Great Expectations and The Go Between Both Great Expectations and The Go Between concern young men from
lowly backgrounds who find themselves thrust into the world of the
leisured classes and are changed forever. What similarities and
differences do you see between the ways in which the two authors
handle and develop this shared situation?
The reason why we have chosen to compare and contrast Great
Expectations and The Go Between is because they have many obvious and
many subtle similarities which I am to discuss during t he course of
this Essay. Although the two books were written a century apart they
are based around the same themes highlighted later on in the essay. In
the introduction of both books we learn that they are both first
person narratives. The main figure in each book is the narrator who is
telling a story in retrospective after the main event that has shaped
his life. Leo, the main character in The Go Between is sixty years of
age when he tells his story whereas Pip is in his late twenties or
early thirties. Although this is true, the story of The Go Between is
about twelve to thirteen days of Leo's life in comparison to fourteen
years of Pip's life expectations. Also in The Go Between there is a
more careful story between the present and the past and a comparison
between Leo as a sixty year old and a twelve year old. There is also a
prologue and epilogue in The Go Between whereas Great Expectations
proceeds chronologically. There is little written about Pip being the
age he is when he is narrating, though we know a lit...
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...r thirteen. The cake with twelve candles is
cut and the another is not touched, representing the same image of
life stopping at this point as this is were Marian and Ted are found
together. These two references seem very deliberate as they both
stimulate the same theme of life stopping because of one individual
persons affect on them.
The main theme present in both novels is the theme of child abuse. I
think this is the most obvious as throughout the boys lives they are
used by adults to their own advantage and treated without respect as
they are from lowly backgrounds. Although Hartley and Dickens do not
focus on how this has affected them they have made this a definite
issue in both books, by using young ambitious boys both of whom fall
in love with a desired woman and of whom both come from a lowly
background.
Strained Relationships, Resentment and Indignation Between the Classes in Great Expectations Great expectations is a profound story. It contains the theme of love,
Many people strive for things that are out of their reach. In the novel Great Expectations, Charles Dickens shows the themes of personal ambition and discontent with present conditions. The main character, Pip, shows early on in the story that he is unhappy with his current situation. Throughout the story he strives for the things that are beyond his reach, and is apathetic to the things that he can obtain. Pip demonstrates this by striving for Estella when he could have Biddy, and yearning to be a gentleman when he could be a blacksmith.
There are many things about the Victorian Age that are different from our way of life today. Evidence of this can be found in such elements of the 1800's as courting manners, child- rearing, transportation, housing and careers. The novel and film Great Expectations give many examples of the contrast of the present and the past. Victorians were a very class-conscious society. These days, just about anyone can manage to have fairly nice clothes, a decent car, a place to live, and reasonable job security. Not so in Victorian times.
Charles Dickens utilizes his life for inspiration for the protagonist Pip in his novel Great Expectations. They both struggle with their social standing. Dickens loved plays and theatre and therefore incorporated them into Pip’s life. Dickens died happy in the middle class and Pip died happy in the middle class. The connection Dickens makes with his life to Pip’s life is undeniable. If readers understand Dickens and his upbringing then readers can understand how and why he created Pip’s upbringing. Charles Dickens’ life, full of highs and lows, mirrors that of Pip’s life. Their lives began the same and ended the same. To understand the difficulty of Dickens’ childhood is to understand why his writing focuses on the English social structure. Dickens’ life revolved around social standing. He was born in the lower class but wasn’t miserable. After his father fell into tremendous debt he was forced into work at a young age. He had to work his way to a higher social standing. Because of Dicken’s constant fighting of class the English social structure is buried beneath the surface in nearly all of his writings. In Great Expectations Pip’s life mirrors Dickens’ in the start of low class and the rise to a comfortable life. Fortunately for Dickens, he does not fall again as Pip does. However, Pip and Dickens both end up in a stable social standing.
Chapter 39 is a Pivotal One, Why? How does Dickens communicate the importance of the drama of the chapter to the reader? In chapter 39, Pip's benefactor is revealed. It is around this person. that the mystery of Pip's expectations is built.
The famous American comedian, Groucho Marx once said, “While money cannot buy happiness, it certainly lets you choose your own form of misery.” Marx believes that money will be the downfall of society because it is corrupt and creates individuals’ own different forms of misery. Throughout the book Great Expectations, Dickens repeatedly shows characters not pleased with their life because money has taken over them and has ‘chosen’ their own misery. Furthermore, Dickens uses Miss Havisham, Pip, and Joe Gargery to show how he develops his characters to define what a true gentleman is which proves how wealth that one inherits oftentimes leads to corruption and discontent in life.
The settings of Great Expectations are Pip’s homes, one home that he lives in during his childhood in Kent, England, and the other that he lives in when he is grown in London, England. Social status was a big deal in the mid-nineteenth century. The rich were highly respected and liked by all, and the poor were treated unkindly and were sometimes made fun of. The rich could have any job that they liked, but the poor would almost always take over the job that their father had. The narrator of Great Expectations is Pip. If the novel were narrated from any other point of view, it would not have the same effect as it does now.
he is called Pip, his family name is Pirrip, he is an orphan and that
Great Expectations shares many of the conventions of fairy tales. The one dimensional characters, the use of repetition, and the evil women seem to make the similarities strikingly strong. However, are they strong enough to conclude that it is indeed a fairy tale? It can not be ignored that it also falls short on some important areas, such as the traditional fairy tale ending. Is there enough evidence to classify it either way?
The classic novel, “Great Expectations,” by the highly respected and well-known author Charles Dickens has many symbolic items masked within its text. Each of the characters that make up the story represent a certain aspect of human nature, supporting the idea that everyone has both good and bad qualities in themselves and things that are important to a person’s life can greatly influence the character of a person as a whole, and how that in turn affects others around them.
Moore, Andrew. "Studying Relationships in Great Expectations." . N.p., 2000. Web. 15 Mar 2012. .
The Victorian Era started in 1837, the year Queen Victoria was crowned. The Industrial Revolution also started in this era. Cities started to form and become heavily populated. In the novel, Great Expectations, Charles Dickens had the main character, Pip, live in two different life styles in the Victorian Era. Pip lived with both the poor and the rich population. Both life styles are very different and placing Pip in both societies helped to show that, while the wealthy people benefited from the industrial revolution, the poor people often paid the price.
The place Pip is in is a churchyard and Dickens goes on to describe it
To determine if someone is a gentleman, one must look within them and not focus upon their material wealth. In the novel Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, three characters show qualities of a true gentleman. Pip, Joe, and Provis have true gentlemen-like characteristics, which are shown through the way they live and present themselves.
In the novel, “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens, the main character Philip Pirrip, who is known as “Pip” throughout the novel, has a series of great expectations that he goes through. The title of the novel, as many other great book titles, comes with various meanings that are present in the story. In the literal sense Pip’s “great expectations” refer to the 19th century meaning, which involve receiving a large inheritance. Meanwhile, on a deeper level Pip sets goals that he hopes to accomplish in the future which could also be referred to as his “great expectations”. The title, with these multiple meanings that are attached to it, ends up being ironic after all is said and done at the end of the novel.