Great Expectations

Pip, the protagonist and narrator of Great Expectations, is an orphan being raised by his overbearing sister and amiable brother-in-law in the marsh country of England. One evening, Pip unexpectedly meets an escaped prisoner in a cemetery and steals food and tools for him, which impresses the criminal. No longer after this, Pip is invited to visit Miss Havisham, who is a wealthy, eccentric and old spinster. He quickly falls in love with her adopted daughter, Estella. Confronted with the hostile and contemptuous girl, Pip dreams of becoming a wealthy gentleman so that he can be worthy of Estella. Coincidentally, a few years later, an anonymous donor provides Pip a large fortune and helps him to begin his education in the upper class in London. He happily accepted it and believes that his previous hopes have come true and mistakes Miss Havisham for the donor. In the glamourous urban world, Pip is influenced by the snobbery of the upper class and lived a life of extravagance and degeneration, and expresses disdain for his former friends and family. He makes friends with several young gentlemen, enjoying themselves and running up debts. To his surprise, his benefactor is revealed to be Abel Magwitch, the convict he encountered in the churchyard when he was a child. However, this time Magwitch is not a lucky dog any more, he was caught by the police. Pip cannot accept the curl reality, so he stops taking money from Magwitch, falling ill and facing arrest for debt. During this period, Joe nurses Pip back to health and pays off his debt secretly. A complicated mystery was solved when Pip discovers that Estella is raised and manipulated by Miss Havisham to break men’s heart, as a revenge for the pain her husband caused her. He is merely a tool for Estella to toy with. Pip carefully examines himself and decides to start from scratch. Many years later, he returning home and encountered the widowed Estella in the ruined garden, who is lonely and kind now. The two leave the garden hand in hand at last.