Great expectations summery PDF

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Great expectations summery/Themes/ Setting...

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1- When and where does the story take place? Mention some characteristics of the historical and geographical setting of the novel: SETTING Nineteenth-Century / England / London and Kent Great Expectations takes place in 19th century England. Pip is born in the early 1800s, and our narrator is telling his story in 1860. This is a busy time for England, seeing the momentum of the Industrial Revolution as well as the abolishment of slavery in the British colonies in 1834. London is a thriving metropolis, and England is a powerful, wealthy, global giant. But Dickens' depiction of London, however, doesn't exactly fall in line with this notion of England as all-powerful, rich, and healthy. Great Expectations is set in nineteenth-century England, mainly in London and the surrounding marshlands where Pip grows up. The settings are described through Pip’s point of view, and highlight both his dissatisfaction and his idealism. As Pip becomes increasingly discontented with home and with everything around him being “all coarse and common,” he becomes repelled by the flat marshlands. Despite Pip’s ambitious hopes for London, when he arrives in the city Pip finds it “rather ugly, crooked, narrow, and dirty.” Because Pip is constantly chasing his “great expectations,” he can’t see the value or appeal of any of the places he encounters. At the end of the novel, when Pip returns to his hometown humbled and eager to reconcile with Joe and Biddy, he finds that “the June weather was delicious. The sky was blue… I thought the countryside more beautiful and peaceful by far than I had ever known it to be

yet.” Because Pip has finally made peace with his history and identity, he can finally appreciate the beauty of the world around him. 1- Who are the main characters? Describe them (consider physical characteristics and personality) PIP He's ungrateful, pretentious, snobbish, malcontent. He's ashamed of the man who

social. once he understands ideas like poverty, ignorance, and immorality, Pip does not want to be poor, ignorant, or immoral

loved and raised him; he's cruel to the girl

When Pip becomes a gentleman, for

who likes him; he throws himself after

example, he immediately begins to act as he

someone who repeatedly insists that she'll

thinks a gentleman is supposed to act, which

never be interested; and he's patronizing to

leads him to treat Joe and Biddy snobbishly

his friends.

and coldly.

Pip: Protagonist, Dynamic

On the other hand, Pip is at heart a very

-Passionite, romantic, and unrealistic.

generous and sympathetic young man, a fact that can be witnessed in his numerous

-Tends to expect more for himself.

acts of kindness throughout the book

-Powerfl concience, self improvement.

(helping Magwitch, secretly buying Herbert’s

Pip’s two most important traits are his

way into business, etc.) and his essential

immature, romantic idealism and his

love for all those who love him. Pip’s main

innately good conscience. On the one

line of development in the novel may be seen

hand, Pip has a deep desire to improve

as the process of learning to place his innate

himself and attain any possible

sense of kindness and conscience above

advancement, whether educational, moral, or his immature idealism.

ESTELLA

Estella: Symbolic, Dynamic

-Cruel, cold, and beautiful. -Uninterested in Pip.

Estella wins Pip’s deepest love by practicing deliberate cruelty. Unlike the warm, winsome, kind heroine of a

-Claims she is heartless.

traditional love story, Estella is cold,

Often cited as Dickens’s first convincing

cynical, and manipulative. Though she

female character, Estella is a supremely

represents Pip’s first longed-for ideal of life

ironic creation, one who darkly

among the upper classes, Estella is

undermines the notion of romantic love

actually even lower-born than Pip; as Pip

and serves as a bitter criticism against the

learns near the end of the novel, she is the

class system in which she is mired. Raised

daughter of Magwitch, the coarse convict,

from the age of three by Miss Havisham to

and thus springs from the very lowest level

torment men and “break their hearts,”

of society.

Miss Havisham

With a kind of manic, obsessive cruelty,

Dynamic, Stock

Miss Havisham adopts Estella and raises her as a weapon to achieve her own

-Wealthy, eccentric, and manic. revenge on men. Both Miss Havisham and -Seems old and insane.

the people in her life suffer greatly

-Raises Estella to be a heart breaker.

because of her quest for revenge. She is redeemed at the end of the novel when

Mad, vengeful, a wealthy dowager who she realizes that she has caused Pip’s lives in a rotting mansion and wears an old heart to be broken in the same manner as wedding dress every day of her life. She her own; Miss Havisham immediately begs stops all the clocks, she wears only one Pip for forgiveness, reinforcing the novel’s shoe, because when she learned of his theme that bad behavior can be redeemed betrayal, she had not yet put on the other by contrition and sympathy. shoe.

While Joe never gets angry or frustrated with Pip’s behavior, he is shrewd enough to observe the way he is being treated and Joe Gargery:

responds with quiet dignity.

Static, Foil Unlike Pip, Joe has a strong sense of -Pip's brother in-law.

identity, and no desire to pretend to be

-Village Blacksmith.

anything he is not. Later, after nursing Pip during his illness, Joe leaves a simple note

-Protects the ones he loves. explaining, “Not wishful to intrude I have He's Pip's brother-in-law and childhood hero, but he's also just a genuinely nice guy. Pip describes him:

departed.” Joe’s choice to pay off Pip’s debt shows that he is faithful and loving, further inspiring Pip’s admiration. By the end of the

a fair man, with curls of flaxen hair on

novel, Joe’s consistency and dignity have

each side of his smooth face, and with

been revealed as a model of what it means

eyes of such a very undecided blue that

to be a good man. Unlike Pip, Joe also ends

they seemed to have somehow got mixed

the novel in a loving marriage with children,

with their own whites. He was a mild, good-

showing that his gentle and nurturing ways

natured, sweet-tempered, easy-going,

have been rewarded.

foolish, dear fellow,—a sort of Hercules in strength, and also in weakness. (2) Abel Magwitch:

-Terrorizes Pip

Dynamic, Round

-Pip's secret benefactor

-Fearsome criminal

-Estella's father

Self-Made Man

very disagreeable, and all his actions were

Magwitch is gross. He's dirty, sloppy, and rude, eating "in a ravenous way that was

uncouth, noisy, and greedy" (40.46). He's missing some teeth, and even in the

clothes of a "prosperous farmer" he looks

and write, and, unlike any other wealthy

like a "Prisoner, Felon, Bondsman"

character in the book, he's a self-made

(40.107).

man. He gets rich through hard work and

But—and bear with us—we have to admire him. He teaches himself to read

"living rough" (and probably a little bit of good luck, too). And everything he gets, he gives to Pip

Jaggers:

Herbert Pocket:

Flat, Static

Foil, Static

-Powerful Lawyer

-Friendly, Loyal, Trustworthy

-Hired by Magwitch

-Meets Pip at Satis House and London

-Helps Miss Havisham Wemmick:

Biddy:

Flat, Static

Foil, Static

-Hard, Cynical, Sarcastic at work.

-Kind Hearted, Simple, Country Girl

-Jovial, Wry, Tender at home.

-Moves in with Pip

-Obsessed with "Portable property."

"Pretty as peach, tough as a boot, she's country down to the core."

Mrs. Joe: Static, Stock -Pip's Older Sister -Over Bearing, Petty, Stern

1-Why is the novel called “Great Expectations”? A young fellow of great expectations. And, it is these grand hopes, these "great expectations" that links so many of the characters in Dickens's grand effort of narrative:



Magwitch hopes to vicariously redeem his tragic life



Pip expects that in becoming a gentleman, he will become superior to others and worthy of Miss Havisham's respect and Estella's love.



Herbert Matthews aspires to secure a respectable position and to marry



The orphaned Biddy hopes to find a meaningful position in life.



Mr. Wopsle parodies the expectations of Pip in his ridiculous hopes of becoming a serious actor.



So, too, does Pumblechook parody Pip's excessive expectations in his claim to having brought about Pip's success.



Mr. Wemmick's exaggerated home displays a lightly comical image of great expectations.



In a sinister form of expectations, Orlick hopes to destroy Pip who has always been his rival.



Miss Havisham, who has had great expectations of a happy life, seeks to regain some peace of conscience with Pip's forgiveness.



Estella's great expectations to break men's hearts become tragic as she marries a cruel husband and becomes aware of her limitations in receiving love.



Finally, the readers have "great expectations" as they hope to see Pip succeed and attain his only love, Estella.

The novel clearly has an relevant title as paradoxically there is in its narrative the unfulfillment of many of the expectations of characters while at the same time, as critic Angus Calder notices, Pip attains the other "great expectations"

expectations arise soon after visiting the Satis Manor. Expectations for Pip are fortune and the desire to become a gentleman as he discusses with Biddy, his private tutor: “I want to be a gentleman on her account” (Dickens, 117). Estella, albeit her bitter attitude towards Pip, changes his view that results in him longing to become a gentleman. Compare and contrast male and female characters in the story

7-

What is/are the theme(s) of the story?

Great Expectations Themes Society and Class (Click the themes infographic to download.) Pip desperately wants to be part of the cool crowd, but he doesn't have the right shoes, the right slang, or the right parents. Admit it: we've all be... Dreams, Hopes, and Plans (Click the themes infographic to download.) Dreams, hopes, plans … and Great Expectations. Fun fact about "expectations": having "expectations" in the nineteenth century specifically meant that...

Wealth (Click the themes infographic to download.) All you need is love, but in Great Expectations love doesn't get you far without a little money. To Pip, there's no question that Estella might love him...

Friendship (Click the themes infographic to download.) Pip doesn't deserve his friends. There. We said it. Joe, Biddy, and Herbert—not to mention Magwitch—all show Pip loyalty that he not only doesn't de...

Love (Click the themes infographic to download.) Ugh, Pip. Pip is totally that friend of yours who will not shut up about his crush. He spends hours analyzing her last text message, changes his IM stat...

Innocence (Click the themes infographic to download.) Children are our future, right? Well, someone needs to tell the adults of Great Expectations, because, for the most part, they seem to see children as l...

Lies and Deceit (Click the themes infographic to download.) Great Expectations has more secrets than a season of Pretty Little Liars. From the source of his fortune to the mystery of Estella's parentage—not to...

Time (Click the themes infographic to download.) If we could turn back time … we'd tell Pip to refuse to enter Miss Havisham's garden. But we can't. So, instead, we'll just point out that Great Expec...

Contrasting Regions (Click the themes infographic to download.) Pip is just a small town boy wandering up and down the boulevard—and, like a lot of small-town boys (or girls), he finds that big city life isn't all...

Criminality (Click the themes infographic to download.) Magwitch is more of a thug busting up a pawn shop than a smooth criminal: that role is left to the gentleman-like Compeyson. The novel is full of crimin...

Education

Education functions as a force for social mobility and personal growth in the novel. Joe and Biddy both use their education to pursue new opportunities, showing how education can be a good thing. Pip receives an education that allows him to advance into a new social position, but Pip’s education improves his mind without supporting the growth of his character. Biddy takes advantage to gather as much learning as she can, with Pip observing that she “learns everything I learn,” and eventually becomes a schoolteacher. Biddy also teaches Joe to read and write. Pip’s education does not actually provide him with practical skills or common sense, as revealed when Pip and Herbert completely fail at managing their personal finances. Pip’s emotional transformation once he learns the identity of his benefactor is what ultimately makes him into the man he wants to be, not anything he has learned in a classroom. Family

Although Pip and Estella both grow up as orphans, family is an important theme in the novel. Pip grows up with love and support from Joe, but fails to see the value of the unconditional love Joes gives him. He eventually reconciles with Joe after understanding his errors. Estella is exposed to damaging values from her adopted mother, Miss Havisham, and gradually learns from experience what it actually means to care about someone. For both characters, learning who to trust and how to have a loving relationship with family members is a major part of the growing-up process. As Estella explains at the end of the novel, “suffering has been stronger than all other teaching.” Both Estella and Pip make mistakes and live with the consequences of their family histories, but their difficult family experiences also helps to give them perspective on what is truly important in life.

ROLE OF MONEY in Great Expectations love doesn't get you far without a little money. To Pip, there's no question that Estella might love him as a poor blacksmith's boy: he has to make his fortune (or have a fortune made for him). From the outside, though, all this money stuff doesn't look too appealing. Miss Havisham had a fortune, and still appears to have enough of it to set Estella up in style, but she's miserable—and all the people who want her money are miserable too. Meanwhile, the poor blacksmith seems to have plenty of money to settle Pip's debts, and Pip and Herbert are happy making a "sufficient living" by working hard. Is Dickens saying that the only wealth worth having is the money you earn yourself?

Wealth and materialism Money, or the lack of it, plays an important part in the novel:



the capacity to pay Jaggers as a defence lawyer may mean the difference between freedom and imprisonment, life and death for those accused of crime



Pip and Herbert are quite unable to handle their finances and find themselves in severe difficulties



Miss Havisham also uses her money to create in Estella someone who will enable her to take revenge on men.



Magwitch intends to do good with his money, but, in fact, causes Pip many difficulties



on the other hand, Pip's money (and later Miss Havisham's) is able to do good for Herbert

Individuals and groups of people are shown to be predatory about money:



when Pip is invited to visit Miss Havisham, his sister and others immediately begin to think about what she might ‘do' for Pip in monetary terms



Miss Havisham's relatives visit her on her birthday, not out of love, but because they hope that she will leave them money in her will



when Pip finds out about his expectations, people in the town, including Mr. Pumblechook, change their behaviour towards him, in the hope that they too will benefit.

In these senses, money is linked to the novel's moral themes: see also Structure: moral structure. Ultimately, the novel seems to say



wealth is no guarantee of happiness



inherited wealth carries great dangers



it is in hard work to earn a modest living that contentment may be found....