How Does Dickens Use Narrative to Explore the Idea of Great Expectations in His Novel - Assignment Example

The world lay spread before me’ (Vol.I, chapter xix). How does Dickens use narrative to explore the idea of ‘great expectations’ in his novel? Charles Dickens through Pip, the Protagonist of GREAT EXPECTATIONS reveals the inner struggle that one faces in the quest for knowledge. This book is a reflection of Dickens own humble origins and the struggle, the shame and guilt that he had to encounter to evolve himself. Education comes at a price and the price that Pip had to pay was intense emotional and physical struggle (Lauren Smith 2004). Various ‘great expectations’ throughout the book have been proved false. I deliberated with an aching heart whether I would not get down when we changed horses and walk back, and have another evening at home, and a better parting. We changed, and I had not made up my mind . . . . We changed again, and yet again, and it was now too late and too far to go back, and I went on. And the mists had all solemnly risen now, and the world lay spread before me. —Pip (Chapter 19) These words reveal the thoughts of Pip who is about to start a new life. In fact, this marks a turning point in his life – from humble and innocent surroundings to the upper Victorian society. These words carry great expectations, doubts, apprehensions, excitement, and anxiety. Charles Dickens drew on some of his own childhood perceptions with Pip as the narrator. Pip’s education and development takes place through adversity as he discovers the true nature of his great expectations. The adversities come in the form of intriguing incidents, which changed Pip’s life from that of an orphan to a rich man. He abandons his humble origins to begin a new life as a gentle man in London. Each incident, starting from a terrifying encounter with an escaped convict in a graveyard, summons to meet Miss Havisham whose clock of life has stopped, to the meeting with Estella, the beautiful but spiteful ward of Miss Havisham, and the sudden generosity of an unknown benefactor – all of these touch Pip’s life and give rise to great expectations within him. Pip had grown up an orphan in harsh conditions and difficult situations. He does a good turn for an escaped convict (as much out of fear as out of charity). This act of kindness is the beginning of his transition. He then finds himself going up the socio-economic ladder all the while enjoying great expectations with the help of an unknown benefactor. Pip receives great expectations as a reward for his act of charity. His life takes a turn when he is given a huge sum of money, which takes him to London to lead a life of a wealthy man. Dickens uses the narrative to point out that great expectations blind us to reason and gives rise to arrogance. Drawing from his personal experiences, Dickens provides deep insight into the lives and expectations of a society rich in wealth and power. They are far removed from moral values. The simple and hardworking people in the same society during the same era uphold these moral values. Dickens enlightens us with the fact that good and evil will exist in the world; they are inter-related. Similarly, what we desire and what we despise are equally related to each other. If expectations are not great, human beings can lead a life of contentment. With great expectations, with a quest for knowledge and education, Pip had approached Mr. Wopsles great aunt’s school. A typical night’s incidents were enough for him to realize the inadequacies of such an educational system (Lauren Smith 2004). He then seeks knowledge outside the classroom and approaches Biddy to help him in acquiring knowledge. Here too Pip faced disappointment. When Pip ‘mentions’ to Mr Trabb about his having ‘come into a handsome property’, Trabb stops what he is doing, and even bows to Pip (he respectfully ‘bent his body’) and invites Pip into the shop (Douglas 2005). Throughout the meeting, Trabb is excessively polite to Pip and Pip is even re-measured for his suits, as Mr Trabb said that ‘under existing circumstances’ it would ‘not do’ to use the old measurements. He realizes how much he is revered because of his new-found wealth. Pip acknowledges the ‘stupendous power’ of money and this incident deepens his expectations from the life that he is about to begin. Trabb’s son and Pip belonged to the same social status. Trabb’s son served Trabb and Pip served Joe but as soon as Pip receives his ‘expectations’ his status changes immediately; he is above Trabb’s son. The conversation that Pip has with Biddy just before leaving for London also shows the change in attitude after he receives the ‘great expectations’. (Duke Moses 2005). He starts feeling that he is now above Joe and Joe would not fit into his society. This shows how simple wealth can alter the character of a person. When Pip is summoned to Miss Havisham’s house to play, his expectations rise up. Again, when Mr. Jaggers announces the Great Expectations that an anonymous benefactor has left him a fortune, Pip immediately feels it is Miss Havisham. With equally great expectations, he believes that Miss Havisham would like him to marry her ward Estella and for this, she has passed on her wealth to him. Dickens teaches the society through Pip that the world is selfish and one should learn from experiences in life. Despite Estella being cruel and unresponsive to his love, Pip continues with his feelings for her with the expectation that some day she would relent. He loves Estella “against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be” (206). His persistence is rewarded only towards the end of the novel and perhaps the only expectation that is fulfilled. Each time that Estella meets Pip, she speaks and behaves discourteously. This still does not lessen Pip’s expectations of love from her. Through this narrative Dickens urges the society to understand situations early in life; he wants to help them find their own great expectations in life. Young students are urged to identify themselves with Pip as they make a transition from youth to adulthood. Pip learnt through experiences when he unshackled from the family; he was his own teacher (Anthony F Franco). Similarly, Dickens through Pip tells the youth to come out of the protection and experience life first hand. He teaches them to learn through adversities while keeping the expectations low. Pip could not recognize the difference between Estella and Biddy. Or perhaps, he did but his expectations from Estella were too high. He understood that Billy was more suitable for him but his sense of reason gave way to his desire for pain. He comes to realize, when walking with Biddy on the marshes, that "Biddy was never insulting, or capricious, or Biddy to-day and somebody else to-morrow; she would have derived only pain, and no pleasure, from giving me pain; she would far rather have wounded her own breast than mine" (157-58). Despite this realization he over estimated Estella and had great expectations that, "perhaps after all Miss Havisham was going to make my fortune when my time was out" (160). Dickens once again tells us how fallacies and dreams increase our desires when great expectations gain supremacy over reasoning. When the identity of the real benefactor is revealed Pip confesses his love to Estella with great expectations only to be disappointed: ‘It seems,’ said Estella, very calmly, ‘that there are sentiments, fancies—I dont know how to call them—which I am not able to comprehend. When you say you love me, I know what you mean, as a form of words; but nothing more. You address nothing in my breast, you touch nothing there. I don’t care for what you say at all. I have tried to warn you of this; now, have I not?’ (321-22) ‘It was now too late and too far to go back, and I went on. And the mists had all solemnly risen now, and the world lay spread before me.’ With these thoughts Pip ventures ahead on his journey to start a new life, full of apprehensions and anxiety. He leaves for London to lead the life of a rich man but a startling discovery lies ahead of him. In this new world of unexpected wealth, he struggles to find his way. While in London, Pip joins a club largely to feel and display his social elevation. He even keeps a servant of whom he had no use. All these add to his status now that he had great expectations from life. He makes friends, learns the art of rich living but his great expectations led to disappointments; his dreams of living the life of a rich man did not give him the happiness that he had expected. Wealth made him a snob; Pip lost his integrity. He recovers it as he loses money. Realization dawns and he becomes more enlightened with each incident that touches his life. He realizes the falsehood of great expectations. He realizes that hard work alone can bring prosperity, not fate, and expectations. He associates his experience of youth to the wisdom and knowledge that he has attained as an adult. Dickens conveys through the narrative that unexpected fortune and undeserved good luck is short lived and not the truth. As the story unravels, Pip realizes he had received expectations from the least expected source, from the convict. He feels guilty at this but then finds himself again compassionate to the convict Magwitch in the prison at the end. He finds that Magwitch is not a bad man but an unfortunate victim of a villain from a higher social class. Dickens teaches us that great expectations can come from the most unexpected sources. Joe had always been the guiding light in Pip’s life. He was Pip’s conscience and imbibed moral values in Pip. Towards the end of the story when Pip visits Joe and his second wife Biddy, with their son named Pip, it is actually homecoming for Pip, now rich with experience. Dickens presents that great expectations, desires, and fancies, which are not meant for you can never give contentment in life. The root, the surroundings in which you are born, and the people around you are important. At the end of the story, Pip loses his wealth but gains an insight. Dickens warns us, warns the society, the reader, of the mysterious forces that shape our life unknown to us. We live in a society dominated by love, hate, guilt, fear, fate and chance. The world comprises of villains like Compeyson and Orlick; there are hypocrites and bores like Mrs. Joe and Pumblechook. There are also kind and virtuous characters like Magwitch and Herbert Pocket and saintly characters like Joe and Biddy (Wide Reading). We have to live with all these traits (characters) and if we can do so with no expectations, the result is tranquility and inner peace. The only expectation in the entire book that has been met is the union of Pip and Estella ‘after having been separated by marriage, time, children, and Pips self-imposed isolation’ (Zoe Ripple 2004). They make no pretenses when they meet at Miss Havisham’s home for the last time. ‘I am greatly changed,’ says Estella to Pip and Pip admits, ‘I have been bent and broken, but -- I hope -- into a better shape.’ While this novel is an examination of the Victorian society, it is timeless. The title of the book, Great Expectations, is a reflection of the time and place in which it was written. The disempowered society was alienated then but Dickens gave them a voice. He penetrates deep into the minds of the working class who craved to lead a consumerist life. He also highlights the implications of their expectations through Pip. He highlights the influence that money can have at every social level. Each part of the book takes us a step further, tells us of the development that takes place within Pip. With great expectations Pip had ventured out into the world with the thoughts, ‘the world lay spread before me’ only to realize the truth of his own character and how he was corrupted by ambition and wealth. References: Smith Lauren (2004), Hard Knocks in Great Expectations, URL:< http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/ge/smith3.html> accessed 15 Nov 2005 Douglas (2005), URL< http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16831040&postID=112798849423384157> accessed 15 Nov 2005 Duke Moses (2005), URL< http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16831040&postID=112798849423384157> accessed 15 Nov 2005 Wide Reading - advanced comparative literature study URL:< http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/prose/wideread.htm> accessed 13th Nov 2005 Franco F. Anthony, Familial Relationships in Great Expectations: The Search for Identity, URL:< http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1986/1/86.01.03.x.html> accessed 13th Nov 2005 Farell Timothy, Separate Spheres: Victorian Constructions of Gender in Great Expectations, URL:< http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/ge/farrell2.html> accessed 13th Nov 2005 Zoe Ripple (2004), New Life, Old Love in Charles Dickens Great Expectations, URL:< http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/ge/ripple17.html> accessed 15 Nov 2005 Read More