A side-note about “Great Expectations”
It’s been a while since I posted anything here, I know. I should have posted my biweekly reviews of papers from Chen’s computer security course, but I was just too preoccupied with the coursework. At some point I may revisit the papers or others here.
For now, I’ll content myself with a complete distraction. Just after Christmas, I decided to use my Friday off to read “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens, as it has been a long time since I’ve touched anything on my “Lifetime Reading List.” The aforementioned list I’ve cobbled together from a number of sources, but the bulk came from the teachers at South Lakes High School in Reston, Virginia. As a graduation present, they compiled a list of recommended books for their students, and I’ve carried it forward, with some modification, over the years since.
As it had been a while, I figured it might be a nice change to read something completely unrelated to my work or school, to refresh the spirit. Which I think was achieved. The book is typical Dickens in it’s esoteric vocabulary, but I tend to like that kind of reading material anyway. I was surprised at how I managed to get through high school and college without reading it though – I believe my curriculum must have substituted another of Dickens’ works in its stead.
Regardless, several things struck me. One was that the theme of spiders and being caught in a web pervades the entire story. The only twist I did not see coming was (to avoid spoiling the surprise) the identity of Estelle’s father. I confess I was a bit disappointed that the other relationships were rather transparent or less shocking [to me] (like the identity of Miss Havisham’s lover). On the whole, I found that I identified strongly with the protagonist, Pip, (if he can be thought of as one).
Having some first hand experience in the area of being “brought up by hand,” I though Dickens’ portrayal of him was very well done. Several aspects drive this opinion (as this is not a book report, I’ll spare the countless examples and just give a few). One was his guilt at hiding his theft as a child. His anticipation of being caught was stunning to me, I’ve felt that fear almost as if I had written those very words to describe it. The fact that he was so easily ensnared in Miss Havisham’s web of vengeance was also equally true to form. It seemed natural that he would find himself in love with another person that rejected him as he was, that would not love him (or was rather incapable of doing so). Most critical to me was his characteristic feeling of being trapped, even when he had means.
(Spoiler alert) I do think that the ending was was too saccharine. Dickens does not explicitly state that Pip and Estelle live happily ever after, but it is strongly inferred from Estelle’s change in demeanor. I found it utterly uncharacteristic of her, and unrealistic, and I think Dickens should not have sugar-coated the ending the way he did. Sure, he had Abel’s flight thwarted, and Miss Havisham consumed by fire (and loss of sanity [though one could argue she never had it as Pip knew her]), but to have Pip’s unrequited love come around was too soft, too feel-good. True reality (IME) is that the nice guy does not get the girl in the end, and fairy tales to the contrary are simply romantic idealism gone wild.
Despite my reservations about the ending, it was good to finally be acquainted with this old classic. It’s been sitting on my shelf, an old used, worn out paperback that I must have salvaged from Goodwill or somebody’s basement. Now that I’ve read it, I’ll have to get a quality copy – I will probably want to reread it, and the paperback (printed in the 70’s) has neared its end-of-life.
December 31st, 2008 at 7:12 pm
you should have mentioned that this bookwas based alot on his life and was semiautobiographical