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Great Expectations Book Review

Great Expectations is a novel by Charles Dickens published in 1861. It is regarded as one of his greatest works and for many valid reasons.

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“Ask no questions,

and you’ll be told no lies“

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The novel follows the life of its protagonist Pip as he goes from childhood to adulthood all the while meeting and having complex relationships with various different characters and chasing the titular improvements for himself on moral, social and educational grounds. It’s a bildungsroman (coming of age story) that isn’t quite as great to me as his ‘Oliver Twist’ was, but I hugely respect this work for its thematic resonance and Dickens’ usual knack at characterization and storytelling.

Its title refers to the protagonist’s endless strive to self-improve morally, socially and educationally. Ambition is a huge theme in this novel and what it means to improve in all these areas. Dickens undervalued the importance of education and how much that means in differentiating you from those who are less educated, but I wholeheartedly agree with his viewpoint that social standing isn’t and should never be viewed as important. He argues that improvement on moral grounds is crucial in making your life and the lives of those around you healthier and happier.

Dickens also argues that social class should not be equated with morality as exemplified by the richest characters in this book being often the most immoral ones. He also proposes that a humbler life in the countryside has the potential to be the better alternative to the urban life with revered social status, which I found to be a wonderful message that still rings true to this day. Dickens also cleverly pinpointed how difficult it is to mobilize between the classes, though it was certainly possible even back in 19^th century England. The novel also explores the criminal justice system and how ultimately your inner morality is more important than any laws.

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One aspect of this work that represents the biggest accomplishment in Dickens’ writing in general is his knack at creating timeless characters who are instantly iconic and so incredibly well developed. The characterization in this book ranks among the author’s best. Pip is far from your bland hero out there. In fact, he is quite sophisticated and complex as a character to the point that he felt genuinely real and thoroughly believable.

Pip striving so hard to improve himself in the aforementioned areas made him at least somewhat relatable to most readers, but how he treated his closest friends and family while on that path made him rather unsympathetic as well. He is, thus, a very complicated figure that is not entirely positive in his traits, but ultimately him trying to improve morally and being so self-conscious led to him improving his fraught relationships with others, which redeemed him as a hero.

What is particularly impressive about Pip is how the novel is told in first person. Pip is the narrator, but he narrates the novel and his own life while being a much older adult, which led to a very intriguing experiment in storytelling and humor. While narrating, he also made fun of himself for his previously exhibited naivety, which was both comedic and universally relatable as we have all experienced feeling shame at remembering our stupid actions from our immature pasts. It’s a brilliant structure that really worked.

Joe as Pip’s best friend acted as the opposite of him – impoverished and far from smart, but positively humble and so kind-hearted. He was the father figure to Pip and their relationship was the real heart of this novel. Biddy was also such a wonderful human being, and both of them represented the best of humanity, which made their eventual coupling very much deserved.

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There are other characters in Great Expectations that were far from fully developed and the second half had that issue that Dickens novels usually suffer from – having too many characters and numerous plot twists about somebody’s heritage that felt too soapy and difficult to buy entirely. This is why this section of the novel dragged for me and it even made me lose interest at times, thus significantly hampering what was otherwise a book that left a strong effect on me. Compeyson as the only true villain was solid, but hardly developed while Dodge, Jaggers and Startop were all significantly underutilized and ultimately not essential to the overall narrative.

Miss Havisham and Estella are, on the other hand, incredible. They are along with Pip and Joe iconic creations that stood the test of time and are still unforgettable to this day. Estella as this very cold, calculated girl who eventually changes for the better was so well developed and her tragic story mirrored Pip’s deftly. Their dynamic was phenomenally established and the novel showcased just to what extent men would go to prove themselves to the women who are in some way, shape or form superior to themselves. Miss Havisham was even more memorable as this bitter old woman who lost a lot during her younger years, thus becoming close to a villain. The fact that all of these main characters got a great backstory made the novel richly textured and epic. Havisham was over-the-top for sure, but undeniably the most delightfully imagined and memorable character in a book full of great creations.

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The novel functions mainly as a coming-of-age story, but that is only one of its genres. It is also a social comedy as most books from this author are while also being a dark tragedy and a definite Gothic tale in its depiction of Havisham and her house. I loved those elements so much that I wished that Dickens focused more on them. His dialogue, descriptions and diverse tone is as superb as always, but the overemphasis on crime elements in the second half robbed it of a lot of its momentum as I am personally not a fan of that genre and I found the twists and turns overwhelming. But the ending was brilliant and wholly satisfactory, which matters most for these epic novels.