I pledge my soul to memorizing the day I finished my first Dickens. It took me a long time, and as a matter of fact I thought I was never going to read the entire thing. Not because I can’t but because I thought it was lame. Now that this is over; I feel victorious.
Completely out of my mind. Completely in touch with my emotions, I begin to understand the concept of the Bildungsroman. I begin to mature and ascertain myself as a woman. I believe I am in debt to third year of college to having my emotions mature to the level of acceptance. I was half insane, half blind, half corrupt with my liking for another existence. That was one year ago. Why is Great Expectations in any way related? That is because I am in awe to the universally acknowledged fact of having lost your wits over a mundane.
But that’s the reality of it. Mundane. Mundane is associated with something earthly rather than heavenly. Heavenly. Out of our worlds. Beyond expectations. Great expectations.
“I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.”
No more. I have been reshaped to a stronger, fiercer, brighter woman. My self loathe turned to self lust. My agony turned to absolute, outright freedom. My claim of a dramatic life, turned to claim for an intense future.
In a nutshell, I admire Great Expectations I’ve become acquainted with all its morals and all its ideas along the course of two/three months, thus leaving me with an expansion of words about it. I shall be brief yet concise.
Pip is born into a low class family, and orphan indeed, mistreated by his sister in a way, and one incident right at the beginning of the novel changes his destiny- that is if you’re a believer of destiny and fate. He meets a convict who asks (if you consider holding him upside down and threatening his life a form of ‘asking’) him for food and Pip feels pity towards him and gives him food the following day. You have to keep in mind that one day Pip was asked to go to Satis house and play in front of an old, creepy woman, but nonetheless, a rich, old, creepy woman. This woman asks him to play with a girl named Estella. Pip likes the heartless Estella and likes the notion of wealth along with it.
This notion of “wealth” is indeed the core of the novel. It is integrated with how the government and law are somewhat problematic. It is also fused with Pip’s strong emotions towards Estella that are somewhat psychotic, and finally it is blended with the idea of kindness that is put in sharp contrast to being aristocratic.
I beg Dickens to stop describing at times, but he is the master of words. He is the master of infinite images and symbols majestically put in sentences. I attribute my lack of interest to the fact that I have a deadline for reading it because of class…
Pip then is offered to be a gentleman and live in England. He then accepts the offer to fulfill his dream and to try and get the girls as well because wealth gets you any woman, right?
Well not Estella.
5- Led Zeppelin – Heartbreaker
Each character is uniquely built fort. Strategically built to touch on many themes including social class, loyalty, criminality, friendship, love, hypocrisy, maturity, and most importantly ambition.
My favorite character is definitely Miss. Havisham. She is a prototype and the events that take place are all because of the fire she initiated, or as a matter of fact was initiated on her.
It takes much intelligence to coalesce and merge all these stories into one plot, and Dickens has proficiently done it.
4- Fleetwood Mac – Go Your Own Way
You have to see that living with these characters make you understand and see the world in a way that builds this desire inside of you to take part in it by being more generous and more charitable. At least that’s how I felt.
The whole social class difference screams for attention in all societies and all ages. I began to notice that I, myself, create some sort of class distinction in my head, but this is based on the archetype that society inflicted on me. I try to enclose these ideas inside of my brain but i find them crawling at the back of my head. I’m grateful for them, however, because when these ideas exist, so my criticism for them is built on self experience not on some bullshit I heard someone say in the street or on TV or even in class. I get to form my own opinion about this subject matter.
Dickens inspired me to do the whole serialization thing because I keep imagining if people were cliffhangers which cliffhanger would they be.
I’ve done myself justice reading this. I understand that I am a more tolerant person. I am more focused. I remember last year when everything was falling to pieces and my life was a series of deaths and health issues, and I think to myself how developed my character is now. I’m another fort you may say. I hold within me a strong wall of which no one, no rumors, no harassments, no words, no friendships, no losses can break. I am well-defended.
Sometimes, I don’t want to remember, but then i forget that those are the things and these are the feelings that I should, and ought to always bear in mind.
I am protected. I am enriched.
And so is Pip.
I see the trivialities in the world and I see it’s solemness. I see the unending hypocrisy of people, and I see their innocence. I see the stereotypes, but I use Deconstruction. I’m sure Derrida would be proud.
I highly recommend reading this novel. It’s long and weary but I promise; it is worthy of all the time spent.
Here are my favorite quotes,
5- “Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before–more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.”
4- “I looked at the stars, and considered how awful it would be for a man to turn his face up to them as he froze to death, and see no help or pity in all the glittering multitude.”
3- “We changed again, and yet again, and it was now too late and too far to go back, and I went on. And the mists had all solemnly risen now, and the world lay spread before me.”
2- “And still I stood looking at the house, thinking how happy I should be if I lived there with her, and knowing that I never was happy with her, but always miserable.”
1- “Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but – I hope – into a better shape.”
Lastly, I know the romanticized love is overrated. I could not stand how arrogant she is yet he keeps on loving her. It is just similar to the notion of love at first sight, which I definitely do not associate with human beings.
One last song
(keep in mind this is Pip’s playlist for Estella)
1- Beth Hart – Caught up in the Rain
I hope I have put my words coherently and I hope I have done my reading experience justice.
Red spirited creatures 