"Great Expectations" has been considered to be one of Charles Dickens’ most mature and relatively late works. Having experienced a wealth of human life, Dickens got a profound understanding of human-being, the surrounding environment and his life experiences while all his mature thinking and understanding were summarized into the book "Great Expectations". The original meaning of the work’s title in fact is a heritage, but when it was translated into Chinese it gave me an impression that the title shows the hero of the story had Great Expectations. However, reading over the book I realized that this "Great Expectations" takes an ironic band——it should be said that the theme of this work not only told the story of orphan Pip who wanted to be the ideal first-class disillusionment.
If one does think so, he holds a wrong understanding of the great significance why Dickens creative the work. The hero Pip lived with his sister’s family. Though their life was hard, Pip didn’t wish to be a first-class person his vision was to be a blacksmith like his brother-in-law, his sister’s husband. The reason why he changed his mind and was eager to be a first-class person later was the changing of environment——he met Miss Harvisham, Estella and some other complex people. As we know one of Dickens's philosophy thoughts is environment takes a deep impact to humans’ ideological and the story expresses his view that different environment creates different people. In short, I think the work was not arbitrarily written, but was based on the 10 works before aggregating Dickens’ thoughts. What is more, Dickens had put his outlook on life, his views of philosophy and ethics into the great creation.
The story is divided into three phases of Pip's life expectations. The first "expectation" is allotted 19 chapters, and the other two 20 chapters each in the 59-chapter work. In some editions, the chapter numbering reverts to Chapter One in each expectation, but the original publication and most modern editions number the chapters consecutively from one to 59. At the end of chapters 19 and 39, readers are formally notified that they have reached the conclusion of a phase of Pip's expectations.
In the first expectation, Pip lives a humble existence with his ill-tempered older sister and her strong but gentle husband, Joe Gargery. Pip is satisfied with this life and his warm friends until he is hired by Miss Havisham and Estella.From that time on, Pip aspires to leave behind his simple life and be a gentleman. This life is suddenly turned upside down when he is visited by a London attorney, Mr. Jaggers
The second stage of Pip's expectations has Pip in London, learning the details of being a gentlemen, having tutors, fine clothing, and joining cultured society. At the end of this stage, Pip is introduced to his benefactor, again changing his world.
