Book Review on Dicken's Great Expectations

790 Words2 Pages

There are reasons why novels become classics, and “Great Expectation” by Charles Dickens is certainly a beloved classic with an exceptional plot and a great deal of rich themes and symbolism. This classic is filled with eccentric characters, themes and symbolism.

Themes play an important part in “Great Expectations”, there are a few major themes in this novel. Dickens explores the England social class system thoroughly, criminals (the lowest end of the system) to high aristocrats are described. We also even get to see a working class boy (Pip) get turned into an aristocrat. Also, the injustice of the penile system is also explored, how innocent people such as Magwitch can be unfairly put into the system. Dickens gives a wonderful symbol on how the penile system drowns spirits and hopes. “The ends of the torches were flung hissing into the water, and we out. (28)” The ends of the torches symbolize the blazing and high-spirited men, and the water symbolizes the prisons. When the torches go out, it symbolizes the spirits and hopes of the men that were drowned when they were thrown in the system.

One particular theme resonated in me, mainly because I find this to be the theme that drives the plot the most, it is the most important theme in the novel. Pip’s actions are driven by ambition and self-improvement. Pip is a very ambitious person, when he first sees the Satis house, he immediately wanted to become wealth, when he learnt that he can’t read, he wanted to learn, when he saw Estella, he immediately fell in love with her and longs to marry her. Pip has great expectation about his future: he expects great things to happen to him, and he tries hard for those things to happen. There are three forms of self-improvement (ambitio...

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...scovery that Magwitch gave Pip the money shattered his childish and idealistic mind. Near the end of the story, Pip realizes that one’s social position is not as important as one’s quality, and he also realizes his behaviour as a gentlemen has hurt the people that cared about him the most (Joe, Biddy).

This novel is essentially about social class and money. The lesson learnt is that money and social class do not change a person. Joe is one of the kindest and most loving person in the story, and he doesn’t need to be rich to be good. Pip slowly learns this as well, he isn’t any better being an aristocrat than what Joe is. He learns to judge people by their outer appearances, class and wealth, but rather by their inner qualities. This problem was existent in Dicken’s time, and is still existent today, people are carried away by matters that don’t really “matter”.

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