Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations Essay

Charles Dickenss Great Expectations is the coming-of-age story of Philip Pirrip, better known as polish off. The story presents the increment and growth of billet as he becomes an adult. During the novel, the characters seem to have discommode communicating with each other. Be exertion of the characters interest in solely themselves, especially bourgeon, messages, several(prenominal) important and some non, are delayed or non standard at all. According to G. K. Chesterton (1911/1996) in his article The Characters in Great Expectations, disdain the novels title, expectations were never realized.This statement could be interpreted as expectations were never realized because of the communication problems between the characters. The characters never seem to depict what they privation to key one another. Messages are misinterpreted, and some messages are never h atrial auricled. For example, Pip had love Estella from the first cartridge holder he met her. Toward the end of t he novel, he finally told her so, but she did not reciprocate his love for her. She replied instead that she never misled him into thinking she felt the same way about him that he did for her. As a result, Pip was larntbroken (Dickens, 1861/1998).Pip only believed what he cute to believe, and saw what he wanted to see. This was evident when he dismissed her cold-hearted personality. She try to tell him that she did not love him, but he would not listen. Pip turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to Estella until he was ready to profess his love for her. Perhaps he was undimmed that, one day, she would love him as much as he loved her. Pip refused to see that Estella did not love him he instead chose to aroma at the world through rose-colored glasses. This was not the only time in the novel when Pip had trouble communicating with another character. archeozoic in the story, Pip is reunited with Magwitch. Pip wanted Magwitch to know that he did not turn Magwitch in to the police. Howev er, Magwitch is seemingly not interested in what Pip has to convey. Instead, Magwitch gives Pip a look that Pip cannot quite understand (Dickens, 1861/1998). Magwitch does not seem at all interested in Pips explanation. It was evident to Pip that Magwitch did not comprehend the message Pip was severe to get across to him. Many of the characters have facades (Harris, 2000). This could be a cause of the communication problem.For instance, Pip, when he became a gentleman, began to act how he though a gentleman should act. This led Pip to alienate Joe. Toward the middle of the story, Joe hollered Pip in London. Although the visit was awkward, Joe wanted to tell Pip about what was happening ass home. Joe was going to tell Pip that Wopsle became an actor. However, Pip did not listen. Instead, he was only interested in hearing that Estella wanted to see him. After Joe told him that Estelle did want to see him, Pip became friendlier and was then open to hearing what Joe had to say.Unfort unately, Joe ended their visit before Pip had a chance to change his behavior (Dickens, 1861/1998). Had Pip not been interested only in himself, Joe would have been able to tell Pip about Wopsle. Because Joe felt alter, Pip never heard the intelligence information about Wopsle. Perhaps if Pip had stopped thinking about his own, self-seeking needs for a few minutes, he would have been able to hear the news from Joe. On the road to adulthood, there are many times when miscommunication occurs. At the beginning of the story, Pip was an orphaned boy trying to identify his way. On his path to adulthood, he was misled.Paul Pickrel (1960/1999), editor of the Yale Review, likened Pips journey to adulthood to a fairy tale, with Joe and Jaggers as Pips guides, and Magwitch as the terrible ogre. Magwitch led Pip to try to become a gentleman Magwitch was the benefactor for one of Pips great expectations. bandage Pip was thinking he was being a gentleman, he alienated Joe, one of his guid es to adulthood. This alienation led to the miscommunication when Joe went to visit Pip in London. The ref follows Pip on his journey to adulthood from an innocent little boy to a man educated by experience.He is a fantasist he thinks he can have the best of both worlds (Pickrel, 1960/1999). Pip isolates himself, and in the process becomes a terrible snob. He cut himself off from the sight he loved, the people who loved him. At the end of the story, Pip returned to the forge. He was then informed that his sister has died and Joe married Biddy. Had he not been sucked into the allegory of his own life-time, Pip could have married Biddy. Pips life could have turned out much differently had he kept the lines of communication open with Joe.Miscommunication happens along the way, but Pip learned from those experiences, and he became a better man for it. Chesterton, G. K. (1911/1996). The Characters in Great Expectations. In Harold flush (ed. ), Charles Dickenss Great Expectations. Broomall, PA Chelsea House Publishers. 34. Dickens, Charles. (1861/1998). Great Expectations. novel York Barnes & Noble Books. 43, 216-217, 345. Harris, Robert. (2000). Notes for Great Expectations. Retrieved June 10, 2009, from Virtual Salt. http//www. virtualsalt. com/lit/greatexp. htm Pickrel, Paul. (1960/1999). Pips own(prenominal) Journey to Adulthood. In Lawrence Kappel (ed. ),