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A review by becandthebooks
GREAT EXPECTATIONS by Charles Dickens
4.0
This is my first Charles Dickens novel and will not be my last. I was quite apprehensive going in this book, I've heard that some of Dickens work can be drawn out due to the way writers were paid back in the day, but I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this!
We follow our protagonist Pip as he grows up with great expectations to become a "gentleman", whatever that may mean, however, in this context it was to have money, property and a certain lifestyle. A gentleman in this time was not a blacksmith, for example, as portrayed by Pip's loving and kind brother-in-law Joe.
However, after having his dreams granted by way of a mysterious benefactor, Pip's story goes awry as we met a wide variety of characters along this journey. The growth that Pip experiences not only changes his expectations, but also shows him that not all "gentleman" are indeed gentleman. “I have been bent and broken, but - I hope - into a better shape.”
In the end, Pip realises what he had all along and changes the expectations of his life. He settles into a more modest and honest existence and doesn't wish for more than he is capable of having. “There was a long hard time when I kept far from me the remembrance of what I had thrown away when I was quite ignorant of its worth.”
The novel is written as a reflection on Pip's life, kind of like a memoir at times. He is hilariously sarcastic and honest and as he is reflecting on what has passed, he imparts the wisdom he has gained. “So, I must be taken as I have been made. The success is not mine, the failure is not mine, but the two together make me.”
We follow our protagonist Pip as he grows up with great expectations to become a "gentleman", whatever that may mean, however, in this context it was to have money, property and a certain lifestyle. A gentleman in this time was not a blacksmith, for example, as portrayed by Pip's loving and kind brother-in-law Joe.
However, after having his dreams granted by way of a mysterious benefactor, Pip's story goes awry as we met a wide variety of characters along this journey. The growth that Pip experiences not only changes his expectations, but also shows him that not all "gentleman" are indeed gentleman. “I have been bent and broken, but - I hope - into a better shape.”
In the end, Pip realises what he had all along and changes the expectations of his life. He settles into a more modest and honest existence and doesn't wish for more than he is capable of having. “There was a long hard time when I kept far from me the remembrance of what I had thrown away when I was quite ignorant of its worth.”
The novel is written as a reflection on Pip's life, kind of like a memoir at times. He is hilariously sarcastic and honest and as he is reflecting on what has passed, he imparts the wisdom he has gained. “So, I must be taken as I have been made. The success is not mine, the failure is not mine, but the two together make me.”