book review

The title “Expectations” refers to “a legacy to come”, and thus announces that money, or more specially wealth plays an important role in the novel. When the money secretly provided by Magwitch enables Pip to enter London society, the theme wealth is introduced. Wealth is only acceptable to the ruling class if it comes from the labor of others. Miss Havisham's wealth comes from rent collected on properties she inherited from her father, a brewer. Her wealth is "pure", so the old lady enjoys public esteem. She is a representative of powerful landed aristocracies in the past. However, Magwitch’s wealth is socially unacceptable. Not only because that all his wealth is gathered through his hard work but also for the reason that he is a convict. Thus Magwitch's money smells of sweat, and his money is greasy and crumpled, “two fat sweltering one-pound notes that seemed to have been on terms of the warmest intimacy with all the cattle market in the country”. When Pip finds out that he owes his transformation into a "gentleman" to such a contaminated windfall, he refused in great shock and shame. As to Pip, he would rather his benefactor to be Miss Havisham. Another thing in the novel that implies me most is the character Magwitch. He was homeless and poor when he was young and he used to be put into prison several times. No one cared about him, so when Pip saved him he bore this help in his mind. After being exiled overseas, he determined to make money to help Pip become a gentleman, though he is a convict. He does all of these anonymously in order to prevent Pip from being embarrassed. After Pip becomes a real gentleman, Magwitch returns to England in secret only to see whether Pip has a rich gentleman’s life. His behavior draws sharp contrasts with Miss Havisham’s ill-disposed company. Although the society deserts him, he never deserts himself. To this extent, I admires him a lot. From my point of view, most of us are Pips who are greatly affected by the secular environment. The great expectations in the story are the illusion of the protagonist’s inner desires, so does it in the real society. The real great expectations can only be realized by our indefatigable efforts. Happiness and kind human nature are far more precious than money and great expectations.