Great Expectations, published in 1860-1861, is one of Dickens’ later novels. Compared to early works such as Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby, Great Expectations feels more mature, with less caricature and parody and more character development and depth. The black/white characters, which were one of my biggest objections to the early books, have been replaced with nuanced and interesting portrayals. The icy Estella may be cruel, but she is just a product of her circumstances. And the terrifying criminal Magwitch turns out to have more good in him than most people.

The structure in the early novels seems to be build to accommodate the serialised format, in which the novels were first published. Instead of a slow build-up towards a final climax, dramatic highlights were constantly thrown in, presumably to ensure readers would pick up the next instalment.

With Great Expectations, it appears Dickens had more faith in his ability to captivate his readers with a good story, without relying on excessive melodrama in every instalment. I found it flowed naturally with no obvious signs of the serialised publication format.

Great Expectations is without doubt my favourite Dickens novel so far and I can’t wait to dig into more of his later works.

However, let’s have a look at what I actually took away from this classic in terms of life lessons. Spoilers included.

1. Live your life in the present, don’t get stuck in the past
Miss Havisham may be one of Dickens’ most iconic characters. She is also one of the most extreme examples of a character, who gets stuck in the past. On the day of her wedding at the exact time when she learns her fiancé has abandoned her, she stops the clocks. Subsequently, she lives an isolated life in her crumbling mansion, wearing her wedding dress. Her ward, the beautiful Estella, is raised with one goal in mind. To make her a heart-breaker, giving Miss Havisham revenge over the male sex. Late in life, Miss Havisham realises, she hasn’t achieved anything, besides from making herself and the people close to her unhappy. But by then it’s too late and Miss Havisham can look back at a wasted life.

2. Respect other people and let them be an individual in their own right
Miss Havisham’s treatment of Estella is driven by her own objectives, without any considerations for what might be best for the girl. Estella is raised to be cruel and cynical and left with limited scope to find happiness. Magwitch’s urge to give Pip money and make him a gentleman is – even if of a more positive character – also driven by his own needs rather than Pip’s. Magwitch never had the chance to become a gentleman. Having achieved wealth, his little revenge on the class society is to make a gentleman out of a poor orphan. You can hardly argue that giving money to someone is harmful, but did it make Pip any happier?

3. Social class may define your status, but not your worth as a human being
After Pip is elevated to a different sphere of life, he finds it embarrassing to be seen in the company of his old friends, including his brother-in-law Joe, who up until then has meant the world to him. Pip is reluctant to visit his old home and prefers to spend time with people he considers his peers. However, when Pip’s financial situation changes, it is Joe who helps him out of the mess. Despite Pip’s treatment of Joe, the latter is still there for him and only wants him to be happy. Great Expectations is filled with examples illustrating how a person’s value as a human being is uncorrelated to their social status.

4. Don’t let yourself be blinded by money and superficial status symbols
The young Pip appears to follow sound principles. He strives to become a better person, he reads books and tries to learn as much as possible. When coming into money, things change. Pip’s economy becomes a mess, bills are left unpaid and he stops making an effort to become the best version of himself. His values change as well, as he prioritises status and money at the expense of goodness and friendship. Even if this felt awful, I could see things from Pip’s point of view. He had achieved what he may have considered the ultimate goal; to become one of the gentry and potentially worthy of Estella. Of course, it doesn’t work out like that. Easy come, easy go, as they say. When Pip’s dream collapses, he realises his life perspective has become flawed. And that it may have caused him to miss an obvious opportunity for finding happiness.

5. Life is a journey – live and learn!
Pip’s life turns out to be a bit of rollercoaster. Who knows how any of us would respond to such turbulence? Pip certainly makes mistakes, but he doesn’t let that define him. He learns from his mistakes, moves on and makes the most out of his circumstances. And isn’t that what life is all about? Going through life without any mishaps seems unlikely. Trying to avoid mistakes at all costs, may even make for a very boring life. But learning from and responding to our mistakes, isn’t that the best we can do?

Title: Great Expectations [1861] 
Author: Charles Dickens 
Format: Audiobook, narrated by Matt Lucas 
Genre: Classics

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like:
What I learned from The Metamorphosis
What I learned from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
What I learned from Frankenstein
What I learned from Lord of the Flies