Analysis Of Charles Dickens Great Expectations

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Originating in the Victorian Era, Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations continues to be a huge success. So much of a success, in fact, that it is being re-released as it originally was (in installments), but now in a digital format for reading on electronic devices.
This bildungsroman novel was originally released in serial form in one of Dickens’ early publications All The Year Round in 1860 and 1861. We begin by meeting Philip Pirrip, more commonly known as “Pip,” in a cemetery inside the marsh village of Kent, England. Pip is a young boy - a six-year-old orphan to be more precise - who lives with his sister and her husband, referred to as “Joe and Mrs. Joe” respectively.
The novel is written as a first person narrative and follows the main character Pip. The book is an example of victorian era writing and this style shows in the writing. The novel was written for serialization and the effects of this can be seen when looking at how the chapters and character plots are created. The plot almost jumps in groups of chapters while there are 3 specific breaks in the book.

Once these styles have been noted they can be explained with the knowledge that the novel was written for serialization. Since the novel was written in monthly installments, the story written for that episode needed to be able to stand on its own in a literary sense. Each installment needed to capture the attention of the reader while not being too lengthy, it needed to advance the plot but not too much to ensure that the novel could be drawn out over as long a period as possible to insure the highest profit for both publisher and author. This leads to groups of chapters that act like events in a person’s life. One encounter leads to another in the next installmen...

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...ld and ends when he was in his twenties. However, Pip still remains as a kid from the beginning till the end of the novel when he realizes how he realizes how foolish he was. Born in a poor family, Pip suddenly received huge money from his secret benefactor who wished him to be gentlemen. He then follows his great expectations in London. He dresses up, goes to pub and spends money to show that he is a gentleman and impresses his dream girl Estella. Along with that, he puts himself higher than Joe and l- his best friend who helps his sister bring him up and always protects him- and looks down on him. Pip actually grows up when he figures out who the benefactor is. After Joe pays all Pip’s debt, Pip feels ashamed of what he did to Joe and finally decides to start over a better live. Compare to his chasing expectations, this is an improvement in Pip’s characteristic.

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