Great Expectations is the story of Pip, an orphan boy adopted by a blacksmith's family, who has good luck and great expectations, and then loses both his luck and his expectations. Through this rise and fall, however, Pip learns how to find happiness. He learns the meaning of friendship and the meaning of love and, of course, becomes a better person for it. Pip¡¯s life changes when he is brought to Miss Havisham's place, a mansion called the "Satis House," where sunshine never enters. He meets a girl about his age, Estella, whom he instantly falls in love with. However, it turns out that Miss Havisham adopted Estella and raised her to wreak revenge on the male gender by making them fall in love with her, and then breaking their hearts. Pip feels the difference in social status between Estella and himself and is ashamed of his home and his trade; he wants to be a part of the upper class. Years past, supported with an unknown sponsor, Pip lived a wealthy life in the big city away from his home. When he finally returns, he finds out that Estella is soon to be married, and his secret sponsor is a convict that he helped once. Through out his journey of life, Pip realizes that wealth and class are less important than affection, loyalty, and inner worth.
             Personally, I enjoyed reading Hard Times. I think it did a great job in conveying its themes and motifs. The large gap between the rich and poor during the industrial times of Victorian England was emphasized in the novel and suspenseful subplots helped to capture my interest throughout. Throughout Great Expectations, Dickens explores the class system of Victorian England, ranging from the most wretched criminals to the very rich. The moral theme of Great Expectations is quite simple: affection, loyalty, and conscience are more important than social advancement, wealth, and class. Great Expectations is a story that the public can relate to because at some po
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