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Digvijay Pandya, Lovely Professional University Unit 16: Great Expectations: Characterization and Ending of the Play
Unit 16: Great Expectations: Notes
Characterization and Ending of the Play
CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
16.1 Great Expectations: Characterization
16.1.1 Analysis of Major Characters
16.2 Great Expectations: Style and Themes
16.2.1 Themes - Theme Analysis
16.2.2 Ambition and Self-Improvement
16.2.3 Social Class
16.2.4 Crime, Guilt, and Innocence
16.2.5 Style of Great Expectations
16.3 Summary
16.4 Keywords
16.5 Review Questions
16.6 Further Readings
Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:
• Explain major characters of great expectations
• Discuss ambition and self-improvement
• Explain style and themes of great expectations.
Introduction
Great Expectations is written in first person and uses language and grammar that has, since
the publication of Great Expectations, fallen out of common use. The title Great Expectations
refers to the ‘Great Expectations’ Pip has of coming into his benefactor’s property upon his
disclosure to him and achieving his intended role as a gentleman at that time. Great Expectations
is a bildungsroman, a novel depicting growth and personal development, in this case, of Pip.
Some of the major themes of Great Expectations are crime, social class, empire and ambition.
From an early age, Pip feels guilt; he is also afraid that someone will find out about his crime
and arrest him. The theme of crime comes in to even greater effect when Pip discovers that
his benefactor is in fact a convict. Pip has an internal struggle with his conscience throughout
the book. Great Expectations explores the different social classes of the Georgian era. Throughout
the book, Pip becomes involved with a broad range of classes, from criminals like Magwitch
to the extremely rich like Miss Havisham. Pip has great ambition, as demonstrated constantly
in the book.
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