Book Report

Plot summary paragraph:Pip is an orphan raised by her sister and his kind brother-in-law,Joe, who is a kind blacksmith and a close friend of Pip. He always protects pip from being beaten by his violent sister. One day, Pip meets the fugitive in the swamp. The fugitive threatens Pip with death and asks Pip to bring him food and a file. Fearing death, Pip steal food from his sister's kitchen and a file. The fugitive is able to survive from coldness and starvation, but he is soon arrested.Soon, the local rich woman Miss Havisham asks pip to come to her place and play with her adopted daughter, a beautiful, charming but arrogant girl, Miss Estella. Pip is soon fascinated by the young lady, but he feels inferiority in her arrogance and contempt attitude. These make him fall into the pain of his ordinary identity and lack of wealth. Yong pip begins to aspire to enter the upper class.With such inferiority, pain, and expectation of becoming a decent gentleman, Pip grows up day by day and become an apprentice of Joe with Miss Havisham’s help. At the same time, Estella goes to French. Then Pip’s sister is injured and wise Biddy comes to help.Suddenly one day, a lawyer comes to visit them and tells Pip that he has a huge fortune to inherit but he cannot be told who gives him such a fortune. Job guess it is Miss Havisham who gives him the chance to become a real gentleman and he becomes arrogant gradually to Biddy and Joe. Then Pip leaves his hometown for London. In London, Pip reconciles with Herbert who had fought with him and they become friends. Fortunately, they are spending more and more and taking on a lot of debt. Later, on a rainy night, Pip see the prisoner he had helped when he was a little boy. And the prisoner tells Pip he is the sponsor of Pip’s wealthy life. Pip is overwhelmed by panic and disgust. Pip and Herbert are afraid of revealing by others, so they secretly plan to send the criminal abroad. It is during this period that Pip learned all the truth: Magwitch is Estella’s farther. But their plan failures. Magwitch is caught and died in prison, and Pip fell ill. Pip gradually realize how absurd he had been before, and he recovered under Joe's care. In the end, Joe marry Biddy and Pip goes abroad to work with Herbert. Eleven years after, when Pip back to his hometown, he meets Miss Estella. She changes a lot and they will never be separated.Critical opinion paragraph:The plot at the beginning of the novel reminds me of the story in the book My Memories of Old Beijing. Both of them are stories of two children helping criminals but in My Memories of Old Beijing, the criminal thinks it is the little girl who exposed him but in Great Expectations, Magwitch chooses to believe Pip and even try to cultivate a real England gentleman. Though he regards Pip as a good work and achievement to show off, I can not deny that he is out of the attitude of returning Pip’s help. It is strange to represent a criminal’s kind part in his personage but I think that's part of the message the author wants to convey to readers in this novel: there is a warm side even though they are distinguishing figures.Different from Oliver Twist , which the ugliness and villain shown in this novel, there are more praiseworthy and positive characters in this novel. Joe, he is a vulgar illiterate, but treats Pip sincerely and kindly, and takes care of him when he is ill. Joe even paid off Pip’s debts, even though Pip does not care about him for a long time.;Biddy, she is wise and hard-working and she win her happiness by herself; Herbert, he is a sincere and tolerant friend, he helped Pip through many difficult times. So many positive characters appear in a novel that is tragedy, which is worthy of our attention. Their kindness help them get their well beings. Thus to be kind and to be a good person is the second piece of advice the story tells its readers.