Love, wealth and Ambition's roles in Great Expectations.

Essay by omniromJunior High, 9th gradeA+, September 2003

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Great Expectations proves to be an adventurous and enlightening novel that portrays the rise and fall in stature of a growing and ambitious young man who learns the position that love, ambition, and wealth play in ones life. Throughout the novel, Pip, Estella, Miss Havisham, and several other characters learn a variety of morals that could have helped them earlier in life. Of the countless individual lessons that each character learns, ambition without hard work, the importance of love and friendship over wealth, and the fact that ones character isn't associated with affluence and status continue to be the most momentous and plot driving lessons that all the characters are influenced by. As the novel progresses and Pip grows up, several characters learn and begin to understand the various integral lessons that could have helped them and made them happier in their earlier life, but for some, it may already to late to make up for lost time.

Throughout his life, Pip sets lofty goals and has tremendous ambition for himself in order to move up in social status and perhaps win the favor of Estella, but remarkably, he never works hard or takes steps to follow his goals. This attitude towards his great expectations severely alters Pip's personality and changes him into a spoiled, arrogant, and rude individual. This transformation can be seen immediately after Pip inherits large sums of money from his anonymous benefactor. Pip acts contemptuously towards Biddy and Joe, as shown by his resentment towards them and embarrassment to be seen in their presence. Another concept of Pip's ambition without hard work is portrayed in his accumulation of debts from purchasing useless luxuries and lavishly spending money in order to be characterized as a gentleman of a high social class to the Finches of...