Illustration of Pip visiting a graveyard

Great Expectations

by Charles Dickens

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Great Expectations Questions and Answers

Great Expectations

The Avenger in chapters 24-34 of Great Expectations is Pip's servant, whom he hires to maintain his status as a gentleman in London. Ironically named, the Avenger becomes a burden to Pip, symbolizing...

1 educator answer

Great Expectations

Great Expectations explores themes such as social class, ambition, and personal growth. The moral lessons include the dangers of wealth and status obsession, the importance of loyalty and compassion,...

10 educator answers

Great Expectations

In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens employs humor, pathos, and satire to create a rich, multi-dimensional narrative. Humor is evident in the quirky characters and their interactions, while pathos...

5 educator answers

Great Expectations

The phrase "what larks" in Great Expectations signifies the innocent and joyful times Pip shared with Joe. Joe uses this expression to reminisce about their past happiness. It highlights Joe's...

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Great Expectations

Great Expectations is set in early 19th-century England. The main events follow Pip's growth from a poor orphan to a gentleman. The central problem is Pip's desire to improve his social status. The...

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Great Expectations

The quote "That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me..." from "Great Expectations" refers to Pip's return from his first visit to Miss Havisham's house. The visit, marked by...

5 educator answers

Great Expectations

Fairy tale elements in Great Expectations include Pip's rise from a poor boy to a gentleman, reminiscent of a rags-to-riches story. The mysterious benefactor, Miss Havisham's decaying mansion, and...

5 educator answers

Great Expectations

The title Great Expectations aptly encapsulates the central themes and character arcs in Dickens's novel. It reflects the ambitious hopes and desires of characters like Pip, who dreams of rising...

20 educator answers

Great Expectations

Pip's manservant is named the Avenger because he symbolizes Pip's pretentiousness and insecurity. Pip hires him to appear more aristocratic but is burdened by the expense and inconvenience. The...

1 educator answer

Great Expectations

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens follows the life of Pip, an orphan who dreams of becoming a gentleman. With the help of a mysterious benefactor, he navigates the challenges of social class and...

10 educator answers

Great Expectations

The differences between the Great Expectations book and its movie adaptations vary by version. The 1946 film cuts material like Biddy's subplot and alters the ending to show Pip and Estella as a...

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Great Expectations

In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens uses a range of literary devices to enhance the narrative. Imagery is prominent, vividly depicting settings and characters, particularly in the opening chapter...

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Great Expectations

In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens utilizes figurative language, including similes, metaphors, and personification, to enhance visualization and humor. For instance, Pip describes Bentley...

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Great Expectations

In Great Expectations, character names often reflect their traits and roles. Pip's name suggests something small that will grow, symbolizing his personal development. Miss Havisham's name hints at...

2 educator answers

Great Expectations

In Great Expectations, the two one-pound notes symbolize Pip's inescapable connection to his criminal past. They first appear in Chapter 10 when a stranger, associated with Magwitch, gives them to...

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Great Expectations

Trabb's Boy in Great Expectations is a mischievous and irreverent youth who works for the tailor Trabb. He mocks Pip's transformation from an orphan to a gentleman, highlighting Pip's snobbery and...

2 educator answers

Great Expectations

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens has two endings. In the original ending, Pip and Estella part ways, with Estella remarrying and Pip remaining single. In the revised ending, they meet again...

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Great Expectations

The main message of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens centers on the themes of social class, ambition, and personal growth. It explores how true wealth and gentility come from inner values and...

8 educator answers

Great Expectations

In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens employs humor and irony to create memorable characterizations. Characters like Uncle Pumblechook and Mr. Wopsle are exaggerated for comedic effect, while the...

5 educator answers

Great Expectations

Pip and the "pale young gentleman" engage in a fistfight in Miss Havisham's yard, initiated seemingly without reason by the boy. Despite being smaller, Pip is intimidated by his opponent's...

1 educator answer

Great Expectations

In Charles Dickens's Great Expectations, irony is a prominent theme, particularly in Pip's journey and the novel's title. Pip's "great expectations" of wealth and social status lead him astray,...

5 educator answers

Great Expectations

The tickler in Great Expectations is Mrs. Joe's cane. The name is ironic, as she uses the cane to abuse Pip.

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Great Expectations

In Great Expectations, the convict demands that Pip bring him a "file" and "wittles" (a mispronunciation of "victuals," meaning food) to the old Battery the next morning. The convict threatens to...

2 educator answers

Great Expectations

The last line of Great Expectations suggests that Pip and Estella enter a romantic relationship, though Charles Dickens leaves this vague.

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Great Expectations

In Great Expectations, Pip's relationship with Biddy is complex, marked by tension and missed opportunities. Biddy, a kind and intelligent orphan and Pip's childhood friend, represents the qualities...

8 educator answers

Great Expectations

The person who kills Pip's sister in Great Expectations is Dolge Orlick. He attacks her, and she later dies from the injuries she sustained when he struck her head.

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Great Expectations

In Great Expectations, Wemmick's "portable property" refers to small, valuable items like jewelry, watches, and snuff boxes that can be easily converted to cash. Wemmick collects these items from...

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Great Expectations

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is a quintessential bildungsroman, or coming-of-age novel, focusing on Pip's journey from a naive orphan to a mature adult. The story chronicles Pip's...

6 educator answers

Great Expectations

In Great Expectations, Pip's biological father was Phillip Pirrip, who died when Pip was very young. However, the main father figures in Pip's life are Joe Gargery and Abel Magwitch.

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Great Expectations

Great Expectations is suitable for various high school levels, commonly taught in ninth grade but also appropriate for twelfth grade British Literature. The grade level depends on the teaching...

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Great Expectations

In Great Expectations, the Aged Parent is Wemmick's elderly, deaf father, characterized by his cheerful demeanor and enjoyment of Wemmick's humorous gestures. Miss Skiffins, Wemmick's eventual wife,...

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Great Expectations

In Great Expectations, Orlick is a menacing character who initially works as Joe's assistant at the forge. His role evolves as he becomes a gatekeeper for Miss Havisham, from which he is later...

5 educator answers

Great Expectations

The depiction of Mr. Jaggers' office in Great Expectations reveals his meticulous, intimidating, and morally ambiguous nature. The office's dark, foreboding atmosphere, filled with legal documents...

2 educator answers

Great Expectations

In Great Expectations, Dickens uses the Pocket household to satirize the incompetence and pretensions of the aristocracy. Mrs. Pocket, obsessed with noble titles, is neglectful and oblivious, leaving...

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Great Expectations

The Forge in Great Expectations is depicted as a warm, welcoming place that mirrors Joe's kind and steady nature. It symbolizes Joe's true home and identity, contrasting with his awkwardness in...

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Great Expectations

In Great Expectations, Magwitch and Compeyson's contrasting fates and characters highlight Dickens' critique of Victorian society. Magwitch dies from injuries sustained during an escape attempt,...

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Great Expectations

Direct characterization in Great Expectations includes explicit descriptions, such as Pip describing Miss Havisham as an eccentric woman in a decaying wedding dress. Indirect characterization...

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Great Expectations

In Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, Mr. Jaggers is a formidable London lawyer representing Miss Havisham and Pip's mysterious benefactor. He informs Pip of his newfound wealth and acts as his...

3 educator answers

Great Expectations

The quote from Dickens highlights Miss Havisham's decay, both physically and emotionally, after being jilted on her wedding day. Pip's initial perception of her as beautiful is shattered as he...

1 educator answer

Great Expectations

In Great Expectations, Pip and Herbert form a close friendship characterized by mutual support and understanding. Initially, Herbert is Pip's guide to London life, helping him settle as a gentleman....

5 educator answers

Great Expectations

The quote "Hold your noise!" in Great Expectations exemplifies dialect and characterization techniques. It reflects Magwitch's rough, threatening demeanor and hints at his fear of being discovered....

3 educator answers

Great Expectations

The falling of the "heavy slab" in Great Expectations symbolizes the collapse of Pip's expectations and illusions. It represents a moment of awakening for Pip, as he realizes the true nature of his...

3 educator answers

Great Expectations

Mrs. Joe starts liking Orlick after he attacks her due to a combination of brain damage and his unique behavior toward her. Her injury makes it hard to interpret her reactions, and her "liking" may...

2 educator answers

Great Expectations

What is remarkable about Molly, Mr. Jaggers's housekeeper in Great Expectations, is her complex backstory and strength. She is revealed to be Magwitch's wife and Estella's mother, with a past...

4 educator answers

Great Expectations

In Great Expectations, "born on their backs with their hands in their pockets" reflects Pip's imaginative notion that his deceased baby brothers, represented by their headstones, never actively...

1 educator answer

Great Expectations

In Great Expectations, fire symbolizes both destruction and transformation. It represents Miss Havisham's tragic past and her emotional devastation, as well as Pip's moral and personal growth. The...

4 educator answers

Great Expectations

Herbert Pocket in Great Expectations is a young gentleman and Pip's best friend and roommate in London. He is the son of Matthew Pocket, Pip's tutor, and a distant relative of Miss Havisham....

6 educator answers

Great Expectations

After Magwitch's death, his money is forfeited to the government because he dies as a convicted criminal. Initially, Pip is repulsed by the fact that his gentleman status is funded by a convict,...

1 educator answer

Great Expectations

Pip's visits to Satis House are orchestrated by Miss Havisham to fulfill her desire for revenge against men by using Estella to break Pip's heart. She aims to make Pip fall in love with Estella, only...

2 educator answers

Great Expectations

Clarriker is a shipping merchant in Great Expectations who helps Pip secure a clerk job for Herbert Pocket without Herbert knowing Pip is paying his wages. Clarriker employs Herbert, who later proves...

1 educator answer