PLOT STRUCTURE ANALYSIS
Charles
Dickens is said to have explored a new ground in his novel, Great
Expectations. The theme of self-knowledge explored in the novel expresses
in part Dickens’ own search for a sense of self. May readers and historians
have suggested that Pip has a touch of Dickens in him, making the fictional
book feel almost autobiographical.
Structurally,
the novel is a narration by a mature and retrospective Pip. It is divided into
three distinct “stages,” each labeled as a specific “stage of Pip’s
expectations.” In chronological fashion, these chapters trace Pip’s progress
from industrious obscurity as a child through willful idleness as an adolescent
and young adult, to a resigned and modest acceptance of his true place in
society. This is an obvious variation on the picaresque theme and carries with
it many of the significant overtones of earlier picaresque novels.
The
first stage introduces all the major characters and sets the plot in motion.
Pip’s situation is developed fully, including the first seeds of his desire to
be “uncommon.” It leads to the revelation by Mr. Jaggers,
the lawyer, that Pip is to inherit a huge fortune and become a gentleman. It is
something Pip considers as miraculous, though mysterious, as his patron’s
identity is not to be revealed for the time being. Mr. Jaggers only imparts to
him that his benefactor
has great expectations from him and so with the support of his anonymous
provider, Pip’s expectations of himself also rise, and the action shifts to
London.
The
second stage of Pip’s expectations, therefore, has a change of setting. In this
section, Pip’s development into a “gentleman” is explored. It describes the
spendthrift and idle way Pip squanders
wealth and what kind of person he has become. On the surface of things, Pip
believes that he is living up to his great expectations.
He also expects to have Estella’s hand in marriage. But this stage of his
expectations is brutally shattered when Magwitch discloses his identity to Pip.
The
third stage of Pip’s expectations explores the complete collapse of Pip’s great
expectations, which are replaced by a more mature sense of life and
respectability. This section primarily constitutes his transformation, which
has been at the heart of the novel. Such a pattern of growth, development and
re-education reflects the Bildungsroman tradition of Great
Expectations.
The
novel, though divided into these three stages, is further divided into episodic
chapters due to the publication of the novel serially. Each chapter must
necessarily have a complete movement as well as some sort of trigger that will
induce the reader to buy the magazine the following week in order to see what
will happen next.
THEMES - THEME ANALYSIS
Pip’s
great expectations are a dramatized exploration of human growth and the
pressures that distort the potential of an ordinary individual, especially in
the process of growing up. Pip is a simple blacksmith’s boy who aspires to
cross social boundaries when he realizes his own upbringing is common; however,
he has no means to change. Mysteriously, he is given the means, but wealth only
brings with it idleness. He learns that happiness in life can be achieved only
by hard work and that great expectations not grounded in reality can only lead
to tragedy and heartache.
Part of
this theme is an exploration of the dignity of labor. Pip initially feels ashamed
to associate himself with Joe but later realizes that hard work brings honor to
a man. As for honor, Pip realizes the importance of traits like loyalty and
kindness, and eventually understands that no amount of money can make up for
the lack of those traits. Supplementary to this theme is the sharp
juxtaposition of appearance and reality, as well as the traditional notion that
pride comes before a fall. Pip learns valuable lessons from his misguided
assumptions. And his pride causes him to do things he is later ashamed of. A
final thematic consideration is the belief that goodness is always able to
supplant evil, even in characters like Miss Havisham. Mrs. Joe, Magwitch,
Estella, and Pip are further examples of characters whose inherent goodness is
apparent despite their wrongdoings.
Essentially,
it is a novel about contentment and humility, as well as honor. The thematic
notion of great expectations touches on every aspect of common emotions like
pride, ambition, envy, greed, and arrogance. The lesson Pip learns is that one
should never presume he is better than another. As Joe tells him, it is far
better to be uncommon on the inside than the outside. A person’s possessions do
not matter as much as a person’s actions.
AUTHOR'S STYLE
Dickens
has shaped Great Expectations on the lines of the Bildungsroman genre,
which closely follows the inner growth of a protagonist from his childhood to
middle age. In many respects, it contains themes and emotions directly related
to the author’s experience. However, the fictional nature of the story allows
Pip to relate incidents and events that are similar to sensitive spots in
Dickens’ own life without becoming too deeply involved in the narration
himself. For instance, the description of Pip’s childhood has some affinity
with Dickens own life. Also, Estella seems directly inspired from Maria
Beadwell, a lady whom Dickens loved; Beadwell snubbed him coldly because of his
low social status.
Great
Expectations boasts a carefully designed structure in three emergent
stages. The simplicity of childhood memories in stage one is reflected in the
generally direct narrative style. In contrast, the texture of stage three is
much more complex, because as the action accelerates, substantial information
about the histories of Magwitch, Compeyson, Miss Havisham and Estella are
revealed.
Great
Expectations is a rich text illustrative of Dickens’ gift for realistic and
dramatic speech. The author carefully studied the mannerisms of people and
reported them in the depictions of his characters. Joe is a good example. The
speech patterns he uses characterize him well and endear him to the reader much
more than mere incidents or descriptions that describe him to be soft hearted.
A novel
with a vast range of subject and incident like that in Great Expectations has
to be written carefully, paying great attention to unity and detail. Of all
Dickens’ works, this one is generally thought to be the best. The fine tapestry
of the novel is woven with vivid scenes of London as well as misty
recollections of the marshlands. The haunted stagnancy of Satis House is an
ever-present character in and of itself. In the midst of all this graphic
description and palpable action, there is also an internal transformation
taking place, one in which Pip learns to appreciate his true self and position
in society. The varied texture of the novel in all these aspects sustains and
maintains the interest of the reader, highlighting the completely balanced
style of Dickens as a master craftsman.
