How Great Expectations changed my own expectations



Great Expectations changed my life.

Up until Grade 11, I was simply an okay student. I had skipped a grade a few years earlier, and I was doing fine, but I didn’t stand out. And no wonder. I barely remember doing any homework. I didn’t feel particularly challenged by anything; like most adolescents, I was probably more interested in watching TV or appearing cool and trying to fit in than I was with marks or learning.

But something happened in Grade 11, and I think it had to do with Great Expectations. The book was assigned for English class, and we were supposed to start reading it over the Christmas break. I procrastinated. It seemed like such a chore; there was so much description in the book; I couldn’t relate to the idea of a “gentleman”; and what the hell were “victuals”? But soon enough, I was entranced by Dickens’s storytelling skills.

When we finally came to study the book in the new year, I’m sure I ended up skimming some passages. But I remember, thanks to my excellent teacher, being fully swept up in Dickens’s tale of a simple country boy’s sudden change in fortune. Suddenly, I got excited about the past. Suddenly, I got excited about school. My grades improved. The next year, I got into the “Scholarship,” or “Enriched,” English class, which offered a much heavier course load that included (!) Oliver Twist.

After that, I began reading Dickens on my own. I read Bleak House one summer. Ditto David Copperfield. I don’t know why I stopped. University, perhaps? My loss. But my lifelong love of reading probably began around this time.

Rereading this book over the past week has brought back that rush of excitement and discovery. To be clear, this wasn’t my second encounter with the material. I’ve seen many film, TV and stage adaptations of the story, and one Christmas, Santa (i.e., my book-loving mom) had left an abridged audiotape recording of the book in my stocking. Even in this format, I was enchanted again.

But there’s really nothing like experiencing the journey of Pip, Joe, Mrs. Joe, Magwitch, Miss Havisham, Estella, et al. from the start. I’ve always considered it one of my favourite novels of all time, and this rereading has reaffirmed my love for it.

So I proudly add this to my Rereading series, the rest of which can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...


What do I remember from my first reading?
• The great opening scene in the churchyard cemetery between Pip and the convict (see illustration above). It’s truly one of the most memorable inciting events in all of literature.
• The petrified life of Miss Havisham. The idea of this woman who stopped her life from continuing at the exact time she was jilted was truly inspired. For Dickens to make her a symbol of someone literally stuck in the past was sheer genius. All the details are there: the faded wedding gown; the stopped clocks; the spoiled reception table. (I think my original edition had pictures of the mice and insects crawling in and around the wedding cake.) Of course, this isn’t realism. But it’s so effective as a metaphor.
• Pip’s changing relationship with Joe and Biddy. Is there a more humble and modest portrait of working class life than Joe Gargery, the blacksmith? I think not. Dickens illustrates Pip’s changing attitude towards his background with real skill. I’m not sure an author from the upper classes could have created the small town characters with as much insight and affection.
• The idea of having one’s fortunes completely changed overnight.
• All the coincidences. Which: yeah, this is Dickens.

What don’t I remember from that reading?
• I must admit I forgot about some minor characters like the clerk Mr. Wopsle, who has his own “great expectations” arc as an aspiring Shakespearean actor!
• I probably skimmed the passages with (the lawyer) Jaggers’s clerk, Wemmick, who keeps his professional life separate from his personal one. (He lives with his “Aged.”)
• Some of the cloak and danger intrigue would have been intriguing, I’m sure, for someone who had never seen a Mission: Impossible film. The big climactic attempted escape by boat was okay, but a little old-fashioned. It was also hard for me to picture. I think the mysterious mood of dread and foreboding Dickens created was more important than the actual action.
• I had mostly forgotten Magwitch’s long story about his life, both before and after he had met Pip. Now I’m curious to read Peter Carey’s Jack Maggs, which I think is loosely inspired by his tale.

What do I appreciate now?
• The first-person narration is absolutely essential to our enjoyment of the book. Getting deep inside Pip’s mind, from a child to a teen to a young man to a humbled person at the end, is fascinating. What happens midway through the novel, as Pip avoids Joe and the forge once his expectations have risen, is telling. We know he’s avoiding them, but Pip never admits it in his narrative. We don’t even need Dickens to tell us that he’s avoiding them. We know it. We feel it. And we know Pip will eventually have to deal with that avoidance.
• The sense of humour (mostly) holds up. And the dialogue is rich and dramatic.
• Each character’s language is distinct, from Uncle Pumblechook’s preening, pretentious spewings to the very different rough diction by Joe and Magwitch. Jaggers (perfect name!), even in his sentence constructions and rhetoric, speaks just as a lawyer would speak.
• Miss Havisham’s remorse when she realizes how her selfishness has affected everyone – Pip, Estella – is quite moving.
• I hadn’t realized before that Magwitch, like Havisham, also wanted to shape a life to rectify something that had happened to him.
• Bentley Drummle doesn’t get much time on the page, but he’s memorable. And his beatings of Estella, and the fitting way he dies (we’re told he mistreated a horse and the horse fought back), are quietly horrible.
• The lesson that people, regardless of their status or wealth or reputation, are only as good as how they treat you, is invaluable. A few years after reading this, when I headed to college and suddenly met people from vastly differently socio-economic groups, I’m sure this stayed with me.

Final thoughts
• This is a mature masterpiece. There’s comic relief, but a darkness suffuses the book. Whichever of the endings you accept, there’s still a feeling that there’s no real happy ending to Pip and Estella’s lives.
• As is usual with Dickens, characters’ names tell you so much about them. Herbert Pocket. Wemmick. Mr. Pumblechook. Orlick. Abel Magwitch.
• As I suggested above, this isn’t realism. But there’s something Dickens does to get us to know these characters. He gives them specific traits, tics, sayings, obsessions. All of this is less insistently comical than it was in a book like David Copperfield, though; there’s no “Barkis is willin.’”
• There’s a reason why this novel has endured, and why it’s been adapted so often. Its themes of attempting to rise above one’s class, of accepting where one came from, of vengeance, of redemption, of forgiveness, are absolutely timeless.
• Thank you, Dickens, and to my Grade 11 teacher, for altering the course of my life.

DNF at page 227.

The more I kept reading, the more baffled I was by what was going on. I just don't have the energy to continue reading this

I see more in this book each time I read it. Class distinctions, friendships, character development, sin, repentance, forgiveness, redemption--all are explored and charted in this thirteenth novel of Dickens.

My favorite characters are Joe Gargery, the gentle and loving blacksmith; the faithful Herbert Pocket; and the helpful Mr. Wemmick and his Aged P.

I've been seeing a recurring theme in several of Dickens' novels--a degrading reliance on hopes of the future to the detriment of the duties and joys of the present. Whether they are waiting for something to turn up (Mr. Micawber), for the settling of a lawsuit (Richard Carstone), for a son to join the family business (Paul Dombey), for the dignities that come with freedom (William Dorrit), or for the unfolding of the plans of a benefactor (Pip), certain key characters are addicted to gambling just as surely as is Little Nell's grandfather.

Probably my second favorite Dickens so far.

What is remarkable about reading this novel is that while it begins with a lot of archetypical characteristics of a Dickensian novel, mostly all of the characters defied what I expected of them. Not only are they entertaining and expertly written, but also incredibly realistic. Miss Havisham, Pip, Estella, and more start off in their tiny little boxes of stereotypes but grow into layered characters with more complexity then I would’ve imagined.

I also have to admire the fact that this is one of the rare Dickens I’ve read in which Estella especially defies the ‘angelic’ trope. The ending also, in my opinion at least, is neither ‘happy’ nor ‘sad’ but again very realistic and satisfactory. Pip and Estella make mistakes along the way but eventually grow into themselves, as is the case with the entire novel itself.

Overall, I loved this book.

The supreme Dickens' tragi-comedy, the tale of Pip and his great expectations, the bitter Miss Haversham, her ward Estella and other great characters. I could not put this down, a Dickens tour-de-force, and a must-read if you intend to read only a few of his works. I gave this a Four Star 8 out of 12.

2009 read

Maybe I need a break from the classics, simple nothing special as story goes.

i'm not crying you're crying

This is such a widely read and classic book that I won’t be writing too much on it, as so much has already been said.

Probably my favorite thing about Dickens’ writing his is use of plot builders (I just recently learned this term), which are subplots that don’t seem relevant to the main plot at the time of their introduction. Then, chapters and chapters later, things connect in a seemingly impossible way that Dickens still manages to make feel entirely plausible. This, plus detailed settings, social commentary, well developed characters, and meaningful character growth, makes for an excellent read. Well worth the reread!

Romanul de fata reprezinta fara indoiala una din cele mai mai valoroase lucrari ale lui Charles Dickens, prin care ne demonstreaza cat de priceput si de talentat este la a spune povesti credibile si de a transmite cititorului cea mai valoroasa speranta, cea de a gasi bunatatea atat in randul oamenilor bogati cat si in randul celor saraci. Pe langa faptul ca se face o analiza aprofundata a societatii, povestea infatiseaza si transformarea baiatului sarac intr-un tanar aristocrat si felul lingusitor si interesat in care se poarta oamenii din jurul sau dar si modul in care se poarta el cu familia lui modesta.
In ceea ce priveste actiunea, il avem in prim plan pe Pip, un pusti simpatic, crescut de sora lui "pe palme" si care intr-un Ajun de Craciun ajuta cu mancare un puscarias evadat. Timpul trece si printr-un noroc, Pip ajunge in casa domnisoarei Havisham, o batrana bogata pe care trebuie s-o distreze. Aici o cunoaste pe Estella, o tanara infumurata si foarte frumoasa care se poarta dispretuitor cu el. Dupa aceasta intalnire, Pip incepe sa-si considere traiul modest, in casa lui Joe si a surorii sale, drept umilitor si tanjeste sa ajunga un gentleman. Aceasta ocazie se iveste atunci cand devine mostenitorul unei misterioase averi si singura conditie pentru a o primi este sa nu cerceteze de la cine provine. Acceptand-o incep marile sperante pentru Pip.
Mi-ar placea sa amintesc despre dragostea dureroasa pe care o poarta Pip pentru Estella, aceasta reprezentand motorul ambitiei sale pentru a se educa si pentru a-si desavarsi manierele. Pe de alta parte, Estella este si distrugerea lui, deoarece il face sa-si dispretuiasca saracia si conditia sa.
Pentru ca imi plac declaratiile de dragoste am selectat aici cateva:
"Pentru ca n-am sa mai plang niciodata din cauza dumneavoastra." - dovedindu-se o declaratie mincinoasa deoarece tot romanul Pip va plange dupa ea.
"Estella, n-ai de ales, pana in ultima clipa a vietii mele vei ramane o parte din fiinta mea. O parte din putinul bine care salasluieste in mine, o parte din raul din mine."
"Dar mi-ai spus atunci, raspunse Estella cu insufletire, "Dumnezeu sa te binecuvanteze, Dumnezeu sa te ierte." Daca ai putut sa mi-o spui atunci, n-ai sa refuzi sa mi-o spui acuma... Fii la fel de bland si de ingaduitor fata de mine cum ai fost alta data si spune-mi ca suntem prieteni."
Mi-a placut foarte mult de Joe, de simplitatea lui de om sarac dar intelept si de Povris, puscariasul cu inima mare care nu uita niciodata ca Pip l-a ajutat cand avea cel mai mult nevoie.
In incheiere, cateva citate memorabile:
"Daca nu poti sa ajungi om de seama, mergand de-a dreptul, n-ai sa ajungi niciodata luand-o pe ocolite."
"In miezul iuresului, Pip, si in afara lui - asa e viata!"
"Nici un om care nu este un adevarat gentleman in sufletul sau nu va fi, cat ii lumea, un adevarat gentleman in purtari."
"Slabiciunile noastre de neiertat si marsaviile noastre le infaptuim, de obicei, pentru oamenii pe care-i dispretuim cel mai tare."
"... ce inseamna adevarata iubire. Inseamna devotament orb, umilinta de sine fara preget, supunere desavarsita, incredere si credinta in pofida ta insuti si in pofida intregii lumi, abandon al inimii si sufletului in mana care le zdrobeste..."

"Fu quello un giorno memorabile, poiché provocò in me grandi cambiamenti. Ma lo stesso accade in ogni vita. Provate a immaginare di cancellarne un giorno particolare, e pensate a come sarebbe stato differente il suo corso. Voi che leggete, fermatevi a pensare per un attimo alla lunga catena di ferro o di oro, di spine o di fiori, che non vi avrebbe mai avvinto, se non si fosse formato il primo anello in un giorno memorabile."

Dickens è la mia coccola, il mio rifugio quando sono indecisa su cosa leggere o ho bisogno di andare sul sicuro.
Ciò che mi piace da morire dei suoi libri e che preferisco, sono tre elementi.

Il primo è la scrittura che pilota con grandissima maestria, giocando con il tono, con le figure retoriche ed i termini, dipingendo quadri al limite del surreale e che spesso fanno sorridere anche quando descrive momenti particolarmente significativi.
Le sue descrizioni sono sempre abilissime, soprattutto per quel che riguarda la vita a Londra, una Londra dell’epoca, piena di contraddizioni.

Il secondo è la capacità di narrare gli animi umani pur senza utilizzare retorica, ma dipingendo degli avvenimenti che mettano alla prova i protagonisti, in questo caso Pip, il giovane ragazzo che è la voce narrante, ma anche Estella, e perfino Biddy e Joe, anche se toccati indirettamente. La morale è immediatamente intuibile, si rivela come una folgorazione, nelle ultime pagine dei suoi libri.
E questo non fa eccezione.

“E ora torno a questo giovanotto. E la comunicazione che gli devo fare è che ha grandi speranze”

In questo nello specifico, e per tutto il libro, il dilemma è tra le apparenze e i principi , tra il cogliere al volo l’occasione per migliorarsi e realizzare le proprie “grandi speranze” e il restare fedeli a se stessi.
Perché i principi, o meglio alcuni valori morali, sono sempre al centro delle storie di Dickens, e questo è il terzo elemento che adoro nei suoi libri.

“Il cielo sa che non dovremmo mai vergognarci delle nostre lacrime, perché sono pioggia sulla polvere accecante della terra che ricopre i nostri cuori induriti. Mi sentii meglio dopo aver pianto…più addolorato, più consapevole della mia ingratitudine, più raddolcito. Se avessi pianto prima, Joe sarebbe stato con me, in quel momento.”

Nei personaggi di questo ho ritrovato tutte le classiche figure a lui care: i malfattori che rinsaviscono, spesso grazie all’aiuto di piccoli innocenti; le tante, la maggior parte, persone che seguono la strada sbagliata e alla fine pagano aspramente i loro crimini; quelle povere e ignoranti ma le sole capaci di affetto vero e sentimenti puri e di comportarsi in maniera onesta senza chiedere nulla in cambio.
Sia beninteso, nei romanzi di Dickens spesso anche i primi pagano, nonostante si ricredano sulle cattive azioni commesse e cambino rotta. Ed è ciò che succede anche qui, e che causa grande sofferenza anche al nostro protagonista Pip, sia direttamente che indirettamente.
Purtroppo nonostante tutto non sono riuscita a provare simpatia per lui, perché è la sola causa dei suoi mali e della delusione delle sue “grandi speranze”, ma non ho potuto non avere gran pena per lui dopo tutte le sfortune che gli sono piovute sul capo e che ha dovuto sopportare amaramente.
Invece non si può non amare Joe e Biddy che appartengono a quell’ultima categoria, proprio perché è lo scrittore a desiderarlo.
Allo stesso modo invece ho provato affetto per Provis, nonostante il ragazzo continui a dipingercelo con pieno disprezzo, fino al momento in cui per magia si ravvede.
È il classico esempio di figura cara allo scrittore, sulla cui esistenza pesa la strada che ha intrapreso per colpa di figure abiette che si sono messe sulla via, e per cui è costretto a pagare un prezzo troppo alto.

Le cose vanno sicuramente in una direzione in cui il fato pesa in maniera più pesante che se si fosse trattato di vero fato e non fosse stato diretto dalla mano dell’autore proprio verso certi protagonisti, ma questo non risulta sgradevole seppur molto triste, perché è ciò che ci si aspetta dalle storie di Dickens.

"I have been bent and broken, but - I hope - into a better shape."

دیکنز از اون دست از نویسنده‌هایی هستش که اگه کتش رو تکون می‌داد، به جای گرد و غبار از اون داستان و قصه بر زمین می‌ریخت. نویسنده‌ای که یک شب پس از جر و بحث با زنش از خانه بیرون زد و هفت الی هشت ساعتی مشغول قدم زدن در لندن شد و به شهری خیره شد که هیچکس به جز خودش نتونسته اون‌قدر خوب توصیفش کنه. نویسنده‌ای که یه کلاغ به اسم گریپ به عنوان حیوون خونگی داشت و هربار که کلاغ می‌مرد، کلاغ دیگه‌ای می‌گرفت و دوباره همین اسم رو روش می‌‌ذاشت و بعدها تو یه دیداری با آلن پو که گریپ رو با خودش برده بود باعث شد که اون شعر Raven پو تحت تاثیر ایشون خلق بشه. بسیار پر کار بود و کتاب‌هایی زیاد و حجیمی نوشت و دنیایی رو ساخت به اسم خودش، از زاویه‌ای به رخدادها و انسان‌ها و زندگی‌ها و عشق‌ها و اندوه‌ها و سرشکستگی‌های جهان نگاه کرد که امروز می‌توان اون رو جهان دیکنز نامید.

من قبل از نوشتن ریویو معمولاً ریویوهای دیگران رو می‌خونم. متاسفانه در مورد کتاب آرزوهای بزرگ هیچ‌کدوم از ریویوهای فارسی یا حتی خیلی از انگلیسی‌ها رو دوست ندارم. توی یکی از ریویوهای فارسی نوشته شده بود که شخصیت‌های دیکنز غیر واقعی هستن چون مهربون یا جدی یا بدجنس‌ تشریف دارن. من نمی‌دونم ما در چه دنیایی زندگی می‌کنیم که مهربون بودن یا جدی بودن از ما انسان‌هایی غیرواقعی می‌سازه! اما شخصیت‌های دیکنز غیرواقعی نیستن، درست‌تر هستش که بگیم دیکنز در شخصیت‌پردازی تیپ‌های شخصیتی رقم می‌زنه و اتفاقاً در خارج اسم‌های شخصیت‌های دیکنز معمولاً به نوعی صفت و تیپ شخصیتی در زبان محاوره‌ای انگلیسی تبدیل شدن و دیکنز به این کار بسیار معروفه.

چیزی که خیلی من رو به سمت خوندن آرزوهای بزرگ سوق داد، کتاب بازی فرشته ثافون و شخصیت داوید و حرف‌هاش در مورد این کتاب بود. آرزوهای بزرگ از اون دست از کتاب‌هاست که برای توصیفش بهترین لغتی که به ذهنم می‌رسه "دلنشین" هست. یک داستانی که از کودکی پیپ آغاز می‌شه و فراز‌و‌نشیب‌های زندگی اون رو در بر می‌گیره. پیپ برخلاف دیگر قهرمان‌های داستان‌های دیکنز خیلی قهرمان به‌نظر نمی‌رسه و بسیار سرشکسته‌تر از باقی هست و کشمکش‌هایی که در طی کتاب تجربه می‌کنه باعث می‌شه که متوجه بشیم دیکنز در زیر اون شخصیت‌پردازی نمادواری که داره، وارد مرحله شخصیت‌پردازی پیچیده شده و داره روان شخصیتش رو هم دچار دگرگونی و چالش می‌کنه.

آرزوهای بزرگ یکی از بهترین نمونه نثرها و توصیفات ادبیات انگلیسی به حساب می‌آد و راجع‌به ظرافت‌های نثر دیکنز شاید بشه کُلی صحبت کرد و خط به خط طنز و غم و زاویه‌ی دید ملموس و تازه‌ی دیکنز رو زیر ذره‌بین قرار داد و بهش فکر کرد. دیکنز هرجا که می‌خواست می‌تونست خواننده رو به شدت احساساتی بکنه و به واسطه این تسلط نثرش مونولوگ‌های بسیار فوق‌العاده‌ای رو رقم بزنه.


اسم کتاب رو من همیشه خیلی دوست داشتم، "آرزوهای بزرگ"، این‌که شاید هرکدوم از ما در دورانی از زندگی‌مون همچین خیالاتی در سر داشتیم و زندگی با ظرافت خاص خودش یک جایی اون تصویر رو از هم پاشوند. خود کتاب هم حکایتی از همین انتخاب‌ها و رها کردن چیزهایی هست که برامون عزیزن تا بعد از اون بتونیم به سمت دنیای آرزوهای بزرگی که توی سرمون هست قدم برداریم. و در نهایت دلتنگ همون دلخوشی‌های کوچکی بشیم که پیپ توی گوشه‌ی خونه‌ی خواهرش در کنار بخاری کسب می‌کرد.

تو اکثر ریویوهای منفی انگلیسی این کتاب ذکر شده بود که داستان خسته‌کننده و حوصله‌سربر هستش و از یه زاویه‌ای ممکنه شماهم توی این حالت قرار بگیرین. اگه به شخصیت‌پردازی و داستان‌گویی پرجزئیات دیکنز اهمیتی نمی‌دین احتمالاً از این کتاب لذت آنچنانی نخواهید برد. چرا که روایت با این‌که شما رو به داخل پیرنگ داستان می‌کشونه اما جذابیت و کشش کافی برای یه نفس خوندن یا این‌که نتونین از خوندن کتاب دست بکشین رو نداره. نه، این کتاب رو باید با تعهد و حوصله بخونین و در همون جزئیات ریز متوجه مهارت بسیار بالای دیکنز در داستان‌‌سرایی خواهید شد.

در پایان این یکی از احساسی‌ترین رمان‌هایی بود که امسال خوندم و من با این‌که اصلاً و شاید به ندرت با یک کتاب بغضم ممکنه ��گیره توی صحنه‌ی آخر این کتاب داشت اشکم در می‌اومد..
در کنار این مورد این کتاب بامزه هم هست و واقعاً لحظاتی آدم رو به خنده میندازه.
من خودم احساس می‌کنم که محبوب‌ترین کتاب دیکنز برای من یه کتابی بین داستان دو شهر یا دیوید کاپرفیلد یا خانه قانون‌زده باشه اما با این حال آرزوهای بزرگ جزو مهم‌ترین آثار آقای دیکنز عزیز هستش و از اون کتاب‌هایی که شاید بهتر باشه هرچند سال برای بازخوانی کردنش دوباره صفحه‌ی اولش رو بخونی که نوشته: 《نام خانوادگی پدرم پیریپ بود...》و من قطعاً در آینده برای یه بار دیگه خوندن این کتاب برمی‌گردم و مطمئنم دفعه‌ی بعد بیشتر لذت می‌برم.


در باب ترجمه کتاب:
ترجمه‌ی ابراهیم یونسی از این کتاب دیکنز افتضاح‌ترین و بدترین ترجمه و لحنی است که در عمرم دیدم و در نتیجه اصلاً راجع‌به ترجمه‌ی ایشون حرفی نمی‌زنم. ترجمه‌ی حمیدرضا بلوچ رو در بعضی جاها با متن اصلی مقایسه کردم و متاسفانه از حیث زیبایی توصیف و گاهاً فهمیدن منظور دیکنز ضعف‌هایی داشت و بعضی جاها حین ترجمه چند کلمه‌ای رو در بازگردانی جا می‌انداخت و در نهایت من نمی‌تونم بهش عنوانی بیشتر از "کار راه انداز" بدم. امیدوارم که در آینده ترجمه‌ی شایسته‌تری از این اثر منتشر بشه. پیشنهاد من خوندن نثر اصلیه، با این‌که سختی‌های خودش رو داره اما بخشی از لذت کتاب توی همون نثر پنهون شده.

Μ αρέσει η γεύση που σου αφήνουν κάποια βιβλία στο μυαλό.
Η μυρωδιά που πλυμμηρίζει την ψυχή και την αναστατώνει, αφήνοντας της για πάντα αναμνήσεις.
Η μελωδία που βλέπεις να παίζεται μπροστά στα μάτια σου και να σε παρασύρει σε τοπία και μέρη του κόσμου που ίσως να είναι φανταστικά, ξεχασμένα, αλλοτινής εποχής, ίσως όμως να είναι τα ίδια με αυτά που ζεις.

Μεγάλες προσδοκίες, είναι μοναδικές στιγμές που όλα τα «μακάρι» γίνονται «επιτέλους».
Πάντα θα λατρεύουμε τις μεγάλες προσδοκίες, μόνο αυτές αντιπροσωπεύουν όλες τις αμαρτίες που δεν είχαμε το θάρρος ή την ευκαιρία να κάνουμε.

Λάτρεψα αυτό το κλασικό μυθιστόρημα όπου τα πάντα παρασύρονται στο τέλος τους, όπως ακριβώς και στην ζωή μας.
Δεν καταγράφονται απλώς τα γεγονότα, δημιουργούνται και παράγονται απο το μυαλό του συγγραφέα κάτω απο συνθήκες που θεωρεί πως είναι φυσικές εξελίξεις της ανθρώπινης νόησης.
Διεισδύει στην πραγματικότητα και γράφει για όλα αυτά που είμαστε φτιαγμένοι για να ζήσουμε και τρομάζουμε όταν τα σκεφτόμαστε.
Μεγάλες προσδοκίες.....

Αυτό το βιβλίο είναι μια αξεπέραστη καλλιτεχνική δημιουργία που φανερώνει τη σαφέστερη αντίληψη και γνώση αυτού που ονομάζεται ζωή-κόσμος.
Έχει μια δύναμη παρατηρητικότητας βαθιά και λεπτομερέστατη που ορίζεται ως διαλογισμός, ως ένα έργο που ξεπερνά κάθε μορφή εξουσίας ή κοινωνικής αποσύνθεσης.
Οι μεγάλες προσδοκίες έχουν τις ρίζες τους στις κοινωνικές πραγματικότητες του συγγραφέα, μα στην ουσία η διαχρονική του ανεκτίμητη αξία είναι η παγκόσμια έκκληση ερωτημάτων που θέτει με ζητούμενο τις προσδοκίες της ανθρώπινης ψυχής.

Μέσα απο χαμένες προσδοκίες και τα κατεδαφισμένα όνειρα βρίσκεται πάντα μια άλλη χαμένη ελπίδα που ειναι ικανή να προκαλέσει επανάσταση επιθυμιών.

Συνειδησιακή πάλη, σκοτεινοί χαρακτήρες, βία, εγκληματικότητα, ποινές φυλάκισης, άνιση κοινωνική διαστρωμάτωση, ορισμός της ανθρώπινης οντότητας με βάση την μόρφωση, ορισμός εκτίμησης,τιμής και αξιοπρέπειας με βάση την καταγωγή και τον πλούτο.

Και ο έρωτας ; Ο έρωτας που δεν μαθαίνεται... γιατί απλά συμβαίνει είναι το βασικό συστατικό της ιστορίας μας. Είναι η ενοχή, η ψευδαίσθηση, το όνειρο, η περιφρόνηση, η συγχώρεση, η κατανόηση, η λύπηση, η τρυφερότητα, είναι η πραγματική ουσία της ζωής.

Η διορατικότητα στην ανθρώπινη φύση είναι η δύναμη του έρωτα, μια ανάγκη για αγάπη και πάθος, το θέμα, ο θύτης και το θύμα των μεγάλων προσδοκιών. Η αναζήτηση της ψυχικής μεγαλοπρέπειας και καλοσύνης μέσα στα σκοτάδια των επιφανειακών εντυπώσεων και της ψεύτικης κυριαρχίας.

Ο Ντίκενς μας περνάει με την ιδιοφυή πένα του απο τη μια κατάσταση στην άλλη για να αποδείξει πως το πέρασμα αυτό ικανοποιεί επιφανειακά και αναποτελεσματικά τις προσδοκίες μας.
Η άρνηση του πραγματικού εαυτού μας και η απεμπόληση των δεσμών με το παρελθόν μας προκαλούν ηθική φθορά με τεράστιο συνειδησιακό αντίτιμο απενοχοποίησης.

Η διαδρομή της καρδιάς προς το όνειρο των μεγάλων προσδοκιών οδηγεί σε αδιέξοδο αν χάσεις την ουσία της ζωής, προσπαθώντας να ξεφύγεις απο τη μοίρα.

Κι όταν μοιραία αποκαλύπτεται η αλήθεια ίσως είναι αργά για μεταστροφή. Εκτιμούμε βαθιά αυτά που χάσαμε. Κατανοούμε πως τα χάσαμε επειδή δεν τα εκτιμήσαμε.


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