PLOT SUMMARY / LITERATURE NOTES:

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

CONFLICT

Protagonist
The protagonist of this novel is Philip Pirip, called Pip. Pip is a
sensitive child, orphaned and living under the care of his sister and
her husband. His sister resents him and continually reminds him
that he is a burden. His brother-in-law, Joe, is kind to him; in fact,
he is the only one who shows Pip any love.

An encounter in his childhood leads Pip to aid an escaped convict. In

order to repay Pip, the convict secretly bestows him with large sums
of money, so that Pip's dream of becoming a gentleman is realized.
Pip changes on acquiring wealth and status; his childhood home and
friends are embarrassing to him. In trying to live up to his own
great expectations, he loses his sense of judgment and begins to
value material possessions and gentlemanly pretensions more than
kindness and friendship. On realizing that his patron is a convict,
and that he has forsaken everyone who loved him in this false
attempt to be a gentleman, Pip mends his way of life and returns to
his good-natured self, more mature as a result of his experience.

Antagonist
The antagonist in this novel is not a person as much as it is an
expectation, or rather, a set of expectations. Pip is led into making
grave mistakes based on his false expectation of being a
gentleman, his false expectation of marrying Estella, and his
general false expectation of rising above his past. In the process of
living out these expectations, Pip hurts the people who have been
kindest to him -- namely Joe and Biddy. In the end, he learns that
all his aspirations have been based on a false presumption that he
could rise above his past and be something better than Joe or
Biddy. His wealth comes from a convict, and his newfound airs of
being a gentleman dissolve in the realization that things are not
what he has thought. He learns that true worth comes from inside a
man, and turns away from his once-great expectations.
At times, actual characters seem menacing or dangerous, qualities
usually associated with antagonists. Orlick, for example, is Pips first
enemy. He resents Pip and seriously wounds Mrs. Joe. Later, he
tries to kill Pip. Drummle, for his part, is known as the Spider. He
baits Pip continually and steals Estella away as his wife, only to
abuse her. Compeyson haunts Pip and Magwitch, eventually causing
Magwitch serious wounds and successfully aiding the police in
capturing him. These three, more than any other characters,
provide the texture of the dramatic tension in the novel.

Estella and Miss Havisham occupy a special place in the dramatic

breakdown of the novel as well. For some time, both are mildly
threatening characters; Estella with her alternating cruelty and
kindness and Miss Havisham with her morbid dress and rotten cake.
Bitterness has led Miss Havisham to train Estella in coldness. And
Estella herself warns Pip with certainty that she can only hurt him
and that she is not capable of returning his love. In the end, Miss
Havisham repents of her bitterness and Estella and Pip part as
friends, but roles of these two women in sustaining the dramatic
tension of the novel cannot be ignored.

Climax
The climax occurs when Pip learns the identity of his benefactor. In
that moment, all his great expectations dissolve into shame of the
convict and disgust with himself for his gradual change. He knows
now that he is not destined to marry Estella, nor is he any less
common than he was as a blacksmiths apprentice. As well, he is
obligated to protect his benefactor out of loyalty and gratitude. The
foundation of assumptions and expectations on which he has built
his life is completely shaken.

Outcome
Pip lays aside his expectations of greatness. He protects his
benefactor and realizes that this convict has been more loyal to him
than he has been to Joe. He makes sure he will not have access to
any more of the convicts money and acknowledges the dignity of
laboring for his own keep. He apologizes to Joe and Biddy for his
lack of loyalty to them. Finally, eleven years later, he meets Estella
and is able to part from her as friends.