Summary
Great Expectations is one of the most celebrated novels by the great 19th-century English author and champion of social reform, Charles Dickens. Published in 1861, the novel is a bildungsroman, following the coming of age of an ambitious orphan nicknamed Pip, with elements of crime fiction and Gothic melodrama. Along with its vivid imagery—from squalor and poverty to prison ships and chains to fights to the death—Great Expectations is known for its colorful cast of characters who have entered popular culture. These include the eccentric, reclusive Miss Havisham, the beautiful but cold Estella, and the humble, kind blacksmith, Joe Gargery. Though firmly set in Victorian England, Great Expectation explores timeless themes such as the toll of poverty and the power of wealth, the desire for love and the pain of rejection, and moral quandaries that blur the lines between good and evil.
Plot
Great Expectations opens on Christmas Eve 1812 with seven-year-old Pip. The scene is a graveyard. An orphan, Pip lives with his hot-tempered sister and her kindhearted, hardworking blacksmith husband, Joe Gargery. While visiting the graves of his parents, Pip encounters an escaped convict who threatens to kill the young boy unless he brings back food and tools. This sets in motion a series of events that changes the trajectory of Pip’s life.
Several years later, Pip is taken under the wing of Miss Havisham, a wealthy, eccentric, and reclusive spinster who lives in a dilapidated house and, still traumatized by being jilted at the altar decades past, wears her tattered old wedding dress. Miss Havisham arranges to have Pip educated and groomed as a gentleman to be a companion for her adopted daughter, Estella. Pip adores Estella, who, sadly, disdains and rejects him. Pip's life takes a fortunate turn when he receives a substantial sum of money from an anonymous benefactor, allowing him to pursue his "great expectations" of becoming a gentleman and winning Estella's heart.
As Pip moves to London and immerses himself in the life of a gentleman, he gradually realizes that his benefactor is not who he expected. His mysterious patron turns out to be the convict he aided years ago, Abel Magwitch, who made his fortune in Australia and secretly arranged for Pip's education and upbringing. Pip is torn between his newfound gentility and his loyalty to Magwitch, a criminal in the eyes of society. The novel explores Pip's moral growth as he navigates the complexities of wealth, social class, and the true meaning of being a gentleman.
Themes
• The contrast between wealth and poverty
• The importance of friendship and love
• Crime and redemption
• The pursuit of kindness and social advancement
• The sense of guilt and social exclusion
• The psychological toll of abuse and betrayal
• Disappointed expectations and ambitions
Setting
Great Expectations is set primarily in the early to mid-19th century, during the early reign of Queen Victoria. The opening scenes take place in the marshes of Kent, near the village where the orphaned Pip lives with his harsh older sister and her kindly blacksmith husband, Joe Gargery. The isolated marshes and the nearby prison ships and hulks create an appropriately grim and oppressive atmosphere for Pip's impoverished childhood.
As Pip's expectations rise and his prospects improve, the setting shifts to London and its stark contrast with the Kent marshes. The novel vividly depicts the gritty, fog-shrouded streets and alleys of 19th-century London as Pip attempts to become a gentleman among the unfamiliar upper classes. Wemmick's home, a small castle in Walworth, provides some refuge from the crowded city.
An important locale is the decaying Satis House, the Gothic residence in Kent of the eccentric Miss Havisham. With its stopped clocks, untended cobwebs, and overgrown brewery grounds, Satis House represents the lingering effects of Miss Havisham's trauma from being jilted at the altar decades before.
Characters
• Pip (Philip Pirrip): The protagonist and narrator, an orphan raised by his abusive sister and her kind husband, Joe Gargery.
• Joe Gargery: Pip's kindhearted brother-in-law, a blacksmith who is Pip's first father figure.
• Mrs. Joe Gargery (Georgiana Maria): Pip's ill-tempered, raging sister who brings him up after their parents' death.
• Miss Havisham: A wealthy, eccentric woman who lives in the dilapidated Satis House. Traumatized by being jilted at the altar years ago, she wears her old wedding dress.
• Estella: Miss Havisham's adopted daughter, who treats Pip with disdain though he loves her.
• Abel Magwitch: An escaped convict who later becomes Pip's secret benefactor.
• Mr. Jaggers: A prominent lawyer who represents Pip's benefactor and Miss Havisham.
• Wemmick: Jaggers's clerk who becomes Pip's go-between with Jaggers.
• Herbert Pocket: The son of Miss Havisham's cousin, who becomes Pip's friend and roommate in London.
• Molly: Jaggers's maidservant, a former convict who is revealed to be Estella's mother.
• Compeyson: A convict who was Miss Havisham's fiancé and defrauded her. He is also Magwitch's enemy.
• Biddy: Pip's kind teacher, who opens her own school and later marries Joe Gargery.
• Orlick: A journeyman blacksmith who ends up as the story's main antagonist, attacking Mrs. Joe and trying to kill Pip.
• Bentley Drummle: A coarse, unintelligent young heir who becomes Estella's husband.
Quick facts
• Great Expectations was initially published in weekly installments between December 1860 and August 1861 in Dickens's periodical All the Year Round.
• Charles Dickens revised the ending of the novel after noted novelist and literary critic Edward Bulwer-Lytton suggested making it more upbeat.
• Great Expectations incorporates elements of crime fiction and Gothic melodrama within a classic coming-of-age story.
• The main character, Pip, is an orphan whose real name is Philip Pirrip.
• The novel explores themes of social class, wealth, love, and moral redemption.
• Miss Havisham, described in the novel as an “immensely rich and grim lady” who refuses to take off her decaying wedding gown, is one of Dickens’s most fascinating and frequently analyzed characters.
• Pip's benefactor turns out to be the convict Abel Magwitch, whom he helped as a child.
• Great Expectations has been adapted numerous times for the stage and screen. Notable film versions include David Lean’s 1946 Academy Award-winning classic and a 1999 BBC2 movie with Charlotte Rampling as Miss Havisham.
• In 2003, Great Expectations was ranked 17th on the BBC's "The Big Read" poll of the UK's best-loved novels.
About the author
Charles Dickens (1812-1858) was one of the most popular and influential English novelists of the Victorian era. He began his career as a journalist before achieving fame with his first novel, The Pickwick Papers, in 1837. He went on to write numerous beloved and acclaimed classics including Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, and Bleak House. Dickens's vivid characters, intricate plots, and sharp social commentary made him immensely popular with readers across class lines during his lifetime.
Born in Portsmouth, England, Dickens endured a difficult childhood that included working in a factory at age 12 when his father was imprisoned for debt. His early experiences profoundly influenced his writing. A master of serialized fiction, Dickens would publish most of his major novels in monthly or weekly installments, building suspense with cliffhanger endings that kept Victorian readers eagerly awaiting the next chapter. His writing style was marked by a flair for caricature, flights of fancy, and sentimental scenes juxtaposed with harsh social realities. Through his fiction, Dickens powerfully depicted the ills of Victorian society and championed social reform.
Beyond his literary output, Dickens was a tireless performer who captivated audiences with dramatic readings from his works. He undertook numerous reading tours in Britain and America that further cemented his fame. Dickens died at age 58, leaving his final novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, unfinished.
