Themes in Great Expectations Essay

Great Expectations

By Charles Dickens

Great Expectations is a never ending story, for almost anyone can relate to it in one way or another. Through the eyes of Pip, the reader embarks upon a journey in which life lessons are learned and adventures are lived.

Charles Dickens brings up many themes that end up being morals and in some instances can leave the reader pondering about life altogether. The story contains various themes all important to the story in different ways, yet at the same time they all connect with each other also. Themes such as ambition and self improvement, social class and family ties are all exposed in the story and they are all experienced through the life of a young boy.

One major theme developed in the book is one of ambition and self improvement, meaning Pip wanting to lead a better life and see what is out in the world other than being a blacksmith. It can be said that this theme is the base of the novel since it is what Pip bases his adventures on throughout the story. Pip is an interesting character to analyze. He is one who will strive for perfection and improvement when he sees the possibility to do so. For example, when he sees Satis house , the mansion of Miss Havisham, he desires to be a gentleman and have proper manners. It is from this theme that the title derives from, for Pip foresees great expectations in his future. He knows that good things will happen to him; however, it is up to him to go after them. He needs to chase them in order to obtain what he really wants. When he does finally achieve his great dream, Pip seems to snub Joe when he travels all the way to London to see him. However, Joe is quite understanding, and nevertheless still talks to this new man: Pip, dear old chap, life is made of ever so many partings welded together, as I may say, and one mans a blacksmith, and ones a whitesmith, and ones a goldsmith, and ones a coppersmith. Diwisions among such must come, and must be met as they come. While Pip is now a gentleman and leads his own life, this quotation is Joes way of showing his son that it wasnt his fault that their prior meeting in London was awkward and quite random. What Joe says is a metaphor explaining that some men end up as blacksmith like himself while some other men end up being goldsmiths , such as Pip. Basically, this is Joes way of calmly accepting the sudden change of life in Pips life and he shows maturity by not blaming Pip rather, he blames mankind and its nature in general.

Furthermore, in the movie adaptation directed by David Lean, he has clearly stayed close to the original piece of literature with everything except the theme of self improvement. As early as the opening scene, a young boy is caught by a convict and is traumatized by him as seen in the novel as well. Through the story, we see that Pip develops into a strong and focused man who knows what he wants in life. Still, in the movie version, it concentrates more on the love between Pip and Estella rather than his ambitious ways .He knows that many opportunities await him and he seeks out to get them even if it means leaving his family and whatever possession he had behind. However, the way he is shown to reach out for them isnt shown in the same insightful way as described by Dickens. One of the few examples displaying Pips seriousness of the matter is when he asks Mr.Pockett for his help in teaching him proper gentleman manners. But other aspects shown in the novel such as Pip wanting to read arent accentuated in Leans work. Nevertheless, in the movie, the director stayed true to Dickens work with the portrayal of the characters. Miss Havisham fit the part perfectly because it is how one would imagine her when reading the book: scary, old, strange. As for Estella, she seemed older in the movie but still kept the characteristics of a snobbish, mean girl. In addition, the actor cast to play Pip seemed to fit the part well because he wasnt the typical Hollywood type. He seemed more realistic which allowed the story to be more believable and not sound clich and fake.

Finally, the theme of self improvement is omnipresent throughout the entire novel and takes up a large part of it while the movie concentrates on other themes. Through the novel, self improvement is shown to be able to change ones life drastically. It brings a motivational feeling to the readers, allowing them to feel with Pip and root for him throughout the course of the story.

Seeing the movie has only proven one point: the book is better than the movie, simply because one creates an image of the characters, scenery, decors etc.

All in all, self improvement is a theme that was greatly important to the story and shouldve been analyzed more into depth in the movie.