Great Expectations
Charles Dickens
About The Story
Great Expectations, is a autobiographical novel. It is taken place in London during 1860-1861. The point of view on the story is First Person. It does a lot of Foreshadowing in the story. The Foreshadowing that is done is:
- The repeated references to the convict's return. He was the man with the file at the Pub and attacked Mrs. Joe.
- Revelation of Magwitch's conflict with Compeyson. He was the man in the pub who gives Pip money foreshadows that the revelation that Pip's fortune comes from Magwitch.
- Miss Havisham's wedding dress and her bizarre surroundings foreshadow the revelation of her past and her relationship with Estella.
- Estella reminds him of someone he knows foreshadows his discovery of the truth of her parentage.
- Jaggers being a criminal lawyer foreshadows his involvement in Magwitch's life.
- The weather shows dramatic events.
The tone is very cheery, satirical, wry, critical, dark, dramatic, and sympathetic.
The Picture of London
This shows what London looked like the time the story took place.
Elements in Great Expectations
There were a lot of elements in the story. For example, there were a lot of themes. There were:
- Ambition and the desire for self-improvement
- guilt
- criminality
- growth from childhood to adulthood
- the importance of affection
- social class
- the difficulty of maintaining superficial moral and social categories in a constantly changing world.
- Crime
- Disappointed expectations
- connection between weather and dramatic events
- The clocks at Satis House that were stopped. Those tried to show Miss Havisham's attempt to stop time.
- The objects relating to crime and guilt symbolizes the overall theme.
- The Satis house itself represents the upper-class world to which Pip belonged to.
- Bentley Drummle represents the grotesque caprice of the upper class.
- Joe represents conscience and good nature.
- The marsh mists represent danger.
Characters
- Pip
- Estella
- Miss Havisham
- Abel Magwitch
- Joe Gargery
- Jaggers
- Herbert Pocket
- Wemmick
- Biddy
- Doldge Orlick
- Mrs. Joe
- Uncle Pumblechook
- Compeyson
- Bentley Drummle
- Molly
- Mr. Wopsle
- Startop
- Miss Skiffins
Plot Overview
In this story, the main character's name is Pip. Pip lived with his sister and her husband in the marshes of Kent.