A Melodramatic Reflection

Putting my pride aside, Great Expectations was more difficult than I had anticipated. What I had taken for granted as just another Charles Dickens "soot covered boy" plot, swiftly evolved into something extremely complex. Whether it was the characters, or the narration itself, at times I had to read pages several times to understand and fully analyze them. For someone to whom English usually comes easily, this was pretty frustrating.

Perhaps my preconceptions were what truly misled me. Pip was definitely not the soot covered tyke that I had assumed him to be (although he did frequently ask for more), and this caught me off guard. Characters I thought to be one dimensional were suddenly more real than most people I know. This, at first, really irked me. If only I was able to predict their behaviors and project their futures, I would have had more control! Then, just when it all seemed pretty bleak, I realized that is what is incredible about this novel and Dickens' writing style. True to form, his characters at first seem to be just that. Their behaviors can be summarized and predicted with stifling ease. Then pow! Just when you least expect it they have acquired more depth than you have. As readers it is our duty to roll with the literary punches, but this one really caught me off guard.

As for the abundant mysteries of the novel, I was able to solve them on my own pretty quickly. The two convicts I quickly assumed to be somehow connected with Mrs. Havisham. While Sparknotes was helpful, it really only confirmed my suspicions. As for loose lipped sophmores, they're far overrated. My reading habits definitely aided me in this novel. I missed one night of reading. I tried to make it a practice to glance over Sparknotes after each night, if not to assure myself, to laugh at how many mistakes they made. By far my favorite experience was making my Extra Credit video. The hours hopefully paid off in full.

Overall, I am extremely grateful for the experience of reading Great Expectations. Otherwise, I might never have gotten around to it. By the end, I was completely and totally engulfed in the book. I believe its profundity has the power of lasting for as long as there are Honors English Classes to study it.

Extra Credit

ENJOY!

Photo Post

I chose the following photo because of the strong elements of darkness and light that prevail throughout Great Expectations. Charles Dicken's use of polarized color, from a dark London to the warm and light workshop of Joe, are highly effective at influencing the reader's perception of the events of the book. Because the novel is so predominantly black, whenever there is any light at all it completely catches the reader's attention. Similarly, Mrs. Havisham's house is completely dark inside, and Pip is only able to find his way when guided by Estella's candle. When Magwitch comes to reveal himself as Pip's benefactor, Pip only sees the twinkling lights of the street lamps being shaken by the violent storm. This seems to foreshadow the coming realization that will crush Pip's view of the upper class. Oddly enough, Estella too is described as being a radiant light. This seems contradictory to the consistent abuse that she seems unable to withhold. Her name, meaning star, guides Pip to make some of his worst decisions, and so indicates an ironic twist to the plot, as light is often viewed as something hopeful.

Connections

The Shakespearean masterpiece Macbeth holds some strong similarities to Great Expectations. From a chilling exposition within two veritable graveyards, one being a body strewn battleground and the other a foggy graveyard, these classics hold both the same lessons and the same themes.

Both characters, Pip and Macbeth, have a insatiable desire for social dominance. While their schemes may take different forms, both routes are nonetheless damaging to those around them. Macbeth's becomes a murderous tirade, while Pip distances himself from those who love him and, in essence, destroys those relationships. However, one distinguishing feature is their morality. While Macbeth only questions his actions once or twice, both times being eventually egged on by his ambitious wife, Pip falls into a constant spiral of self blame and guilt. While Shakespeare and Dickens successfully tackle the same morals of human error and mistake, they utilize different methods.

This idea holds true within the characters and plots as well. As said before, both characters are deeply ambitious. However, this also goes for those around them. Both Macbeth and Pip have acquaintances that are desperate and eager to reap the rewards of their social status. Whether its a pushy wife, or a desperate Mr. Pumblechook and Mrs. Joe, both characters bear not only the expectations of themselves, but those around them. Similarly, both characters were fed their ambition. Macbeth spoke with three devious witches, and Pip played with an equally devious Mrs. Havisham and Estella.

While these paragraphs only show a couple of the similarities between these two literary masterpieces, it cannot be denied that their plots reflect each other. It can be said that, whatever the reason, these two great authors took advantage of the same angles to show their stories' common purpose.

Second Stage

When Mr. and Mrs. Pocket are introduced, it might seem as if they have little to do with the themes and motifs of Great Expectations. However, upon closer examination, we find that many of their actions and characteristics have a strong correlation with the purpose of the novel thus far. For instance, Mrs. Pocket longs for social status and position, a power that she feels she has been robbed of. Mr. Pocket, on the other hand, is content to remain as he is and maintain a realistic and sensible approach to their lives. While their personalities seem to clash several times during Pip's visit, it is important to see their relationship to another two characters in the book (in correspondence to the Doubles motif).

Pip and Joe have a similar relationship. Pip longs for status as well, while Joe would be happy to remain a blacksmith for the rest of his life. While he would not begrudge Pip his great expectations, he is more apt to maintain an unromantic view of the world. When Pip observes the chaotic atmosphere of the Pocket's household, he seems unable to reflect upon their relationship as a contrast to his own. In fact, Mrs. Pocket's struggle with the life she has and the life she feels she deserves makes him uncomfortable. This shows how removed Pip is from his childhood. He views the world only in relation with his own desires and thoughts, and so fails to experience objectivity. His obsession with social growth leaves him cold and subjective, and his inflated ego leaves him unable to see the similarities between himself and those around him.

Pip's Quote

This quote is Pip's reaction towards his disturbing and uncomfortable introduction into the world of high society. What I find interesting is how he appears to be inspired by Mrs. Havisham, rather than experiencing the great aversion most of us might feel. As a testament to his naivety and ignorance regarding the consequences of affluence and class, he is only fixated upon the aspects of her life that he finds most appealing (those being her possessions and authority). Within these chapters Pip begins to evolve into an ambitious and resentful teenager who is greatly embarrassed of his roots and aspires to be "uncommon". In many ways, he is experiencing a natural growing pain that accompanies the emotional, and hormonally motivated, distancing from his home life. Like a pip, he is burgeoning into something entirely different (and let it be noted, not necessarily positive) than what he was upon conception. His sudden aversion to his hands, a stain of his impoverished childhood, signifies this change within himself. Throughout the novel, he uses inanimate objects to coldly and objectively describe those around him. Through the evolution of the chapters, he slips into the same habit with his beloved uncle Joe. These changes, among others, show his growing desire for all that he was denied as a child. As his thirst and obsession with social hierarchy mounts, the substance of his character diminishes into the dust from whence he came.
I don't believe I ever had a moment of epiphany in which I was compelled to lay out the rest of my life before me in a chain. Life does not work like string of dominoes reacting in a rational, cause and effect manner. Rather (and as I think it may be with most people), it is more likely that our futures and desires change from day to day with our mood and character. Every we day we are christened with a different name, and another clean canvas upon which we are compelled to scribble as we choose. That is the beauty of not just being human, but being raised in a privileged environment with a multitude of opportunities. Pip might not necessarily be referring to a future that he is bound to, but rather the general direction in which he aspires to grow. After all, plants are not apt to grow straight up, but towards the strongest light in the room.