The book Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is about an orphan named Pip life history. It explores the emotional side of his life from childhood to adulthood and the many challenges he encounters along the way. When it was written in 1860, Dickens sought to educate people on injustices about them and their society. He chose to use a child life since they were the most vulnerable and had no say on their future and relied on misinformed parents and guardians on their survival. The issue of money is also incorporated in that money could ensure good education hence better life (Meckier, 48).
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The Great Expectations is a story that starts with the description of how the name Pip came about. It originated from Pip’s inability to pronounce his real name Philip and his growth to adulthood coupled with many emotional themes (Spark Notes). He never got to see his father and mother but only relied on their tombstone to create a mental picture of them. Pips neighborhood is depicted as marshy and this is where he led his life being vulnerable and usually in fear. We learn that he lived with his sister and her blacksmith husband Joe Gargery. When he is being questioned by the man who had stolen his bread, he comes out as helpless, in danger and frightened by the man especially when he threatens to eat him alive.
Pip’s sister is depicted as scary from her looks to the clothes she wore and this of course had a negative effect on him. In addition, he gets roughed up by her sister merely because he has gone to the churchyard. Joe also received his own share of insults and this led to both Pip and him forming a close friendship against the sister. Pip is not even to ask questions which his sister deems nagging but considering young children are usually so, it must have been tormenting to Pip.
Pips finally decided he had got enough of his sister and her husband and made his mind to steal from them and run away. His quilt pursued him as he run from home and left him imagining at every turn that his sister or the Hulks had captured him. Pip finally manages to trace his friend in the marshes after much endurance and delivers what he had stolen from home. Despite his friendliness to the man of offering him food, he is swindled and has not other option but to return home albeit in great fear of the theft discovery (Dickens, 31).
It was during the Christmas dinner that Pip got a chance to learn about the church and its teaching on morals. Pip’s conduct and that of young boys is likened to that of swine and he further feels unwanted especially due to what he had done earlier. His emotional turmoil deteriorates further when police knock on their door although he mistakes them as having come for him. He later realizes they are after an escaped convict.
Pip drew much ideology from the tombstones writing and these helped nurture his emotional growth. He wrote got involved in all odd jobs in the neighborhood and his earnings he presumed were to cater for all expenses he had incurred during his upbringing by his sister. He learns some secrets of trade from Wopsle’s and even finds their life similar to his. Pip started learning the alphabet and went to an extent of drafting a letter for his uncle Joe thus displaying his yearning for reading and writing. To his consternation, he realizes that Joe did not attend school because his father was a drunk and usually beat his mother and thus Pip pitied him. Pip felt encouraged by Joe and gained hope and wisdom from his mentoring. He took to his mind his recommendation while at the same time marked that day as memorable all through his life (Dickens, 60).
Pip got acquainted with Mr. Pumblechook and Miss Havisham prior to his departure for London and made great friends. They had helped him much and he felt he owed them a lot. His love for his friends is implied by the melancholy that he had to fight before leaving them but since he wished to move on in life, he had to leave to be adopted in London.
In London’s Mr. Jaggers household he gets frightened the first time after he got to see the courts and hearing how convicts received justice by hanging making him hate the town. This continually affected his thoughts when Mr. Wemmick projected the town as unsafe and this fact created panic and despair on his part (Dickens, 122). Pip was introduced to other people in London and it is important to note that despite his keen observation of people character, he was of making friends instantly as well as sympathizing with their fate. Later on, he planned to enter in to business so as to make a living and he did so with the help of Wemmick and Jagger.
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Notable up to this point is the fact that Pip has started shedding some of his past fears and is well on course to prosperity. His emotions are even controlled since he is still maturing and has a purpose in life. Upon hearing through a letter that his old mentor and friend Joe is coming to London, Pip received the news with fear as he had planned to keep Drummle and Joe separate and unacquainted. Pip was later to receive in shock the admittance of Joe of never liking London’s expensive lifestyle and he was struck by such ingenuity (Dickens, 153).
Pip recalled Miss Havisham with gratitude for having adopted both he and Estella and decided to pay her a visit. He relived the emotions of love towards Estella as being the inspiration about which he drew courage live on. Pips it seemed had matured to express the emotion of love beyond all doubt and to offer it without conditions attached. When Pip finally met with Estella, these emotions were revived albeit more intense than when they had stayed together and were young and meanwhile is encouraged to offer her love by Miss Havisham (Dickens, 165).
Later on, Pip and Estella become inseparable as each person’s thoughts and experiences determined the course that other person took. Life was difficult for both of them an element that saw them separate and spend sometimes away from each other. This however did not deter his love since after many days, Pips traced Estella just so as to declare his love for her. To his consternation he finds a difficult to understand Estella and although she acknowledges ever having loved Pip, she is about to get married by another man, Drummle. Despite his controlled nature, Pip was unable to control his emotion on this revelation because he had bottled up his feelings for Estella for so long a time.
They parted company and he received a warning not to go home by Wemmick and this brought about much fear in to his soul considering the emotional barrage he had earlier experienced with Estella. Later in the story, Pip fell sick to an extent of losing his reason and mind as he tried to come to terms with the events that had taken place in his life. Many emotions had occurred in his life and he felt pain in reckoning with them. He enquired a lot from his lifetime friend Joe when he convalesced as he learned of the fate that met his acquaintances. It became the most important part of life to be able at last to have courage and enquire of his life’s ups and downs by acknowledging his friends support during the difficult times.
Pi managed to settle his debts as well as find a job while living with Herbert and his wife. Many years still had to pass by without him seeing Joe until he resurfaced later and the consummated their long time friendship. Estella also made a come back and brought much happiness to Pip and ironically they met at the place where they had first set their eyes on each other. They both reminisced the old time and forgave each other with Pip asserting that parting was a painful thing just as it had been sometimes earlier. Finally they manage to part in peace with each having realized the importance of the friendship and the need to check their emotion for ever (Bloom, 90).
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