Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations follows the life of Pip as he rises from an impoverished childhood to a wealthy adulthood. The story explores how money influences one's character and social identity. Pip is a blacksmith's apprentice from a small village but receives a mysterious benefactor that fulfills his dreams of becoming a wealthy gentleman in London. However, he later discovers an unexpected truth about his benefactor that causes inner turmoil. The setting shifts between Pip's village described as "flat and low" and his disillusioning experience of London as "ugly, crooked, narrow, and dirty."

1. GREAT EXPECTATIONS
A NOVEL BY CHARLES DICKENS (PRESENTED BY NQOBILE NKOSI)

2. AUTHOR
• Charles Dickens was Born(1812 - 1870) in the Victorian
age , in Portsmouth, England.
• Charles Dickens was an established English writer, who
challenged social stereotypes through literature.
• His literature work was influenced by his personal life
experiences.
• He has written books such as: A Christmas Carol, Oliver
Twist, David Copperfield, A tale of two cities, Great
Expectations.

3. PLOT OVERVIEW
• Great Expectations is a story centred on a character ,called Pip. The
storyline shares Pip’s life endeavours ,from an underprivileged
childhood and progressing to a wealthy adulthood.
• In this novel ,Charles Dickens explores the influence money has on a
person’s character, lifestyle and social identity.
• Pip is initially a blacksmith's intern in a small farmland . He fortunately
wins a ticket out of poverty from an anonymous sponsor who fulfils his
“great expectations”. Pip later migrates to the city of London and
upgrades his social class. His misconception of the identity of the
anonymous benefactor catches up on him as he discovers the
‘unexpected’ truth ‘that will later contribute to his inner turmoil.

4. CHARACTERISATION
• Pip (Philip Pirrip): The protagonist and storyteller of Great Expectations.
• Estella:Miss Havisham’s gorgeous adopted daughter, Estella is Pip’s
impossible fantasy, whom he dearly loves in the novel.
• Magwitch:A terrifying criminal, who escapes from jail at the beginning of the
story and horrifies Pip in the cemetery.
• Miss Havisham:A wealthy, bizarre old woman who lives in a mansion called
Sati's House near Pip’s village. She is a lunatic obsessed with her wedding day
and relives this event ritualistically, daily in its explicit details(dress code,
catering ,theme, setting etc.).
• Joe Gargery:Pip’s brother-in-law, a blacksmith, Mrs. Joe’s husband and has
great love for Pip.

5. THEMES

6. SETTING

7. SETTING
• Great Expectations is set in nineteenth-century England, primarily in London and the village area , where Pip grows up.
The settings are described through Pip’s lenses , and they explore his disappointment and his optimism.
• As Pip grows gradually dissatisfied with his lifestyle at home and the environment being “all coarse and common,” he
grows restless and uncomfortable with the village and its people. He describes the village and its people as “how flat and
low both were”, creating a very mediocre imagery in his description.
• Regardless of Pip’s blissful and aspiring hopes for London, he arrives to a disappointing in the city and describes it as
“rather ugly, crooked, narrow, and dirty.” As of result of Pip’s quest for his “great expectations,” he fails to grasp the
value or meaning of any of the places he visits.
• At the end of the novel, Pip goes back to his village , humbled and desiring reconciliation with Joe and Biddy, he
establishes a new soulful and precious reality of the place and describes it as “the June weather was delicious. The sky
was blue… I thought the countryside more beautiful and peaceful by far than I had ever known it to be yet.”

8. SUMMARY
VIDEOS
• https://youtu.be/5Ei-Dd8klZ0
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH-nXAFdLAc

9. REFERENCE LIST :
• Carolina00MM.(2012)A little summery of the book "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens .A PowerPoint presentation published in
Education(Oct 4, 2012).Available at https://www.slideshare.net/Carolina00MM/great-expectations-14595636 (Accessed 19 August 2020)
• Kate Ahern.(2011) Great Expectations . A slideshow to accompany the Rett Educators Conference Call, published in Education, Technology,
Health & Medicine(Oct 24,2011). Available at https://www.slideshare.net/teechkidz/great-expectations-9865229 (Accessed 19 August 2019)
• Grogan, B.(2019) lecture slides 1,2 on the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, University of Johannesburg. An awesome
PowerPoint presentation.
• Summary videos: Ahmed Pain(2012), Cima Club Com Great Expectations 2012 BRRip 720p mkv1.Movie available at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH-nXAFdLAc.Course Hero(2016) Great Expectations by Charles Dickens | Summary & Analysis. Available
at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ei-Dd8klZ0&t=323s