文献综述 引言

《远大前程》是英国小说家查尔斯狄更斯最成熟的作品之一，是他晚期的一部优秀作品。狄更斯经历了丰富的人间生活后，对人，周围环境和自己的生活经历都有了深刻的认识，而所有他成熟的思想认识基本上都汇总在《远大前程》这本书中。这部作品原名是Great Expectations，意思是指一笔遗产，中国将它翻译成“远大前程”。这个译名给读者一种印象，即作品的主人公是有远大前程的。而事实上，这个“远大前程”是带讽刺意义的，应该说这部作品的主题决非仅仅是写孤儿皮普想当上等人的理想幻灭的故事，如果这样理解，就领会错了狄更斯创作这部作品的意义。这部作品给众多读者留下了深刻的启发对主人公匹普的成长经历的详细描述引起了人们对当时现实生活的思考；同时，狄更斯对匹普心灵的逐渐变化以及不断走向成熟的程的描写，给予我们青年人深刻的启发，也对自我价值的进行思考。

综合不同时期的人士从不同角度对匹普的分析，从二零零七年到二零一三年的《远大前程》中匹普的性格发展与社会环境的关系，《远大前程》主人公匹普性格发展分析——兼论阅读的现实启迪意义和《远大前程》主人公皮普的性格分析等多部研究文献中，我们可以清晰的得出结论，匹普人性的迷失以及最终的回归，对金钱和地位的盲目追求的欲望是与他所处的时代背景是密切相关的，他不断地进行自我追求，追逐名利，直到自己的“绅士”梦破碎时，才开始回归到真正的现实当中来，慢慢懂得珍惜生活，走向成熟。与此同时， 他也幸运地拥有了一份属于自己的幸福。毫无疑问，《远大前程》是关于皮普的故事，狄更斯在这部作品中为我们呈现了一位少年怀有壮志雄心，坚持着自己的“绅士”梦， 在最后却承受了梦想破没后的沉重打击。 不过，不幸中的万幸是， 他认识到自己的处境并且改变了心态，开始新的生活。通过对这部作品的深入研究，读者会发现狄更斯将一个无知的儿童走向势力的绅士的过程写的惟妙惟肖， 仿佛当时的每一个任务都可以随时因现实的改变而改变， 但是， 这位绅士却在后期是去了拥有的财富，这也是对当时现实的真实写照。

主题 《远大前程》是狄更斯写于 1861 年的一部小说，是其创作生涯的第三个高峰（1850-1870），写作更趋于成熟和完善，对现实批判更为深刻，狄更斯想用文学作品来粉碎资产者对英国社会发展前途所抱的乐观幻想，主人公皮普的各种经历说明，在当时的英国，劳动人民想跻身于上流社会，只能是一种荒诞的幻想"小说通过对皮普本性回归过程的描写，深刻地揭露了当时社会的真实。

狄更斯用第一人称来叙述故事，而不失童心的他尤为重视描写儿童形象，并善于从儿童的眼光来审视世界，他善于抓住儿童的心理进行细腻的刻画描写，使得小说更具悬念和引人入胜的魅力"在字里行间，不难发现皮普的本性特征，是矛盾的统一，有善良淳朴。单纯正直的一面，又有软弱妥协。他本性良善，是其最终能良心发现。皮普也意识到，成为上等人的理想太不现实，他不该抛弃原有的纯朴，善良和诚实。他本性中善良淳朴的一面又开始克服那些不良品行"经过一系

列的人生经历，他的人性得到复苏，日益成熟起来。十一年后，回到故里，他受到姐夫一家照顾，又重获爱情的新生。 小结 皮普本性变化的原因之一是在很大程度上受到外部环境的作用和影响。这部小说叙述了一个单纯青年追求虚幻和渺茫的“远大前程”，最后幻想破灭的故事。狄更斯动态地探索了人性的善恶变化，表明了普通劳动人民要想在上流社会追求幸福是徒劳无功的。《远大前程》中皮普的经历，对于现代社会，除了具有深厚的文学价值外，还有不少社会借鉴意义。 参考文献 【1】 试析《远大前程》中的人际伦理对匹普成长的影响[J]. 蔡奂 大众文艺. 2013-03-15 【2】 浅析《远大前程》中匹普的命运成因[J] 王晨. 长江大学学报(社科版) 2013-05-14-15. 【3】 《远大前程》主人公匹普性格发展分析——兼论阅读的现实启迪意义 武玉冰 青年文学家 2013-09-2 【4】浅论《远大前程》中匹普人性的迷失与回归及狄更斯的社会道德观 张佐堂 张一宁 宁夏师范学院报 2012-04-15

【5】 《远大前程》中匹普的性格发展与社会环境的关系[J]. 邹萌 校园英语. 2012-11-21 【6】浅析《远大前程》主人公匹普的性格发展 王春会 长城 2011-10- 【7】狄更斯小说《远大前程》人物性格探析 温海涤 2007-09-05 【8】浅析《远大前程》中匹普自我追求的欲望特征及其发展过程 郭荣 时代文学（下半月） 2009-05-15

【9】成长中的逐渐成熟与自我发现——浅谈《远大前程》中匹普性格的逐渐完善 刘丽敏 科教文汇（上旬刊） 2008-10-10 【10】”’“远大前程”还是幻灭？ 姚宁 程萌 文教资料

题目：《远大前程》主人公匹普人性在现实中的回归

大纲

前言

介绍作者，引出作品，感染读者，说明作品中的人物及其启发。

作者：查尔斯·约翰·赫芬姆·狄更斯（Charles John Huffam Dickens，1812年2月7日－1870年6月9日），十九世纪英国最伟大的作家，也是一位以反映现实生活见长的作家，他在自己的作品中，以高超的艺术手法，描绘了包罗万象的社会图景，作品一贯表现出揭露和批判的锋芒，贯彻惩恶扬善的人道主义精神，塑造出众多令人难忘的人物形象。主要作品有《匹克威克外传》、《雾都孤儿》 、《老古玩店》、《艰难时世》、《我们共同的朋友》等。一百多年来他的代表作《双城记》在全世界盛行不衰，深受广大读者的欢迎。1870年6月9日狄更斯因脑溢血与世长辞。 第一章：故事梗概 《远大前程》讲述了：孤儿匹普从小由姐姐抚养，受雇于贵族郝薇香 ，并且爱上了她的养女艾丝黛拉，一心想成为“上等人”。他小时候好心搭救的一名逃犯在国外发财致富，为报答救命之恩，巧妙安排他去伦敦接受上等教育，进入上流社会。然而命运并不与匹普的希望接轨：艾丝黛拉另嫁他人，逃犯被擒、遗产充公，匹普的“远大前程”转眼化为泡影。整部小说情节扣人心弦又感人至深，希望由萌生而至幻灭的过程唤起一代又一代读者的共鸣。

《远大前程》反映了四个不同时期匹普的人际关系以及心理活动的变化,围绕主人公皮普性格的发展,将一个怀揣梦想的乡村少年,如何逐渐发展成为沾染恶习的上流社会的绅士,再到幻想破灭这一过程表现的淋漓尽致。

第一节：匹普的生活背景及童年时的经历

第二节：匹普成年时的绅士梦想及实现过程

第三节：匹普走向成熟的，获得幸福。

第二章：性格剖析

第一节：匹普在不同年龄是的性格变化

第三章：性格特点

第一节：主人公在不同环境下的性格特点

第二节：其他人物的性格特点

第二节：小说中其他人物与主人公的性格对比

第四章：分析原因

第一节: 影响性格的外部因素

文中侧重介绍社会环境与主人公性格发展的关系。

第二节：影响性格的内在因素

性格的发展与社会环境是紧密相连的,但面对生活,一个人不应抱有幻想,而应踏实冷静,使其发现真正的自我价值。

第五章：启示

第一节：对于青年人的启发及社会价值

第二篇：简析远大前程主人公皮普性格发展

1. Introduction

Charles Dickens is one of the greatest British realistic novelists. Through his numerous works，he exposed the readers to different aspects of the times he lived in and explored the unfairness and hypocrisy of the capitalist society. Meanwhile，he strongly expressed his humanity ,especially, his deep concern and sympathy towards the poor.

Pip, the hero in Great Expectations, whoes life has been through several changes. Thus he suffers a lot from his bitter life. Each crucial change is a huge moutain for him to claim or to yield, forging a new Pip. The one who is into a beautiful girl, the love drives him to chase after knowledge and fame; the one who gains a big fortune for a gentleman cultivition in London; the one whoes dreams fall into fallacy, realizing his guilty and starts repentance. Every stage Pip‘s character is under subtle change that is related to the things happened around him.

In this field, many chinese and foreign scholars have done millions of researches and studies.

Domestic research: as for Great Expectations and its author, Chinese scholars have made tireless research and commentary, producing a large number of documents. In 1980, Fan Cun Zhong said in preface of his British Literature Collection published in Beijing foreign literature ―from the perspective of language in this work , Dickens is overwhelming, the book is a model to learn English‖ ( Fan Cun Zhong, 1980: 87 ). In 1986, it has mentioned that Great Expectations is a great work of high modern research and with enlightenment to the lost generation (Niu Yong Mao, 1986). Charles Dickens’ Novel Appreciation published in 1985, has done special reaserches and discussions about Great Expectations, which has reached a flawless research phase.

Foreign research: as for foreign scholars, British scholar Wheeler Michael mentioned that ―splitting self‖ is the characteristic of all Dickens‘ late works in his book (Wheeler Michael, 1985), published by London longman press in 1985. Dickens realized and used the relationship between environment and the characters, shaped a unique world. Dickens and - 1 -

Reality published in 1978 by Cambridge university press said: ―Dickens is the best writer of good at reflecting facts‖ (Roman John, 1978: 63). Another book Dickens and the Politics of Family did deep research of the work and its author, which has done a great contributions to the reference of academic research.

This thesis carefully analyzes the relationship between social circumstances and the development of Pip‘s character in Dickens‘s Great Expectations to achieve a better understanding of this novel as well as Charles Dickens‘s great power in the criticism of society．

The paper includes five chapters. Chapter One is a brief introduction of the thesis. Chapter Two talks about the life and career of Charles Dickens as well as the background of Great Expectations. Chapter Three discusses the development of Pip‘s character. Chapter Four focuses on the analysis of social circumstances and the development of Pip‘s character. The last chapter is conclusion, further concludes the relationship between one‘s character development and his surroundings.

This article attempts to analyzes relationship between the character development and social environment of the hero, Pip in Charles‘ later work, in order to achieve a better understanding of Great Expectations, and more clearly feel the power of critical realism in Dickens works (Luo Jing Guo, 1985).

- 2 -

2. Great Expectations and its Author

2.1 Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, the son of John and Elizabeth Dickens. John Dickens was a clerk in the Naval Pay Office. He had a poor head for finances, and in 1824 found himself imprisoned for debt. His wife and children, with the exception of Charles, who was put to work at Warren's Blacking Factory, joined him in the Marshalsea Prison. When the family finances got better, his father was released, the twelve-year-old Dickens, already scarred psychologically by the experience, was further wounded by his mother's insistence that he continue to work at the factory (Waters Catherine, 1977). His father, however, rescued him from that fate, and between 1824 and 1827 Dickens was a day pupil at a school in London. At fifteen, he found employment as an office boy at an attorney's, while he studied shorthand at night. His brief stint at the Blacking Factory haunted him all of his life — he spoke of it only to his wife and to his closest friend, John Forster — but the dark secret became a source both of creative energy and of the preoccupation with the themes of alienation and betrayal which would emerge, most notably, in David Copperfield and in Great Expectations (Roman John, 1978).

Dickens's novels combine brutality with fairy-tale fantasy: sharp, realistic, detail romance, farce, the ordinary with the strange. They range through the comic, tender, dramatic, sentimental, grotesque, eccentric, violent, romantic, and morally earnest. Though Dickens was aware of what his readers wanted and was determined to make as much money as he could with his writing, he believed novels had a moral purpose–to arouse innate moral sentiments and to encourage virtuous behavior in readers. It was his moral purpose that led the London Times to call Dickens "the greatest instructor of the Nineteenth Century" (wheeler Micheal, 1985) in his obituary.

- 3 -

2.2 The Background of Great Expectations

When Dickens started his thirteenth novel, Great Expectations, in 1860, he was already a national hero. He started from humble beginnings, working as a child in a shoe polish factory while his family was in debtor's prison, to become the quintessential Victorian gentleman. He was involved in all aspects of English life: writing, acting, producing, going on book tours, publishing magazines, and, as always, active in social welfare and criticism (Collions Philip, 1971).

Amidst all this, however, Dickens' private life had entered a dark period. Dickens had just separated from his wife two years earlier, there were rumors of an affair with a young actress in the newspapers, and he was spending more and more time at his home in Chatham.

Dickens himself had risen to achieve greater expectations than any clerk's boy could expect, but he had not found happiness. The idea that one must search beyond material wealth and social standings and look within themselves for happiness becomes the major theme in Great Expectations.

Though not considered as autobiographical as David Copperfield which he had published some ten years earlier, the character of Pip represented a Dickens who had learned some hard lessons from his later life. Throughout the novel are the concepts of fraternal and romantic love, how society thwarts them, how a man fight for them (Zhu Hong, 1985).

For financial reasons, Dickens had to shorten the novel, making it one of his tighter and better written stories. It was published in serial form, as were all of his novels, and the reader can still see the rhythm of suspense and resolution in every couple of chapters that kept all of England waiting for the next issue.

All in all, Great Expectations is considered the best balanced of all Dickens' novels, though a controversy still persists over the ending. Dickens had originally written an ending where Pip and Estella never get back together. Many critics, including George Bernard Shaw, believe that this rather depressing ending was more consistent with the overall theme and tone of the novel, which began, continued, and perhaps should have finished with a serious, - 4 -

unhappy note ( Niu Yong Mao, 1986).

Nevertheless, Dickens published the ending: Estella and Pip walk out of the Saits House garden together. It was, perhaps, an ending that Dickens would have like to have had for his own life.

- 5 -

3．Analysis of Pip’s Character Development

Throughout the novel, Pip's character undergoes a contrasting change from a weak and scared little boy to a powerful and confident young man. When he meets Estella he yearns to become rich to gain her acceptance, but at last he finds out that power and wealth could not bring happiness.

3.1 The Stage of Innocence

The beginning of the story provides us a great opportunity to have a peek of Pip's character quite deeply. Dickens described that Pip has no recollection of his family, he gave us a picture of pip‘s parents‘ tomb, from where we know a suggestive young boy with a vivid imagination.

The convict threats Pip to bring him with some food and a file otherwise he will rip pip‘s heart and liver out when Pip meets the convict in the graveyard. Being frightened, poor little Pip spends the rest of that day on planning how to get what the vicious man needed from his strict sister. Struggled in heart till the next dawn, he finally stolen them for the convict on time. Here we can see a naive boy who knows nothing about the mixed world, if he is a grown-up he can easily get rid of the man and not bring him any thing or just cheat him and run away , but he does not, he keeps his promise, this clearly shows Pip‘s innocent inside world.

Throughout the book, Pip was raised by Mrs. Joe, his sister, she plays the role of a mother. She is very strict and always claims that she brought Pip up "by hand" and often beats Pip with a tickler roughly when he did something wrong even a inappreciable one, while Pip took it as natural as breathing. Joe the blacksmith on the other hand, is a direct contrast to Mrs. Joe, being a very amiable, passive fellow who not only serves as Pip's father figure but as a best friend that Pip can confide in. He often tries to protect Pip when he is scolded or beaten by his sister. This special relationship with Joe plays a major role in Pip‘s childhood with kindness and passivity.

- 6 -

3.2 The Stage of Sins

The sins started in Pips life, with his first visit to Satis house where he meets Estella. And with subtle encouragement from Miss Havisham, Pip begins to fall in love with her. When they play cards, Estella mocks him by calling him the ―Knaves‖, ―Jacks‖, which made Pip feels ashamed and embarrassed. This is a turning point for Pip of his life, one important line marked the beginning of Pip‘s desire to take first steps to change. From that on, and throughout most of the story, Pip strives to change his common ways of life. I think Pip is changing for the worse side, although he has a desire to do better with his life, it is a selfish way that aid him in his futile attempt to win Estella's heart.

When Pip begins his first attempt of being "uncommon", he persuades Biddy to tutor him. This shows that Pip's character is continuing to change and that he wants to gain higher status. The only influence could be is Satis house and its occupants. Pip‘s thirst for knowledge is a good thing, but he is only trying to make himself equal to those who treated him with disdain. This is a common theme throughout the novel as the story unfurls.

When Pip receives a big anonymous fortune and heads for London for better education to become a gentleman to win Estella, there he uses the money at will. After Pip has settled in London, he receives a letter from Joe saying that he was coming to visit. Pip regards Joe's visit as "some disturbance" he fears that Bentley Drummle, would meet Joe and will look down upon him. This is ironic because he would not mind at all if Herbert or Herbert's father, Mathew Pocket father were to meet Joe, and he respected both of them. Under the influence of Bentley Drummle it seems that Pip does not wish to associate himself with his lower class background, which is becoming a common theme in this story.

3.3 The Stage of Redemption

Pip meets an old face in London, Herbert, his roommate, who becomes pip‘s sincere friend and helps him to become more gentlemanly. An example of this is Herbert corrects - 7 -

Pip‘s table manners. Herbert's influences on Pip are all very beneficial and teach him esteem and politeness.

The death of Mrs. Joe Gargery brings Pip back to the marshes for the funeral and there he spends several days with Joe and Biddy. The moment he sets his foot on the marshes, he begins to feel guilty about what he has done. This is another turning point of Pip's character.

Pip is visited by Magwitch at his 23rd year, while ironically, he finds out that Magwitch is his benefactor not Miss Havisham, which means there is no arrangement for him to marry Estella. At first Pip feels ashamed that his aspiration to social distinction is funded by a low class criminal, this shows his contempt character again. Later Pip decides to accept the convict and harbour him while he hides from Compeyson and the police. He also takes a moral step, to stop using the convict's money. These actions show Pip‘s great decency to kindness in his character. As the story continues, his affection for Magwitch grows not out of selfishness, but out of compassion.

As the plan to smuggle Magwitch away goes into action, we can clearly see the contrast between the present Pip, and the Pip of the past, an uneasy, hesitant child, now a confident adult guiding Magwitch the way to his freedom.

The nasty encounter with Orlick leaves Pip‘s in a life-threatening situation, but he remains bold any way. When Orlick explains that it is Pip's fault led to the death of Mrs. Joe, he replies, with a rush of guilt running in his heart. Again we are seeing humility in Pips character and I think that the change comes from the influence of Joe. Joe's character is so strong and honest that it remained with Pip throughout the story. When Pip neglected Joe, the influence died, but as he thinks more and more of him, Joe's influence reappears.

Walking in the garden, Pip witnesses a horrible fire and Miss Havisham is in danger. Without thinking twice, he rushes to rescue her, and burn his hands and arms badly. Pips acts nobly to save her life instead of hating Miss Havisham.

- 8 -

4．Influences of Pip’s Character

It is well acknowledged that the outer influences one‘s character development which contains the people and social conditions play an important role as inner influences, so dose Pip, a little innocent boy grows into a fame-loving young man. Why does he have these changes? who make him into another man ?

4.1 People Who Influence Pip’s Character

We human are living in group, interact with all kinds of people in our daily life. We are taking their influences silently and invisibly. Some are good, some are bad, so does Pip.

4.1.1 Joe

Pip‘s brother-in-law, Joe the blacksmith whose father is an alcoholic, prevents Joe from going to school. To help support his family, he has to go to work when he is a little boy. Though been little educated, Joe is a thorough gentleman stands out as a loving figure in Pip‘s life. Based on love and trust, Joe and Pip share a relationship just like father and son, or brothers. They play games and participate in friendly competitions among themselves, in order to enliven the atmosphere of their home. However, as Pip gets conspicuously vacuous about fame from his fortune, Joe becomes less and less a part of Pip‘s life.

Joe hopes Pip to become his apprentice. Ironically he just wants to be what he is, while Miss Havisham insists on paying for Pip as an apprentice. This is a surprise to Joe, he is a man to sacrifice for those he cares about, and never wants such a bonus, because his apprentice Pip only out of love. Miss Havisham‘s act devaluates Joe‘s greatly, thus has a big contrast, one love, one power.

Joe loves learning, while he does not learn much. He feels happy when he watch Pip writing and reading, even cries when Pip writes a letter to him Pip tries to teach Joe all what he learns, and Joe, despite thinking himself ―awful dull‖, is proud of his learning.

- 9 -

We can learn Joe‘s philosophy about life, when he tells Pip that if he wants to be extraordinary, he has to be ordinary first. He tells Pip that even the king has to learn the basics first. In essence, everyone puts their pants in one leg at a time. When his sister knocks him with sticks, Joe often prevents Pip from being beat. Unlike Pip, Joe cares nothing for money, he is brave to fight a man like Orlick, but he also cries at the drop of a hat. Pip says of him, "I have often thought him since, like the steam-hammer that I can crush a man or pat an egg-shell, in his combination of strength with gentleness" (Charles Dickens, 1980: 264). Joe is embodied with toughness and softness, abrasiveness and gentility.

Joe has a powerful awareness and comprehension of his position and role in society. During his visit of London he calls Pip "sir" instead of "Pip". Joe knows that Pip is beyond his reach, and never visits Pip ever again.

Actually, Joe, an unschooled poor guy is the gentleman that pip dreaming to be, even the gentleman of English society.

4.1.2 Miss Havisham

Miss Havisham, a mad, vengeful, a wealthy old lady, who lives in a rotting mansion and wears an old, smelly wedding dress, which she never takes off in her rest of life. She is a poor role in the novel. Miss Havisham‘s life is dominated by an evil man who named Compeyson, leaves her on their wedding day. From that moment on, Miss Havisham turns all the clocks in her house at twenty minutes to nine, the moment when Compeyson dumps her, and she wears only one shoe, because when she is informed of his betrayal, she had not yet put on the other shoe. With such kind of manic, obsessive cruelty, Miss Havisham adopts Estella and raises her as a gun to fire any men. Miss Havisham is an example of single-minded vengeance pursued destructively: both Miss Havisham and the people in her life suffer painfully because of her quest for revenge. Miss Havisham is completely unable to see that her actions are hurtful to Pip and Estella. She is redeemed at the end of the novel when she realizes that she has broken Pip‘s heart in the same manner as her own; rather than achieving any kind of personal revenge, she has only caused more pain. Miss Havisham‘s begging for forgiveness reinforces the theme - 10 -

that bad behavior can be redeemed by contrition and sympathy.

4.1.3 Estella

She is a girl, who is doomed by birth. Raised from the age of three by Miss Havisham as a soulless and heartless tool to torture men and break their hearts. The first appearance of Estella in the novel is in chapter 8, when Pip pays his first visit to Miss Havisham's house. Pip thinks she is pretty but she is proud. Miss Havisham obliges Estella to play cards with Pip. The card game in Great Expectations is in relation to the battle of sexes. Having learned a lesson form her heart-killing marriage, Miss Havisham cultivates Estella to torture men and in the card game Miss Havisham wants to see a victory of a woman over a man. Estella wins but the most important thing here is that Estella does not want to play with Pip because she thinks he is common. This shows the pride and the superiority of Estella, and it's also important because, through this time, Pip wants to be educated to be the same level with Estella. This is a turning point for Pip, because from his deep heart he has the original class concept and he wanted to be the upper one, which is a crucial reason for his later character development. Unlike the warm, winsome, kind heroine of a traditional love story, Estella is cold, cynical, and manipulative. Though she represents Pip‘s first longed-for ideal of life among the upper classes, Estella is actually even lower-born than Pip. As Pip learns near the end of the novel, she is the daughter of Magwitch, the coarse convict, and thus springs from the very lowest level of society

Ironically, life among the upper classes does not represent salvation for Estella. Instead, she is victimized twice by her adopter. Rather than being raised by Magwitch, her real father, a man of great inner nobility, she is raised by Miss Havisham, who destroys her ability to express emotion and interact normally in her social life. And rather than marrying the kindhearted commoner Pip, Estella marries the cruel nobleman Drummle, who treats her harshly and makes her life miserable for many years. In this way, Dickens uses Estella‘s life to reinforce the idea that one‘s happiness and well-being are not deeply connected to one‘s social position: had Estella been poor, she might have been substantially better off.

- 11 -

In her life despite the cold behavior and the damaging influences, Dickens nevertheless ensures that Estella is still a sympathetic character. By giving the reader a sense of her inner struggle to discover and act on her own feelings rather than on the imposed motives of her upbringing, Dickens gives the reader a glimpse of Estella‘s inner life, which helps to explain what Pip might love about her. Estella does not seem able to stop herself from hurting Pip, but she also seems not to want to hurt him; she repeatedly warns him that she has ―no heart‖ and seems to urge him as strongly as she can to find happiness by leaving her behind. Finally, through her long, painful marriage to Drummle, Estella learns, she can rely on and trust her inner feelings. In the final scene of the novel, all this takes place in a very peculiar setting: at night, with the stars shining and in a ruined house. It's a very clear pathetic fallacy which comes to represent what they have become with the passing of time. They both have not fulfilled their own expectations. The great lesson Estella learns is that goodness does not come from a high social rank, it comes from inner nature.

Estella is an example of how a woman, with good inner principles, has been a human failure because of the bad education she has received. she has become her own woman for the first time in the book.

4.1.4 Hebert

Hebert is a relative of Miss Havisham‘s, and as a little boy he was ―on the look out of good fortune‖.

Pip has never seen anyone then and has never seen anyone since，who more strongly expresses to Pip in every look and tone，a natural incapacity to do anything secret or mean. He is only a pale gentleman and has a certain conquered languor about him in the midst of his spirit and briskness that does not seem indicative of natural strength．Herbert is not rich，but he could bear his poverty．It is evident that he has nothing around him but the simplest necessaries.

It is not beneficial to anyone concerning the influence of Pip ‘s position on others, to Herbert above all. Corrupted the simplicity of Herbert‘s life, Pip‘s lavish habits leads - 12 -

Herbert‘s easy nature into an expensive one that he couldn‘t afford．Herbert is often in anxieties and regrets, which often causes Pip a twinge to think that he has done Herbert evil devices in crowding Herbert‘s sparely-furnished chambers with incongruous upholstery work, and placing the canary—breasted avenger at his disposal.

Herbert is faithful．Pip said：―If we all did what we need to do．As faithfully as Herbert did，we might live in a Republic of the Virtues‖ (Charles Dickens, 1980: 156). When Magwitch‘s sudden arrival makes Pip want to escape，Herbert reminds Pip that: ― he comes here at the peril of his life，for the realization of his fixed idea．In the moment of realization，after a11 his toil and waiting，you cut the ground from under his feet，destroy his idea, and made his gains worthless to him．Do you see anything that he might do? And you have，and are bound to have，that tenderness for the life he has risked on your account，that you must save him，if possible，from throwing it away．Then you must get him out of England before you stir a finger to extricate yourself, in Heaven‘s name，and we‘ll see it out together, dear old boy‖ (Charles Dickens, 1980: 187)．

At this climax，Herbert makes Pip realize it is so blessed to have a friend. Herbert‘s sympathy and encouragement to Pip is so sincere that Pip feels confident to help his patron---Magwitch，even though there‘re dangers and difficulties．We have a very famous Chinese saying that：??One takes on the color of his company‖．Pip and Herbert lives together and learn from each other．Pip learns from Herbert more positive attitudes towards the world．Herbert treats Pip so sincerely that Pip find real friendship in him．Later, Pip helps Herbert get a position in Clarriker (a young merchant) house. When he sees Herbert is so glad to have this position, Pip cries in good earnest when he go to bed to think about his expectations has done some good to somebody．He also helps Herbert get some fortune from Miss Havisham.

4.1.5 Magwitch

Magwitch, as a clue in this novel, leaves an unforgettable first impression to Pip as well as the readers．Originate in his sincerity, his most striking feature only does him a little favor, - 13 -

while he feels grateful for it during his life．His affection towards Pip is just like a father．During his exile，he asks another man，to bring Pip his hard—earned two one-pound notes，which made Pip suspicious of the cause．His turning Pip into a gentleman‘s idea brings Pip drastic change and immense pain．His coming back makes Pip almost scared to death. His being arrested and sentenced arouse Pip great pain and sympathy．Pip‘s feeling towards him undergoes several changes．At first, Pip is frightened because Magwitch threatened him, Then，Pip has pity for Magwitch．He thinks that Magwitch is lost or dead，When Magwitch suddenly comes back，Pip has repugnance，and wants to abandon him．Later, with the persuasion of his friend，Pip has sympathy to Magwitch．This sympathy at last develops into sincere respect．This was just the main idea of this book．Magwitch has a strong faith to repay Pip，He promises．―If I get liberty and money，I‘ll make that boy a gentleman.‖ (Charles Dickens, 1980: 305 )When he comes back and meets Pip in the chamber, he says：―You acted nobly，my boy．Noble Pip! And I have never forgotten it‖. (Charles Dickens, 1980: 420) It is interesting enough that Magwitch regards Pip as his patron when Pip mistakes Miss Havisham but not Magwitch for his real benefactor , Magwitch，a poor one employed by the rich, is not content with this. When he earns money in the new world，he sends the money back to Jaggers and uses it to cultivate Pip into a London gentleman．This is Magwitch‘s rebellious spirit．He wants to get justice from a good gentleman he trains. Magwitch strongly believed that his daughter has died, therefore, the kind Pip in his eye is almost his son.

In Pip‘s eye，Magwitch is a dreadful visitor, while in Magwitch‘s eye，Pip is a real and complete gentleman．The sharp contrast makes Pip feel sorry．He should not treat his benefactor in such all indifferent way；he should not abhor him；he should not shrink from him with the strongest repugnance. He should show the love to him, in the way Wemmick treated his old father；he should protect him as Wemmick makes his father happy；he should be grateful for the convict because his small kindness does not deserve the sincerity from Magwitch．

Pip is not a filial son compared to Wemmick, while too mean compared with Magwitch．Compared with Joe, Pip is not forgiving．Thus the sudden coming back of Magwitch indicates the returning of Pip‘s good nature．Without this incident，Pip would never understand himself．Magwitch gives Pip a kind of generous love．This，to the lonely orphan， - 14 -

is too precious．Magwitch is like a candle，for he lightened Pip‘s future．Magwitch is like a book，for he educated Pip．Pip‘s later unselfish protection for Magwitch is the best proof of Pip‘s gaining good nature back．

4.2 Social Circumstance

After reading the novel, I find several social faotors are influencing Pip‘s character indirectly and overwhelmingly. They are the education conditions and the injustice of law.

4.2.1 The Terrible Conditions of Education

If Pip has received some formal education, he should have known the world better and might have avoided his sufferings．

In his family, the rough rude sister never gives Pip chances to satisfy her brother‘s curiosity for knowledge．Joe is a good man, but he is almost an illiterate．Joe spurs Pip to learn, but could help the boy nothing more. When Pip attends a night class，he sadly find it is not a school, where has no textbooks and no teacher in the real sense．What is used to instruct those so-called students is a ―ragged book with alphabet，some figures，tables，and a little spelling‖．What the students do at such class are eatting apples，putting straw down one another‘s back，passing their ragged book from hand to hand and reading after Biddy‘s ―three defaced Bibles‖．Only Biddy could give the so-called students meager instruction．It is because the love for Estella that Pip wants to study hard．Pip wants to learn and become somebody welcome．When Pip later becomes a London gentleman，he learns from Mr. Pocket．At this time，the purpose of receiving education is only to decorate the gentleman‘s status. Thus throughout Pip‘s receiving education, He learns only a little from his teachers. His real teachers are his sufferings．Pip‘s process of being taught is mainly the process of his teaching himself. He is thirsty for knowledge but his teachers never satisfies his intellectual need or tell him the math of life．From the beginning to the end of the book, Pip is better educated by his sufferings．Originally, he wants education because of his love for Estella．There are great gaps between Pip and Estella, Pip wants to narrow these gaps by - 15 -

learning more．While his learning would not bridge those gaps，his real textbook would not be the textbook itself, but life.

4.2.2 The Injustice of Law

In the capitalist society, the law and the courts were there for protecting the benefits of the bourgeoisie and under the administration of such laws and courts，there was much injustice of law．Magwitch‘s sufferings are a case in some point．Because Magwitch is born poor and has no one to rely on, which led him a homeless childhood where he has nothing to eat．He steals something to eat and therefore becomes a thief．Theft is guilty while Magwitch is forced to do so，He has to make a choice between to be or not to be，that is really a good question．In order to survive，he has to keep breaking the law．―In jail and out of jail，in jail and out of jail，in jail and out of jail‖，that is pretty his life When Magwitch is introduced to Compeyson, he has expected to have a change in life，to have enough to eat．To his disappointment, he becomes a black slave to Compeyson．Magwitch is a criminal，but Compeyson leads him into crime．Compeyson is a wicked man in the business of swindling， handwriting-forging，stolen bank-note passing and such-like. With such man‘s company, Magwitch could only suffer more．Magwitch is trapped in Compeyson‘ s net, he is always in debt to Compeyson；always under Compeyson‘s thumb；always working；always getting into danger．Compeyson is younger than Magwitch but he has got craft，and he has got learning．He overmatches Magwitch five hundred times and has no mercy. At last, ―Compeyson and Magwitch are both committed for felony-on a charge of putting stolen notes in circulation--and there are other charges behind‖，(Charles Dickens 1980: 423) the injustice of law works on Magwitch．Because they has difference in their looks，in their bringing-ups，in their lawyers，Compeyson is recommended to mercy on account of good character and bad company．He is only sentenced to seven years of imprisonment．Magwitch, who lacks the superficial gentility of Compeyson，gets fourteen years , even though in fact Compeyson is the principal and Magwitch is only an accessory. The injustice of law can also be drawn from the Molly‘s case of envy，which makes Jaggers famous，When Molly is a handsome young - 16 -

woman, she kills her enemy in love by choking the victim．Under the assistance of Mr. Jaggers，Molly is acquitted．Actually, her crime is definite，but Jaggers rests his case on the improbabilities of Molly having been able to do it. Mr. Jaggers also made false evidence to protect her．Molly is tamed as soon as she is acquired and she has been in Mr. Jaggers‘ service ever since. It is the injustice of law that makes Magwitch convinced to be a gentleman could enjoy easy life and a lot of privileges. That is why Magwitch determines to turn Pip into a gentleman．It is also the injustice of law that makes Estella become the adopted daughter of Miss Havisham.

- 17 -

5. Conclusion

Throughout Charles‘ world-famous work Great Expectations, we can learn plenty of meaningful things. Ambition and self-improvement take three forms in Great Expectations—moral, social, and educational; these motivate Pip‘s performance throughout the novel. At the same time, social environment plays an unreplaceable role in Pip‘s character development.

Firstly, Pip desires moral self-improvement. He is extremely hard on himself when he acts immorally and feels powerful guilt that spurs him to act better in the future. Pip is a kind-hearted boy, when the convict Magwitch threats Pip to bring some food and a file to him. Pip fully accomplishes his mission. When he lives in London accepting gentleman education, and does not come back to see them for a long time until his sister‘s death. From that day on, he realizes he has isolated Joe and Biddy. With awful feelings deep down his heart, Pip decides to visit them more often.

In the second place, Pip longs for social self-improvement. In love with Estella, he is so ashamed with his background that he is thirst for knowledge to keep himself in the same class with Estella. Later under the encouragement of Mrs. Joe and Pumblechook, he entertains fantasies of becoming a gentleman, which is a colorful bubble and will break any way .The working out of this fantasy forms the basic plot of the novel; it provides Dickens the opportunity to gently satirize the class system of his era and to make a point about its capricious nature. Significantly, Pip‘s life as a gentleman is no more satisfying—and certainly no more moral—than his previous life as a blacksmith‘s apprentice.

At last, Pip is eager for educational improvement, which is deeply connected to his social ambition and longing to marry Estella: a full education is a requirement of being a gentleman. As long as he is an ignorant country boy, he has no hope of social advancement. Pip understands this fact as a child, when he learns to read at Mr. Wopsle‘s aunt‘s school, and as a young man, when he takes lessons from Matthew Pocket. Ultimately, through the examples of Joe, Biddy, and Magwitch, Pip learns that social and educational improvement are irrelevant - 18 -

to one‘s real worth and that conscience and affection are to be valued above erudition and social standing.

As for social environment in the novel, it influences Pip all his growing up. His parents died early, and his is brought up by his sister ―by hand‖, who is an illiterate and serious woman with a tight temper. She often beats Pip with a stick, which is as ordinary as meals of a day in Pip‘s eye. Joe actually is a gentleman whom Pip is longing for, but he could not realize it. Joe acts as a father figure in Pip‘s life, and helps Pip a lot. Estella is a poor figure is this novel, a sacrifice for love, a tool of Miss Havisham to torture man, such cultivation directly lead to Pip‘s tragedy.

After all the failures of their expectations, the novel comes to its significant end. Estella who divorces her husband finally expresses her real emotions, she gets together with Pip. Pip finds all he has running after are like clouds drifted wind, the real gentleman is just beside him, Joe, the great expectation Pip has gained is not social position or money, but one should behave himself, do what he should do.

Through my whole analysis, the theme of this paper comes out clearly: Pip‘s character deeply influenced by the environment around him, which including people and social factors, In our daily life, we must be mind sober in mind, right in behavior, not be misled by one-time happiness to push ourselves into endless abyss.

- 19 -

Acknowledgements

In the course of writing this thesis, I have profited greatly from the assistance and wisdom of some people. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them all.

First and foremost, my deepest gratitude and respect goes to my tutor, Miss RenBeiBei. It is for her constant encouragement, critical instructions, her great care and precious advice and suggestions that this thesis appears in the present form Thank her very much.

Then, I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to all other teachers who gave me comprehensive knowledge during the past four academic years. I have benefited so much from their courses and constant encouragement. Their studies gave me some reference.

Finally,. my appreciation goes to my dearest parents, throughout the writing of this thesis, they have been there always giving me continuous support, encouragement and understanding. This spiritual power gives me powerful energy. Millions of thanks to them!

- 20 -

Works Cited

Barzilai, shuli. Dickens’ Great Expectations: The Motive for Moral Masochism. New York:

Chelsen House Publishers, 1987

Collions, Philip. Dickens: the Critical Heritage. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1971 Dickens, Charles. Great Expectaions. London: Pan Books Ltd, 1980

Roman, John. Dickens and Reality. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1978

Waters, Catherine. Dickens and the Politics of Family. New York: Cambridge University

Press, 1997

Wheeler, Micheal. English Fiction of the Victorian Period 1830-1890 London: Longman,

1985

范存忠. 英国文学论集[M]. 北京: 外国文学出版社, 1980

罗经国. 狄更斯评论集[M]. 上海: 上海译文出版社, 1985

牛庸懋, 蒋连杰. 19世纪英国文学[M]. 济南: 黄河文艺出版社, 1986

朱虹. 狄更斯小说欣赏[M]. 山西: 山西人民出版社, 1985

- 21 -