When I think of 'Great Expectations' I ask myself, "how great are your expectations?" I constantly dwell on my mistakes & often hard on myself even though there is only so much I can do. It has always been this way for me. I feel as if there is always someone looking over my shoulder judging my actions. I become self-conscious & start to believe that what I do is not good enough. That I have to attain the ideal level of "perfection" that is almost unreal. There is no room for mistakes or fun. Pip was under these impressions as well & they drove him to be ambitious & act a certain way.
Charles Dickens wrote Great Expectations to portray the struggle of an adolescent, Pip, throughout his his childhood into adulthood. Essentially a rags to riches story. Pip's character grows exponentially throughout the novel, making mistakes & learning from them.
Examples such as:
1. Ms. Havisham & Estella act as a foil to the growth of Pip's character. They oppressed him, make him lose self-esteem, & make him believe that since he is uneducated he is worthless.
2. Throughout the novel there is a conflict between the characters. Such as Pip's sister being killed by a convict that Pip had previously aided. Pip feels guilty that he could have been responsible for the death of his sister.
3. Pip is often misunderstood & this is evocative in a way that makes you sympathize with Pip. This feeling takes you back to when you were not treated fairly & often judged because of where you came from.
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