FREE ESSAY ON CHARLES DICKENS' GREAT EXPECTATIONS

CHARLES DICKENS' 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
and become a gentleman. Pip assumed that Ms. Havisham, Estella's adoptive mother, was the
benefactress. My dream was out; my wild fancy was surpassed by sober reality; Miss
Havisham was going to make my fortune on a grand scale. 
This was the reality that Pip had invented for himself, although it was really just a
misimpression that his mind had created for himself. Because he thought that Ms. Havisham
was his benefactress, Pip anticipated that Estella was meant for him. I was painting
brilliant pictures of her plans for me. She had adopted Estella, and had as good as
adopted me, and it could not fail to be her intention to bring us together.
She reserved it for me to restore the desolate house, admit the sunshine into the dark
rooms, set the clocks a-going and the cold hearths a-blazing, tear down the cobwebs,
destroy the vermin, -- in short, do all the shining deeds of the young knight of romance,
and marry the princess.... I had made up a rich attractive mystery, of which I was the
hero. This is a very obvious illusion of what Pip anticipates for the future. When the
reality of this illusion was revealed, Pip realizes the truth behind the appearance of
his false dreams. Miss Havisham's intentions towards me, all a mere dream; Estella not
designed for me. Pip realizes that he is not meant to be with Estella, and that the false
appearance of his expectations that he put out for himself were completely untrue. Before
he left for London, he thought that it was going to be grand, wonderful, and illustrious.
However, when he got there he was very under-impressed by the city. 
While I was scared by the immensity of London, I think I might have had some faint doubts
whether it was not rather ugly, crooked, narrow, and dirty. He had expected it to be the
world, the beginning of a new future, and the start of a new life. However, it did not
meet up with his anticipated expectations. The reality of London was dreary and dismal,
unlike the appearance of it from afar.
High social status seems to have a beautiful appearance, but the veracity of the class
system is not as good as it would seem. When Pip realizes that his true benefactor is an
escaped convict named Abel Magwich, he instantly does not want the money. Magwich's
intentions were to turn Pip into a gentleman through the use of his money because of a
hard lesson that Magwich learned. Magwich had been a poor man and had worked for a rich
man named Compeyson. Compeyson had the appearance of a gentleman. He set up fur a
gentleman, this Compeyson, and he'd been to a public boarding-school and had learning. He
was a smooth one to talk, and was a dab at the ways of gentlefolks. He was good-looking
too... but he'd no more heart than an iron file, he was as cold as death, and he had the
head of the devil afore mentioned.  Compeyson's appearance helped him in a case against
him and Magwich. Compeyson said a very divulging quote to Magwich: To judge from
appearances, you're out of luck In the trial, this was very evident. Although Compeyson
had been the worse of the two in their crime, Magwich noticed how heavy it all bore on
me, and how light on him...warn't it me as could only say, 'Gentleman, this man at my
side is a most precious rascal?' And when the verdict come, warn't it Compeyson as was
recommended to mercy on account of good character and bad company... Magwich was
sentenced to twice Compeyson's jail time. When Magwich spoke of Compeyson in front of
soldiers deciding their fate, he even stated that the appearance of a gentleman is often
confused with the truth. He's a gentleman, if you please, this villain. When told this, a
soldier said, You're not much to look at. He of course was judging by mien. In this
illusion of the social classes of society, one horrible, wealthy man is placed above a
good poor man because of the false appearance that the upper class is better. When
Estella found out that Pip had come into a vast fortune, she recommended that 'Since your
change of fortune and prospects, you have changed your companions.... And necessarily,'
she added in a haughty tone;' what was fit company for you once would be quite unfit
company for you now.' 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. By birth, however, she
is in the bottom of lower class. 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. However, they both have such wonderful personalities and great views on
life that in reality, they are better people than the upper class. 
Setting in Great Expectations was also an important contrast of illusion and the truth.
Pip grew up the beginning of his life in two places: the forge and Satis House. The forge
would normally have the appearance of being a dreary place, with fires blazing and the
shadow of it lingering everywhere. However, it was actually a place where love was taught
from all corners, and good morals were instructed. Satis house, the home of the
Havishams, seemed like it should have the appearance of an upper-class home: much more
comfortable and wonderful than a lower class home because of the money that the Havishams
possessed. Satis means enough and that whoever had this house could want nothing else.
The appearance that this house would be enough for the Havishams shows what kind of
people that they really are in reality. Satis house was of old brick, and dismal, and had
a great many iron bars to it. Some of the windows had been walled up; of those that
remained, all the lower were rustily barred. Satis house was not welcoming at all, and in
actuality it was very uncomfortable. Another contrast between truth and illusion is of
Walworth, Mr. Wemmick's home. Mr. Wemmick, Pip's coworker, has a slight case of multiple
personality disorder. In the office, he is like a machine. This appearance he puts forth
as an illusion of a hard working man while the truth is that he is very vivacious and
sprightly. 
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.
The mendacity of the characters and the settings in this book enforce that if one can
pursue reality, the truth can be found behind an illusion. Pips expectations were
thwarted because his actual dreams were shattered when the truth was revealed. The social
status of 19th century England was just a forefront to rate people by their financial and
economical advantages and disadvantages. In reality, social status does not mean that
those richer lead better lives. In actuality, the lower class is above the upper classes
because of the moral merit that they possess in comparison to those above them. The
settings in Great Expectations emphasize the differences between appearance and reality
in that illusions are not always the truth.