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Great Expectations | Study Guide

Charles Dickens

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Course Hero. "Great Expectations Study Guide." Course Hero. 27 Oct. 2016. Web. 1 June 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Great-Expectations/>.

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Course Hero. (2016, October 27). Great Expectations Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved June 1, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Great-Expectations/

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Course Hero. "Great Expectations Study Guide." October 27, 2016. Accessed June 1, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Great-Expectations/.

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Course Hero, "Great Expectations Study Guide," October 27, 2016, accessed June 1, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Great-Expectations/.

Great Expectations | Infographic

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Check out this Infographic to learn more about Charles Dickens's Great Expectations. Study visually with character maps, plot summaries, helpful context, and more.

great-expectations-charles-dickensGreat Expectationsby the NumbersFile Pip gives Magwich to remove his shackles; later helps reveal the benefactor's identity1Shillings per week Dickens earned working at a bootblacking factory~6Novels written by Dickens in first person: Great Expectations and David Copperfield2Time at which all the clocks at Miss Havisham's house are stuck in the novel8:40TearsRepresent honesty and heartfelt sympathiesMoneyRepresents pretense and disappointmentSymbolsSatis HouseSymbolizes the refusal to change and growEstellaMiss Havisham's ward; beautiful and aloofPipVillage boy aspiring to moreMiss HavishamRich, grim, secluded ladyMr. Jaggers & WemmickLondon lawyer and his clerkMagwitch/ProvisPip's "convict" and secret benefactorJoe GargeryPip's kindheartedbrother-in-law;a blacksmithMrs. GargeryPip's cruel older sisterMr. Jaggers, Chapter 40ake nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There's no better rule.CHARLES DICKENS1812–70AuthorOften considered the greatest novelist of the Victorian age, Dickens was a master of plot development, often writing of orphaned, oppressed, or confused children. In Great Expectations, Dickens’s characterization of Pip and other characters shows his humor and compassion for those in difficult circumstances.Set in the marshes of Kent and in the metropolis of London, Great Expectations tells of Pip, an innocent country boy who finds himself driven by fate to become a gentleman and fall in love with the enchanting Estella. In this first-person narrative, small events lead to consequences that test Pip's character.Innocence ThwartedUncertainty & DeceitMiss Havisham wrongfully tells Pip to love Estella; Pip misjudges his benefactor.GuiltPip's guilt leads him to redemption; Miss Havisham's and Estella's guilt causes shame.Social ClassPip's rise in rank exemplifies the differences between social classes and the desire to improve status.Charles Dickens1860–61EnglishNovel AuthorYears PublishedOriginal LanguageDrama THEMESGreat ExpectationsMain CharactersGO-BETWEENSPLAYTHINGGO-BETWEENSREPRESENTATIVESSIBLINGSMARRIEDFRIENDSBENEFACTORLOVES