations about? – It’s simply about getting what one deserves. The plot is unfair, that’s true. But the characters’ wishes and actions are also quite shallow and unjust. In the end, each of them has the opportunity to turn their life around, but choose to behave the way society expects them to.

Generosity: Pip didn’t experience much kindness or generosity in his life. The only person who treated him with respect was his sister’s husband Joe Gargery, whom he later starts to avoid once Pip becomes a gentleman. Magwitch makes Pip a gentleman to repay the “generosity” the boy demonstrated out of mere fear for his life; and Pip doesn't even appreciate Magwitch’s generosity. The boy really enjoyed the thought that Miss Havisham believed in him and sponsored him to become a gentleman. So when the young man finds out that she hadn’t actually invested in his education, and thus didn’t plan for Estella to marry him, Pip panics:

Chapter XXXIX “Miss Havisham’s intentions towards me, all a mere dream; Estella not designed for me; I only suffered in Satis House as a convenience, a sting for the greedy relations, a model with a mechanical heart to practise on when no other practice was at hand”.

His whole world becomes broken, he feels humiliated, and decides to flee abroad.

Three Most Important Aspects of Great Expectations

'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens encompasses several significant themes contributing to its enduring popularity and critical acclaim. 

Character Development

Dickens excels at creating complex and memorable characters, and "Great Expectations" is no exception. The protagonist, Pip, undergoes profound personal growth throughout the novel as he navigates the challenges of social class, identity, and morality. Other characters, such as the enigmatic Miss Havisham, the convict Magwitch, and the manipulative Estella, are equally compelling and contribute to the richness of the narrative. Dickens explores themes of ambition, guilt, redemption, and the transformative power of love through intricate character arcs and interactions.

Social Critique

Like many of Dickens's works, "Great Expectations" critiques Victorian society, particularly its rigid class structure and moral hypocrisy. Through vivid descriptions of London's bustling streets, decaying mansions, and rural marshes, Dickens exposes the disparities between the wealthy elite and the impoverished underclass. The novel examines how social status influences individuals' lives and relationships, highlighting the injustices and inequalities inherent in society. By confronting issues of wealth, privilege, and social mobility, Dickens challenges readers to consider the ethical implications of their actions and the importance of empathy and compassion.

Narrative Technique

"Great Expectations" showcases Dickens's mastery of narrative technique with its intricate plot, suspenseful pacing, and richly detailed settings. The novel employs first-person narration, allowing readers to experience events through Pip's perspective and providing insight into his thoughts and emotions. Dickens employs foreshadowing, symbolism, and dramatic irony to engage readers and propel the story forward. The novel's structure, with its series of interconnected episodes and unexpected plot twists, keeps readers captivated until the final revelation. Through skillful storytelling, Dickens crafts a timeless tale that resonates with readers of all ages and continues to be studied and admired for its literary merit.

Final Words

Dickens wrote Great Expectations at a time that still resonates with readers today. Everyone understands the desire to rise in life and the pain of learning those life lessons. Pip learns that being a good person is more important than being rich or high-class. Goodness is shown through loyalty, compassion, and humility. The rich characterization and social criticism in this novel are what make it rewarding to analyze. Each time you read Great Expectations, you understand something you missed before.

If you are reading Great Expectations for a class or just for fun, remember to track Pip’s development and the lessons he learns from his disappointment. If you do that, Great Expectations will stick with you long after you finish it.

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