Great Expectations

Great Expectation

The book that I read is called Great Expectation By Charles Dickens. It is based mainly in London but also has scenes in Pip's home town. Which is a small village in the country? Where he and his sister Mrs. Joe and her husband Joe Gargary live and Pips was raised. The setting of where Pips is is not as important as what is there with him. There are many contrasts to good and evil or more justice and innocence.

There are so many important characters in this book that it would take me longer to describe the characters and there importance than it would to summarize the book. So I will keep it to a minimum with just a few crucial people. First there is Pip he is the main character in this book. When he was very young his parents died and know he is raised by his sister and her husband Joe Pip is a very innocent and caring person who wants to have a greater fate than the one presently owned. But is burdened by the fact that he lives in poverty. Next there is Mrs. Joe who raised Pip but is very mean to him and controlling of everyone in her house. Then Joe he is the person that gives Pip help. They play games and explain a lot of things to Pip he is about the only nice person in Pips life. Mrs. Havasham she lets Pip come over to her house and is very wealthy and the people around him think that she will raise him to be a gentleman. But hates men and never changes out of her wedding dress. She also has a daughter named Estella that was adopted and is very beautiful. But is being raised to hate men as well and is using her looks to break there hearts. Magwitch escapes from prison at the beginning of Great Expectations and terrorizes Pip in the cemetery. But out of Kindness Pip still bring the man what he asks for. Pip's kindness, however, makes a deep impression on him, and he subsequently devotes himself to making a fortune and using it to elevate Pip into a higher social class. Herbert pocket who is a good friend of Pip's and gives him advice throughout the book. He is also the son of Mr. Pocket who is the secretary for Mr. Jaggers who is the one who takes care of pip and helps him around London.

In the Beginning of this book pip is in the Cemetery and meets a man named Magwitch but you don't know that until later. Who then threatens Pip into getting him some food and a file for the chains on his leg? He does this and the man is later caught again.

After the incident, some time passes. Pip lives with his guilty secret and struggles to learn reading and writing at Mrs. Wopsle's school. At school, Pip befriends Biddy, the granddaughter of the teacher. One day, Joe and Pip sit talking; the illiterate Joe admires a piece of writing Pip has just done. Suddenly, Mrs. Joe bursts in with Pumblechook. Who is a good friend of the family? To reveal that Pumblechook has arranged for Pip to go play at the house of Mrs.Havasham, a rich old woman who lives nearby. Mrs. Joe and Pumblechook hope she will make Pip's fortune, and they plan to send him home with Pumblechook before he goes to Mrs. Havisham's the next day. The he is given a rough bath, dressed in his suit, and taken away.

The nest morning Pip is taken to Mrs. Havasham's house called the Satis house where they are lead by a beautiful young girl to an old boney woman who is Mrs. Havasham. The girl leaves, and Miss Havisham orders Pip to play. He tells her that he is too affected by the newness of the house to play. Miss Havisham forces him to call for the girl, whose name is Estella. Estella returns, and Miss Havisham orders her to play cards with Pip. Estella is cold and insulting, criticizing Pip's low social class and his unrefined manners. Miss Havisham is delighted to see that Pip is nonetheless taken with the girl. Pip cries when he leaves Satis

At the pub one evening, Pip sits in a crowd listening to Wopsle read the story of a murder trial from a newspaper. A stranger begins questioning Wopsle about the legal details of the case. Pip recognizes him as the large, dark man he met on the stairs at Miss Havisham's. The stranger introduces himself as the lawyer Jaggers, and he goes home with Pip and Joe. Here, he explains that Pip will soon inherit a large fortune. His education as a gentleman will begin immediately. Pip will move to London and become a gentleman, he says, but the person who is giving him the fortune wishes to remain secret: Pip can never know the name of his benefactor. Pips Dreams have bean realized.

Pip continues with his tutoring and spending more time with Estalla who does not deceive him or curse him anymore. But one late night when he returns to his courtiers he finds the convict Magwitch and he tells him the truth about his fortune that he is the Benefactor. Pip is crushed that his wealth is do to such a man and that Mrs.Havasham never did intend for him to marry Estella. They plan to transport him so that he could be safe but Magwitch tells him about his past and his hateful wife and lost daughter.

The Climax of the story ties many things together and is a great example of irony. Pip goes to the theater to forget his troubles. After the performance, Wopsle tells Pip that in the audience behind him was one of the convicts from the battle on the marsh so many years ago. Pip tries to question Wopsle calmly, but inside he is terrified.

Jaggers invites Pip to dinner, where he gives the young man a note from Miss Havisham. When Jaggers mentions Estella's marriage