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The Unfulfilled Fairytale In Dickens’ Great Expectations

Uploaded by bdogg on Apr 25, 2007

The Unfulfilled Fairytale In Dickens’ Great Expectations

In some ways, Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations is a disappointing novel because its rags-to-riches story remains unfulfilled. The victory that Dickens secures in the novel however, is more important, as it captures the truth that fairytales are fantasy. Dickens gives Pip a chance to become more than he is, only to have him reverted back to the old Pip in order to covey a moral message about false expectations. Throughout the novel, Dickens makes a direct contrast between appearances and reality, through characterization and imagery, to illustrate the inevitable authority of reality over appearance.

Pip’s moral character undergoes many changes as he is given the chance to become what he believes is a gentleman. He picks up false values and goes along a path that appears to be noble but ends up ruining his character. He uses the money from his mysterious benefactor and indeed does make himself a “gentleman,” but is corrupted by it, becoming a snob who is ashamed of those who had taken care of him as a child.

Although Pip feels ashamed of his original position as a laborer with course hands, memories and connections to the forge continue to haunt him. These constant reminders illustrate the dominance of Pip’s true identity over his aspirations. For example, Magwitch, the convict he once felt compassion for as a child, causes him to suffer a great shock when he discovers that it is him and not Miss Havisham who has been financing him. Pip’s shame of his past, coupled with his inability to adequately escape it, demonstrates Dickens’ argument against people aspiring to be someone who they are not. Even though he may have been successful in appearing to be a gentleman of high society, ultimately, Pip was really just a doll being molded by Magwitch to be his “gentleman,” and by Miss Havisham, to be heart-broken by Estella.

It is only when Pip himself sees that he has been fooled by appearances, that he realizes the truth. He realizes that he has mistreated those who were truly dear to him and finally decides to return to the forge. He also returns to his compassionate self, and understands the true depth of the sacrifice that Magwitch has made for him. Pip is made to unlearn everything that he has learned in order to rediscover the importance of...

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Uploaded by:   bdogg

Date:   04/25/2007

Category:   Literature

Length:   4 pages (921 words)

Views:   6579

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