Relates Great Expectations to fictional experiences in real life

Essay by adamHigh School, 11th gradeA+, April 1997

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Great Expectations

Great Expectations, authored by Victorian novelist Charles Dickens, is considered one of his finest works of literature. It was indicative of Dickens's strong feelings for injustices and poor conditions committed on women and children of that time. Through the main character, Pip, Dickens's demonstrated the compassion he felt for children. Most readers, like myself, are able to associate Pip's experiences with their own. Pip endeavored upon many things that I can see myself doing.

From the beginning of the novel Pip had felt an impending feeling of guilt. It is a common theme in Great Expectations and is one that I have felt numerous times before. In one instance, my friends and I were at a party playing with a water balloon launcher shooting balloons down the street. My neighbors had just put in a new set of porch windows that were quite expensive. With a slight aiming misalignment we broke a window and had to confess to my neighbor and give her our apologies.

Pip, however, had the guilt weighed on his conscience forever-he did not have the courage to tell Mrs. Joe that he had taken a pork pie that was for Christmas dinner. Mrs. Joe only made it harder for Pip when she asked, 'And were the deuce ha' you been?' (page 20). Pip had to make a moral judgment about whether or not to tell the truth about what he did and is challenged with many more of these decisions throughout the book.

Pip was later introduced to Estella, Ms. Havisham's adopted daughter, whom was taught to pursue retribution on all of the male population for her 'mother'. Pip became easily infatuated with Estella's good looks, money, and attitude. Estella considered Pip to be common and pointed out the...