Great Expectations
Tuesday, May 6th, 2008
Thank you Amazon for the image
“Also, when we played at cards Miss Havisham would look on, with a miserly relish of Estella’s moods, whatever they were. And sometimes, when her moods were so many and so contradictory of one another that I was puzzled what to say or do, Miss Havisham would embrace her with lavish fondness, murmuring something in her ear that sounded like, “Break their hearts my pride and hope, break their hearts and have no mercy!”
I know you must have read Great Expectations in high school, but honestly do you have a firm recollection of it. The truth is you probably don’t.
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens hefty classic - is about the cleansing process of human suffering, redemption, the consequences of living a material life, and the loyalty of family bonds. Dickens also includes some memorable characters in this gothic style novel. Most notably Mrs. Havisham: who suffers from a broken heart and lives in mostly darkness among her ruined wedding gown.
Pip grows up in a small English village, an orphan who is raised by the abusive hand of his older sister. Pip also lives with Joe - a forger with a kind heart and gentle spirit. Fate introduces Pip to the beautiful Estella (adopted daughter of the strange and damaged Mrs. Havisham) whose comment about Pip being a commoner changes his world view and sets him upon a destructive path. When Pip one day receives a gift of a large sum of money from an unknown benefactor, he follows a course of misguided expectations and dark mysteries.
I find in fast-paced America, it is rare to see anyone reading anything if it isn’t the latest, hippest book (we all remember the “Da Vinci Code” phenomenon). Most children and young adults are lost in their own worlds, preferring to listen to their iPods. But for those of us who are sick of new technology and want to revert back to simpler times, “Great Expectations” is a heart-breaking story with all the right elements: romance, personal growth, mystery and outrageous characters. It’s not just a classic because it’s an old book; it’s a classic because it really is so darn good.
Happy Reading
Sarah