Great Expectations Essay Research Paper The story

Great Expectations Essay, Research Paper

The story begins in a village near the marshes where a young boy named Pip lives. Because his parents are dead, he lives with his sister, Mrs. Joe Gargery and her husband Joe who?s a blacksmith and Pip?s trusted friend. Pip doesn?t have much of a future, he?s destined to become Joe?s apprentice and eventually a blacksmith. Then, Pip meets a convict out on the marshes. It seems like nothing important, despite it being frightening, but this meeting will change his life forever.

The convict asks him to bring some food. Pip, fearing for his life, steals some food from his house, brings them to the convict and doesn?t see him again.

Later, a stranger will show up in the Three Jolly Bargemen. He?ll scare Pip a little because he reminds him of the convict. Pip thinks he might be in danger, but instead, the stranger gives him two one-pound notes. At that time, not much connection is shown between the notes and the convict on the marshes, but later discoveries indicate that it was the convict that had sent the man with the notes.

Suddenly, there?s a twist of fate. Pip?s invited to play at Miss Havisham?s. Miss Havisham is a wealthy old lady who lives uptown in a large, gloomy house. Next to the house is an old, decrepit brewery and a garden overrun with weeds, both remnants of better times. The interior of the house isn?t much looked after either. The drapes are closed as to block as much sunlight as possible; the only light inside is that of candles, and cobwebs decorate the furniture.

Miss Havisham turns out to be an elderly woman in an old bridal dress that was once white, but has now faded to pale yellow. Most objects in the house were once white actually, but had also faded. And a remarkable fact was that all the clocks were stopped exactly at 8.40 A.M. Pip later finds out that Miss Havisham was abandoned by her fiancé at the altar at that time and straight after that, she had all the clocks stopped.

Miss Havisham was heartbroken and turned into a bitter, cold woman. She stayed indoors, stopping the clocks and leaving everything the way it was on the day she was to be married. She stayed in the darkness, not seeing any sun or anything outside her mansion called Satis House. Satis stood for "enough". As if to imply that any who resides in the house won?t need anything else.

Miss Havisham had adopted Estella, a young girl, and raised her in her own way, teaching her to be cruel to men and break their hearts, to make them feel the pain she had once felt herself. She used Estella as ?exhaust-pipe? for all her blocked anger , frustration and pain. Estella became her weapon of revenge. Revenge against mankind.

Estella was actually a caring person, but was taught not to be and as all children do, obeyed the orders given to her and took on the attitude that she was taught to have.

Pip creates a serious infatuation for Estella from the moment he meets her and is dazzled by her beauty. Estella is very proud and looks down on him, making remarks such as : "He calls the knaves, Jacks, this boy! And what coarse hands he has and what thick boots!" (chapter 8, page 58).

Pip starts thinking very lowly of himself and of the way he has been raised. He yearns to be less common. At one point, Miss Havisham actually says to Estella: " Well! You can break his heart!" (chapter 8, page 57), blatantly indicating what her plans for Pip are. Pip now wants nothing else but to be a gentleman and to be noticed by Estella. Also at Miss Havisham?s, he meets a young boy with who he has a fight, they?ll meet again later in different circumstances.

I think Pip has a very odd point of view about women now. He?s met so many harsh women, he must think at his young age, that most women are like that. First, there is his sister, Mrs. Joe, who ?raised him by hand? and constantly reminds him of it and who treats him and Joe in a very unpleasant way. Then there?s Estella, who looks down on him and Miss Havisham, who confuses him and even tells Estella to break his heart. Only Biddy, who is actually in love with Pip, seems to be a nice, young lady.

A few months later, while he?s already apprenticed to Joe he hears the great news from a man named Mr. Jaggers.

He is to have Great Expectations. Everyone is in an uproar about this and Pip is certain that his benefactor for these Great Expectations is Miss Havisham. Pip moves to London and meets Mr.Jaggers, who takes care of him, but is also the mastermind behind Pip?s meeting with Estella and Estella?s adoption by Miss Havisham.

Jaggers? assistant, Wemmicks, becomes a friend of Pip and helps him with a lot of things.

I feel that Pip now knows the ways of the world, living in a big, crowded city which is so different from his hometown, he finds out how much more there is besides the forge, the marshes and the Three Jolly Bargemen.

He also meets Herbert Pocket, who turns out to be the young boy he fought with at Miss Havisham?s. They become good friends and roommates.

When Pip is a bit older, now a real gentleman, the convict he met on the marshes all those years ago, returns. His real name is Magwitch and he tells Pip that he?s the benefactor for Pip?s Great Expectations. Pip is abhorred. Inside, he wanted Miss Havisham to be his benefactress and now th

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