Sabrina Reaves

Ms. Hollins
Pre-AP
9 January 17

Research Paper on Great Expectations

Great Expectations, a bildungsroman (a.ka. novel of maturation), is most frequently

utilized in school anthologies in that its exemplary in its transition of orphaned Pips (the

protagonist, narrating as the adult Pip) germination in personality, moral lessons, and principles.

Many themes that children can assimilate into and or develop from, are devised within Charles

Dickens novel along with its overarching themes; taking responsibility for ones actions, all

that glitters is not gold, & devotion, adoration, and conscience is superior over social

sophistication, and the monetary gain accompanying it, in which the 2nd is conveyed via

Dickens title Great Expectations. Great Expectations was formulated during the Post-

Industrial Revolution--where England underwent a series of technological development--set in

the Victorian Era. Notwithstanding the consistent disputed controversy over Great Expectations

over time (due to his alternate ending), a majority of critics concur its his best book, & it can be

utilized as a book-long fable for misguided isolated adolescents. Charles Dickenss Great

Expectations is viewed very influential in the writing styles among the literary community, as

well as society. Several cinematic and literary adaptations have been constructed of his book.

Charles Dickens Great Expectations, a composition, that has undertaken crucial criticism

through transgression of time from scholars, due to his happy ending version of his book (to

meet high demands of the public), was formulated during the Post-Industrial Revolution in

England, and is still regarded among a majority of critics and literary scholars as his best book,

and that it can be utilized as a long-fable for misguided adolescents & or troubled people.
 While Great Expectations was in the making & of completion, technical advancements

were steadily being pursued and established in England. The Post-Industrial Revolution in

England created newfounded chances for those in poverty, & or lower classes to acquire

affluence and higher classes, according to Sparknotes. This ability for promotion in social class

is portrayed in Great Expectations; the liberty is displayed in Pips elevation through the system,

that normally wouldnt occur in any circumstance. Charles Dickens conveys a diversity of moral

lessons throughout his book, and directs those very messages to religious groups to express the

hypocrisy in Christianity, but prominently misguided, isolated adolescents. Great Expectations,

in my perspective, was signaling these groups to his book because he himself was a orphan--sort

of--struggling to acquire 6 shillings a week at his job, & had to make unwise decisions to

survive; His father, John Dickens, was transmitted to prison & the remnants of his family went to

live near that very prison in an early stage of his childhood according to Great Expectations bio

on Charles Dickens. After all, in the Victorian Era his audience would be biased; the focal point

would be struggling children, due to his upbringing as a child.

Most of his themes that were distributed for learning either Dickens wasnt a follower of, in

retrospect to his childhood, or was a confidence he grasped fervently. Most moral lessons are

developed from ones own life experiences or held beliefs towards a group(s) she/hes making an

audience out of.

Charles Dickens targeting of misguided adolescents was successful, due to the actuality that its

most notably known as a moral guide, among scholars, for young people.

Unexpectedly, Great Expectations was primarily unsatisfactory to the general public for

his sad ending (or realistic ending, as I put it), & to the advice of a novelist companion, he

modified Great Expectations to a more socially acceptable ending; the happy ending. Over the
course of time, from critics & or scholars, a plethora of controversy in criticism transpired from

Charles Dickens altercation in his original ending of Estella and Pip not being reunited with one

another. Opposition to the modifica-

tion of the Great Expectations ending was stemmed from the perspective that Estellas treatment

to Pip in the beginning of the novel, is inconsistent to how Estella treats him in the revised

happy ending of Great Expectations according to Academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu. Presently, the

controversy over Charles Dickens novels happy ending hasnt evolved; as the point of views

on Great Expectations revised happy ending was controversial over the transgression of time,

Great Expectations revised happy ending remains debatable in the 21st century. From my

knowledge, the justification why the novel Great Expectations deviated from unison in ideals

(dating back to when Charles Dickens primarily published it) to controversial ideals, is

contributed to the reality that people in the Victorian Era werent so privileged or well off, as

they are in Modern times. Children had to labour for miniscule pay for extended periods of time

for their families, a majority of civilians in England were in poverty or poor state in conditions

due to lack of title/class, and they were exploring for a source of aspiration in the world that

might not be so melancholy. Additionally, literature in the Victorian was centralized forwards the

masses. Keeping this in mind, Charles Dickens is a realistic writer, whose true-to-facts ending

may have unsatisfied those very audiences Dickens was attempting to attract. Crediting from

Literature Professors at CliffsNotes, it states While the world became more democratic, so, too,

did literature. Unlike the romantic literature that preceded it literature that focused on the

glories of the upper classes Victorian literature focused on the masses. The people wanted

characters, relationships, and social concerns that mattered to them, and they had the economic

power to demand it. In Modern times, we are exposed surprisingly to more delusional realities,
that is, in love/relationships. How its portrayed in clichd romance-themed movies blur our

perception to the harsher realities in relationships, & life in general. Therefore, schools of

thought such as critics & or scholars are more prone to defend the more sadder ending of the

story, to extinguish the romantic ideals-smoke of mirages to the general public, but mainly to

point out the inconsistency of Estellas character with the newly established happy ending.

According to Professors in literature at CliffsNotes, Over the years since the novel's publication,

many critics have objected to its happy ending, with its implication that Pip and Estella will

marry; these critics have said that such a conclusion is inconsistent with the characters as we

have come to know them. In fact, Dickens originally wrote an ending in which Pip and Estella

meet and then part forever after a few conciliatory words.

Across time, the piece Great Expectations has consistently been prone to cinematic

adaptations. Such specimens are as follows: 2011--Great Expectations- a three-part BBC serial,

1946--Great Expectations, the most celebrated film version, directed by David Lean, 1998--

Great Expectations- featuring Gwyneth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke, 2012--Great Expectations-

directed by Mike Newell.

The inducing reason for why Great Expectations was/is subject to several cinematic adaptations,

is due to the actuality that Charles Dickens book is heavily vivid in his characters, as well as

scenery. Great Expectations gives readers a sense of horrific involvement, a.k.a front row seat, in

that of his downcast depiction of life in England during the Victorian Era. When Dickens

describes a character, such as Magwitch, the audience gets the feel Dickens associates poverty

with insanity and or criminality, and also feels that Magwitch is real. To paraphrase, in the

primary chapter Magwitch goes through rigmarole by giving ghastly ultimatums, that is if Pip is

unsuccessful in meeting up to Magwitchs inconsiderate demands--despite knowing Pip is an

orphan and lives with Mrs. Gargery (Pips abusive sister who brought him up by hand)--hed

tear out his heart and liver, roast, and then eat it. Furthermore,

the text Great Expectations has affected life in many ways than one. With the social embedment

of cinematic adaptations of Great Expectations, it reaches out to the high percentile of groups

who dont read/dont fancy reading, and provides those self-depriving batches moral and

religious enlightenment.

Additionally, Americans of today are exceptionally lethargic in educating themselves with a good

book, even when they do partake in reading/ relish reading; having an educational cinematic

adaptation of the book Great Expectations, did/does those particular groups a good service.

Throughout sundry periods in time--emanating from the publication of Great

Expectations--the work has been configured into diverse selections of literature. A few of those

literary references in history are as follows: Charles Dickens (1993), Great Expectations, Ware,

Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Classics, Charles Dickens (1993), Great Expectations, Oxford:

Clarendon Press, introduction and notes by Margaret Cardwell, Charles Dickens (1996), Great

Expectations, London: Penguin Classics, introduction by David Trotter, notes by Charlotte

Mitchell, and the Charles Dickens (1999), Great Expectations, authoritative text, backgrounds,

criticism, context, New York: W.W. Norton, edited by Edgar Rosenberg. The driving condition

for why Great Expectations was, and is still, subject to literary references, is due to the certainty

that Charles Dickens book is profound on disclosing moral lessons, in respects to state of

humanity & realities of life. Likewise with Pip, us readers all have had a situation when we were

younger where we had great expectations, and were disabused. In referencing Great

Expectations, it establishes a connection of our childhood moments of ignorance; this encourages

the general public to read this book of literary references more frequently, when theres an
established connection with the readers, whereas a book thats off-handed and only based on the

authors experiences might not be viewed as frequent as the former. Moreover, Great

Expectations has influenced life in numerous ways. With the literary references of Great

Expectations, those groups who delight in reading can receive moral & religious refinement. The

more prominent reason, however, is that literary references of Great Expectations will invigorate

already active readers--possibly inactive readers as well--to pursue reading further, if these active

readers learn a great deal from this reference on Charles Dickens moralistic and religious

teachings on life, and or relationships.

Great Expectations, an influential & enlightening novel over time, had dramatically

affected the Victorian Era, as much as modern times. This bildungsroman novel gave struggling

British citizens of England, at the time, a chance or hope to survival and moral, and or religious

enrichment during a most crucial time period. The single contrast between Modern times & the

Victorian Era-- with the introduction of Great Expectations--is that the Modern times was

unrelenting to the happy ending of this story, and the Victorian Era might as well have outright

demanded it. Another way of breaching this debated subject of matter, is that the altercation of

his original ending could give off a disreputable image on Charles Dickens character, & his very

own moral strength. That is to say, to altercate his original ending that was most consistent with

his narrative, & tone of the book to the incongruent happy ending could denote a lack of

integrity or good discernment, on Charles Dickens part. This text is very influential, giving that

of his moralistic and religious themes. In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens consistently

expresses the importance of devotion, conscience, and adulation over wealth, class, and self-

improvement. Charles Dickens prominently conveys this central theme throughout Pip,

misguided by a beautiful, noble, and wealthy girl named Estella, as well as himself. Additionally,
Charles Dickens Great Expectations is influential due to its character development. Not only

does Pip, an impressionable youth, develop morally from a kind, caring soul to an arrogant

individual, to once where he was as child (but not naive), the other characters, including

secondary characters, develop as well. Miss Havisham develops from being a vindictive, bitter,

eccentric, elderly woman due to being a victim of a no-show, keeping her entire house, and

herself to the day of the wedding for 20 years, changes into a repentful, kind, and generous

woman, asking for forgiveness and then ridding herself of her grudge after giving Pip the same

heartbreak she suffered, which was accomplished through Miss Havishams breeded puppet,

Estella. Among Miss Havisham is Pips sister Georgiana MRia, her development from being

testy and authoritarian to patient and apologetic (on her deathbed), and mainly the convict--Pips

used to be benefactor--Magwitch, his development from being threatening/hostile to like that of a

father and humble to Pip. Charles Dickens bildungsroman British novel will continue to pass

through time, notably known as a highly influential piece in his moral and religious lessons

within, and as his best piece of all, despite the controversy of his ending.