Despoina's+Book


 * Charles's Dickens "Great Expectations" (p. 5-27)**

Charles's Dickens "Great Expectations" is a book refering to the story of a boy, called Philip Pirrip, but known as Pip. Pip is an orphan child who lives with his older sister Mrs Joe and her husband Mr Joe Gargery, a blacksmith. His story begins a cloudy day in the churchyard when he meets an escaped convict who wildly demanded that Pip deliver him some food and threatened him that if he didn't, he was going to kill him!! Pip decided to do what the convict asked for, fearing for his life and, in the dawn, took him some food and brandy.

The day after was Christmas day and, therefore, the whole family, including uncle Pumblechook, gathered and had dinner. Meanwhile, sergeants were looking for the convicts who escaped and visited Pip's house asking the blacksmith for some help. More specifically, they required that Mr Joe mend a pair of handcuffs for them, although it was Christmas day! Mr Joe helped them and also went with them looking for the convicts and, in addition, took Pip with him. Mr Joe and Pip felt sorry for the convicts and didn't want to find them, but they did and the sergeants led them towards the prison - ships.

One evening, about two years later, Mrs Joe announced Pip that he was going to visit Miss Havisham who lived in town. Pip didn't know this woman, so he wasn't at all excited, but his sister assured him that the only thing that he had to do was to go to her house and play. So the day after, uncle Pumblechook drove him to Satis House where Miss Havisham lived.

The moment Pip arrived at this house, he met a beautiful girl named Estelle. Estelle was a beautifully dressed little girl, but a little proud and rude and faced Pip with contempt without behaving to him in a nice way. Pip was atrracted to her, but Estelle made him feel ashamed of himself because of his appearance and clothes. Shortly after his arrival, Estelle led Pip to Miss's Havisham room in which Pip felt uncomfortable and didn't want to stay for a long time.


 * (p. 27-47)**

As time went by, Pip continued to visit Satis House and spend time with Miss Havisham and Estelle. In one of his visits, Miss Havisham guided him in another room of her house, in which everything was covered with dust and was ruined. Pip was shocked to hear from Miss Havisham that this room was locked for ages and more specifically from her wedding-day. This wedding had never taken place in this room and Miss Havisham was so depressed that she was wearing for all these ages the same wedding dress and had never moved anything in that room. The same day, Pip met a young boy of his age in Satis House and fought with him.

For a couple of years, Pip visited Miss Havisham three times a week, kept her company and played with Estella, as well. Miss Havisham, during this period, was informed by Pip that, although his dream was to become a gentleman, he was going to be apprenticed to Joe, the blacksmith.

One day, Miss Havisham requested that she wanted to meet the blacksmith. Her opinion was that is was time Pip became an apprentice to Joe and gave him money, which Pip earned keeping her company.

Τherefore, Pip became a blacksmith and didn't go to Satis House for a whole year. However, he kept on thinking about Estella and one day he decided to go to Satis House hoping to see her. He was disappointed to know that she had moved to France, being educated to be a lady. Then, Pip's sister, Mrs Joe was injured and so Biddy, a girl from the village, went to live with the family to look after her. The years passed and Pip visited Satis House every year, on his birthday. One afternoon Pip went on a walk with Biddy and told her his secret about wanting to be a gentleman to impress Estella and win her admiration.

By the time Pip was apprentice to Joe for four years, he accepted a special offer from a lawyer named Jaggers, who was speaking for someone else, a client of him who didn't want to be named. Jaggers proposed to Pip to move to London and live with a boy, named Herbert Pocket. The father of this boy, Mr Pocket, was going to be his private teacher and Pip would come into his property when he came of age.

After Jaggers's visit, Pip prepared for his journey and finally said goodbye to his family and Biddy and went to London to learn to be a gentleman. There, he met Herbert Pocket and they became good friends. Herbert told him many stories for Miss Havisham and Estella and showed him how to behave like a gentleman. Pip was suprised to hear from Herbert that Miss Havisham adopted Estella and brought her up to break men's hearts because her own heart was broken and she wanted to take revenge on all men.

Αfter some time, Jaggers invited Pip and his classmate Bentley Drummle, a rich young boy, but a little awkward and bad - tempered, for dinner. It seemed that he wanted to see them argue and shout at each other but when they started to fight he told them to leave. At the end of the dinner, Jaggers advised Pip to be careful of his classmate because of his cruelty.

One day, Pip received a letter form Biddy informing him that Joe would be in London and he wanted to meet him. Pip was not very happy to see Joe but he warmly welcomed him with his friend, Herbert. At this meeting, Joe told Pip that Estella was back from France and wanted to see him. These news made Pip very happy and he prepared to visit Estella, filled with excitement.


 * (p. 47-66)**

By the time Pip arrived at Satis House, he saw Estella looking more beautiful than ever. She had become a very pretty young lady and Pip was, more than ever, in love with her, despite the fact that Estella warned him that she will not love him or another man. After he came back in London, he was filled with enthousiasm and told Herbert his secret. So, Herbert told him that he had a secret as well and this was that he was engaged to a woman called Clara and he was going to marry her by the time that he had enough money for that.

The time went by and Pip used to meet Estella in London quite often. Sometimes she was nice to him but more often than not she was proud and cold. Pip and his friend, Herbert were not able to live an expensive life in London anymore and they got into debt.

One day, Pip was informed that his sister, Mrs Joe, was dead and he went to the funeral. Biddy announced to him that she was going back to the village to become a teacher as they didn't need her help anymore but their little talk ended badly, as Biddy didn't believe that Pip would come back to the village and visit Mr Joe, who would be alone, and these words upset Pip very much.

At Pip's twenty first birthday, Jaggers gave him a banknote and said to him that every year he would receive the same amount of money and he would be able to live in London as a gentleman. Pip was quite satisfied and the first thing he did was to help his friend Herbert get a nice job.

A few days later, Pip received a letter from Estella telling him that Miss Havisham wanted them both to go to Satis House and visit her. But, as soon as they got there, Miss Havisham and Estella argued about Estella's upbringing and for the first time Estella said that it was not her fault that she didn't love anyone, but Miss' s Havisham's, who forced her to do that. However, Miss Havisham wished Estella could only love her as a mother.

Back in London, Estella's admirers were many and Pip was very jealous, although Estella warned him that it was better for him that she was not behaving to him like the others and she was not entrapping him too.

When Pip was twenty three years old, he had to deal with a really difficult and shocking situation, as he learned for the first time that his benefactor was the convict that he helped when he was a little boy and not Miss Havisham. He was really disappointed then, as he realised that Miss Havisham had no expectations for him to marry Estella. But, the real problem was that his benefactor, Abel Magwitch, was in danger in London and Pip had to look after him. With the help of his good friend, Herbert, Pip found him a place to live and was as careful as possible to keep his benefactor's arrival in London a secret. Finally, Abel Magwitch, telling the story of his life, confided in the young men that he became a convict because he had bussiness with a man, called Compeyson, and worked for him many years. This man was dishonest and in court the convict was accused of everything Compeyson has done as well, who also was, shockingly enough, the man who broke Miss's Havisham heart!!


 * (p. 66-82)**

Pip's expectations were in a dead end. So he decided, once again, to visit Satis House but he was unhappy to find out there that Estella was going to marry Bentley Drummle. Few hours later, returning to his house, he was informed that, unfortunately, Compeyson discovered his benefactor and decided with his friend Herbert's help, to escape with him, as soon as possible, by rowing a boat in the river.

One evening, Pip had dinner at Jaggers's house and he was shocked to discover there that Molly,Jaggers's housekeeper, was Estella's mother. Jaggers, also, told him that Miss Havisham agreeded to help Herbert. So, the next day Pip went to Satis House to have a little talk with her. Miss Havisham told him that she was very sorry about his unhapiness and that she didn't mean to make him feel so sad. But, before Pip's departure, there was an accident and Miss Havisham's old wedding dress went up in flames. Pip helped her, but despite his efforts, Miss Havisham was burned and died a few hours later.

Meanwhile, Herbert, spending a lot of time with Abel, Pip's benefactor, learned from him that in the past he had a little family (a wild jealous wife and a little young girl). From Herbert's description, Pip guessed that the members of his family were Molly and Estella and, as result, his benefactor was Estella's father! His intention was to tell the truth to everyone but Jaggers convinced him not to.

When the day of Abel's escape arrived, everything was under control. Pip and Herbert rowed, as they had decided, a boat on the river and their plan was to direct Abel away from England. However, they didn't make it because they were chased by Compeyson and customs men. Abel and Compeyson had a fight and finally, Compeyson drowned in the river and Abel Magwitch was arrested by the customs men. But, he became very ill after his trial and he was admitted to the prison hospital. Pip kept him company until his death and he confided in him that he was in love with his daughter Estella.

After a while, Pip became very ill too and Joe was too kind to look after him until he was well again. Then, Joe returned to the forge. Pip was so grateful to Joe that he decided to visit him to the forge and ask him to live there with him and marry Biddy as well. Although, when he finally got there, he was suprised to find out that Joe and Biddy were already married to each other.

A month later, he left England and he went to Egypt to work with Herbert. He worked in Herbert's company for eleven years and he became a partner too.

Then, one evening in December, he returned to the forge to see Joe and Biddy. He met there their son too, whose name was Pip, after him. After supper, he decided to visit Satis House, the place where he met Estella for the first time. As soon as he got there, he saw Estella standing there too. She told him that she had changed and she had been thinking a lot about him all these years. Her marriage had been very unhappy and her husband was dead. Pip answered that he had also been thinking about her and they walked together holding hands.Pip knew that they would never part.


 * THE END**