Great Expectations  (English, Paperback, Dickens Charles)

Great Expectations covers the story of young Pip and his journey through the various stages of life, when he learns more about human values and factors like good and evil, and wealth and poverty.

Summary Of The Book

The protagonist of the book is Philip Pirrip, who is known by his nickname Pip. In the very beginning, he is introduced by Dickens as a young boy who lives with his sister and her husband because he was orphaned at a very young age. He is scared by a convict who asks him to steal food and a file to grind his iron shackles, while he is sitting in a cemetery looking at his parents tombstones. Out of great fear, Pip obeys his instructions, but the convict is captured before long.

One day, Pip’s Uncle Pumblechook takes him to Miss Havisham’s house, where he encounters Estella. She’s the most beautiful girl Pip has ever seen and he falls in love with her instantly. But to his disappointment, Estella doesn’t treat him well, and thereon, he begins to dream of becoming a rich gentleman so that he can receive her love, respect, and attention.

In a twist of fate, Pip does become wealthy, but is faced with harsh realities that change the way he sees life and love in general. The book takes readers through the life of Pip, and whether he finally manages to marry his childhood sweetheart.

A classic by Charles Dickens, Great Expectations has been filmed for cinema and television several times, the latest being a film adaptation by Mike Newell in 2012. Lloyd Jones, an author from New Zealand, wrote a novel called Mister Pip in the year 2006, named after the main character and shaped by the plot of Great Expectations. 

About Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) is popularly regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian period and the creator of some of the most popular and remembered fictional characters.

Dickens published over a dozen major novels, some of which are The Adventures Of Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, A Tale Of Two Cities, and Our Mutual Friend. He is known for his Christmas themed writings, such as A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, and What Christmas Is, As We Grow Older.

Fables from The Arabian Nights influenced Dickens the most. His writing style is marked by a profuse linguistic creativity and the frequent use of satire. His literary style is also a mixture of fantasy and realism.

Dickens married Catherine Thomson Hogarth in 1836, and went on to have ten children with her. On June 9, 1870, he suffered a stroke at his home and died. He had wished for a very personal and inexpensive burial, but was buried at the Poet’s Corner of Westminster Abbey.