Expectations and Reality Around

Not So Great Expectations

Charles Dickens was highly looked upon in the 19th century, he has written nineteen novels, and only one is unfinished due to his passing. He was one of the bestselling authors of all time. What made him stand out from other authors in the nineteenth century was his ambition, he believed that writing could play a significant role in fixing the problems of the world, which led him to write one of many bestselling novels ‘Great Expectations”. In Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations, is based on the reflection of the history of the nineteenth century along with several themes and poetic devices. Great expectations are based around the eighteen hundred which is much different to today’s society. Women in the 19th century were treated more as property rather than people which is the principle of coverture. Women expected to marry and have kids rather than pursuing a career. Women were owned by their fathers, and after marriage, they were held by their husbands. Women had no political say due to being property. The society in the eighteen hundred is much different from today. They were three different classed lower, middle and upper class where you could only love and be with someone with the same class as one along with the treatment depending on your social level. Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth in 1812, his family troubled with money, at around age ten he has to leave school due to not being able to afford school, later on he is moved to a factory in London, where his father is imprisoned for debt which later on connects with the novel Great Expectations. His passion for writing developed in his early twenties. Where he developed Great Expectations

The Whole Point

Several themes are portrayed in Great Expectation as in Love, Society, and class, Lastly Friendship. There are many different types of love shown through here from the love from a sister and to the love of Estella. One-sided relationships are the relationship Pip and Estella have. He chooses to become a gentleman for Estella. Where Estella was grown by cold-hearted Miss Havisham which led her to reject Pip. Pip strives to be with Estella due to being one of his expectations. Pips Inability to accept that Estella will never love him in return results in Pip being alone at the end after all these expectations he created he was left with nothing but himself. Ms. Joe pip sister and Mr. Joe love towards pip is unconditional love, due to after pip going to them and despising them due to their class, they stood by pip no matter how bad their relationship was. Society and class another element in ‘Great Expectations,’ where society defines you as an individual as well as level. The village society in great expectations is impoverished and humble, where the only career to pursue is a blacksmith, was not Estella’s fellowship where she plans to be around wealth rich, and not humbleness, where pip intends to be with her due to his love and devotion towards her, he proceeds to become a gentleman. The class defined in the novel are lower middle and upper, where you merely can’t grow from each category if you’re a lower class you cannot move up to middle class, the level you begin with is what your family’s generations stick to. Biddy warns pip against wanting to become a gentleman, biddy warns him due to loving him and as well looking out for him, due to being the same class biddy, and Pip. Lastly, friendship, does pip value his friendships and relationships? Pips intend to become a tie results in him using and throwing harmonies away, his pursuit of becoming a gentleman pushed his family, Ms. Joe and Mr. Joe, elsewhere, they were always there for him when he was imprisoned joe was there to bail him out, Pip returns home with no clue that his sister had passed, suddenly biddy is engaged to Joe. Pip abandon his home, and when he needed them, he would take advantage of joe. Pip takes advantage of his friendships to try to become a gentleman for Estella. Pip set his expectations so high that he ended up losing everything. Expectations are like gambling; you may not always win, and sometimes you forget everything you had. Illustrated poetic devices are continually dispersed in “Great Expectations.”

Symbolism is portrayed within the statues. When Estella would kiss pip on the cheek pip explains how her cheek felt like a statue, where statues and sculptures are hard and cold materials, illustrating that Estella is incapable of interpreting feelings, she’s rather cold-hearted than warm-hearted. Another poetic device would be Imagery. Imagery is represented within Miss Havisham appearance, how she had only one shoe on before finding out her soon to be husband had left her which shows how unprepared she is along with how she’s remained cold and heartless since then failing to attempt at love, which is rubbed off by Estella. Her dress is substantially described by death and the pain of her troubled past. Lastly, allegory is illustrated throughout the novel. Allegory is used symbolically. Where Estella defines as pips love, along with where gentlemen are represented as evil due to all the disturbance that occurred in pips life, and Ms. Joe and Mr. Joe serve the good in the novel. They are keeping it all in balanced throughout the novel. Overall many themes are portrayed, some themes stronger than others. Illustrated poetic devices are continually dispersed in “Great Expectations.” Symbolism is portrayed within the statues. When Estella would kiss pip on the cheek pip explains how her cheek felt like a statue, where statues and sculptures are hard and cold materials, illustrating that Estella is incapable of interpreting feelings, she’s rather cold-hearted than warm-hearted. Another poetic device would be with every character in the novel each had their perspective towards pip and its surroundings. Joe perspective towards pip becoming a gentleman, Joe was in disagreement he knew what pip had coming in his way he knew that he would never fit in no matter how much money he had he would still be looked down upon due to his origin. Pip did not grow up in a luxurious environment; he was an orphaned himself where his sister and her husband Joe took him in custody.

Estella perspective towards pip was that she knew his background she knew she loved him, she only used him to practice how to be a lady, she could not accept pips love not only because of her coldhearted but because of his social class. Pips expectations turn into unexpected expectations. When pip realized that Miss Havisham had betrayed him, he lightly forgave her; He looked at her like a criminal as for the words he uses to speak “I still held her forcibly down with all my strength, like a prisoner who might escape”. This quote illustrates how he forgave her but held her down like a criminal, as in he is comparing Miss Havisham as a criminal. Another quote is “Suffering has been stronger than other teachings “. This quote illustrates that pip is now coming to his senses and realizing Estella will not love him in return, which is an example of his expectations turning into unexpected ones. He concludes by saying his longing for her will soon disappear as soon as he begins to move on. Lastly” I had thrown away when I was quite ignorant of its worth”. This quote illustrates pip coming to his senses realizing that he should not have been so ignorant because the people that did matter ended up hurting the most, he has realized that he should have stuck to becoming a blacksmith rather than becoming a gentleman. Overall Pips unexpected expectations resulted in Pip growing and learning from his mistakes where he is left with nothing but himself.

Conclusion

Great expectations turning into not so high expectations shows how the history in the nineteenth century affected people, from their social class to how there were treated. Women were not valued as a human being in the nineteen centuries as well, along with Charles Dickens family troubled with money where his family lived in a prison cell, Charles Dickens was able to take his sufferings and use it within each piece he wrote about. Several poetic devices are used to create the pictures and the words in the novel come alive as if you are taking every step with Pip in the novel. Many perspectives were used upon in great expectations each social level had their way of viewing Pip as an orphaned boy to transitioning into a gentleman. Lastly, are his expectations firing back at him and become unexpected. Pip did not think his expectations would backfire; Pip hoped that everything would go to plan, but it did not, he was able to forgive those who needed forgiveness, and come to senses and realize how he was ignorant of the things around him he did not even realize his sister passing. Overall Many elements are shown in this novel as if you are traveling back to the nineteen centuries.