Great Expectations
There are many common, familiar cliches about illusion versus truth. "All that glitters is not gold" and "Things are seldom what they seem" are the most universal hackneyed phrases, but they do not cover entirely every aspect of appearance versus reality. In Charles Dickens' novel, Great Expectations, there are several differences between the illusion and the truth. The appearance of certain things is often detrimental to the outcomes of characters when the reality of a situation is revealed. These illusions are revealed through Pip, a lower class boy caught in the struggle of the social classes of 19th century England. Throughout the book, Charles Dickens emphasizes the difference between appearance and reality through Pip's expectations of something better, social status, and settings in the book. The most important illusion Great Expectations is Pip's confident expectations of a better life. Pip began the book out poor, and was sent for to spend time every week with an upper-middle-class crazy woman and her heartless adopted daughter, Estella. From the moment he met Estella, he was in love with her. Later on in the book, he was provided with financial support from an un-named benefactor that should be used to go to London a
Havisham was his benefactress, Pip anticipated that Estella was meant for him. Pips expectations were thwarted because his actual dreams were shattered when the truth was revealed. In contrast, Biddy, an orphan maid, and Joe, Pip's brother in law, both maintain the appearance of lowly on the social classes of 19th century England. "Miss Havisham's intentions towards me, all a mere dream; Estella not designed for me. At his comfortable, castle-like home, Wemmick is very pleasant and cheerful. " (276) Magwich was sentenced to twice Compeyson's jail time. In one of Jaggers cases as a lawyer, he had to try a woman named Molly for a murder case. '" (257) Estella's true father is Magwich and true mother is a servant, but she is raised by a rich woman and is therefore upper-middle-class. She had adopted Estella, and had as good as adopted me, and it could not fail to be her intention to bring us together. In more than one instant in this novel, the outcomes of situations are often decided on the appearance of illusions versus the truth of reality. By birth, however, she is in the bottom of lower class. The reality of London was dreary and dismal, unlike the appearance of it from afar.
Common topics in this essay:
Pip Wemmick,
Magwich Compeyson,
Miss Havisham's,
Satis House,
Ms Havisham,
Expectations Pip's,
Compeyson Compeyson,
Wemmick Pip's,
Charles Dickens',
,
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19th century,
pip realizes,
19th century england,
century england,
social classes,
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illusion truth,
versus truth,
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social classes 19th,
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Acceptance Essays
