Completion and Openness
On Great Expectations
In his masterpiece Great Expectations, Dickens is criticized by many as changing the ending to cater to the reader’s taste. He tends to make the ending like a conclusion, in which everyone is happy so that the readers can be satisfied. This may be true at first glance, but in fact, the revised ending of Great Expectation forms a mixture of completion and openness, adding merits to the novel’s artistic value.
In Dickens’ original ending, Estella’s life was described as very unhappy and suffering. When Pip met her again in London, he was rather giving a moral lesson.
“I was very glad afterwards to have had the interview; for in her face and in her voice, and in her touch, she gave me the assurance that suffering had been stronger than Miss Havisham's teaching, and had given her a heart to understand what my heart used to be.”
The words “used to be” suggests that there was no remains of love left. However, Dickens’ friend, the novelist Edward Lytton, suggested that such an unhappy ending would dissatisfy most readers, who always kept a slice of hope in their hearts that Pip and Estella could finally be united. Dickens thus changed his ending into a “more acceptable” one.
“We are friends," said, I rising and bending over her, as she rose from the bench. "And will continue friends apart," said Estella. I took her hand in mine, and we went out of the ruined place; and, as the morning mists had risen long ago when I first left the forge, so the evening mists were rising now, and in all the broad expanse of tranquil light they showed me, I saw the shadow of no parting from her.”
As to the two ending of Great Expectations, it is difficult to judge which one is better, but we may suggest that even Dickens himself is not sure whether Pip and Estella should come together at last. The fact is that the second ending is vague in meaning. The statement of reunion is made by Pip himself, which could only express his own will, but could not prove what will happen in the future.
Bakhtin suggests that the important feature of the novel is that it never reaches the “last word of closure”. It has a “spirit of process and inconclusiveness”. A good ending is not a simple conclusion of the story, but leaves some unsolved questions for the readers to think about and to interpret.The characters will not disappear when we finish reading the last page, but continue to live in our mind. Such inconclusiveness of
the ending is welcomed by the 20th Century modern novelists. However, when we use such an idea to analyze Great Expectations, we can find a mixture of both closure and openness to make the novel more attractive. The novel has a circularity of the narrative structure: the ending of the story is innately connected with the opening. It is the similarity between the opening and the ending that creates a sense of organic totality and completion, and it is the discrepancy of the two that suggests the openness of the novel.
We can find the mixture of completion and openness in both versions. The second is more obvious. Pip takes Estella’s hands and they go out of the ruins of Satis, leaving behind all their past unhappiness, and walking into the tranquil moonlight, symbolizing the openness of their future. The setting of the first ending is profound: the old Pip walks with young Pip in London, a place where he has experienced the forming of illusion and the disillusionment. The old Pip must see his childhood as a simple and lovely boy from young Pip, and this is a recollection of the opening, where the young “old Pip” appears for the first time. But what is different is that a real “great expectation” is waiting for the young Pip. His father is Joe and his mother is Biddy, who can provide him with a warm family and proper education. He also has a good guide, his uncle, who can keep him from distorted, but not Mrs. Havisham and Jaggers. If the story went on , the old Pip would gradually hid and disappear behind the heavy curtain of history, and so would Joe and Biddy, and the new life shall begin for the young Pip. The ending is a symbol of farewell, a farewell which should have been done 13 years ago. Mrs. Havisham, Magwitch, and now it is Estella and Pip. It is the end of their story, along with the decayed Satis and all the darkness of the past. The original ending symbolizes a real ending of one generation and the beginning of another.
By using circular structure, the ending of the novel recalls the opening in an opposite and contradictory way, providing us with both completion and inconclusiveness of the novel. They should not be regarded as drawbacks, but the finishing point which gives the novel a deeper meaning.
第二篇：great expectation读后感。
I believe that to choose an author is just like to choose a friend .A good book is a best friend, the same today and forever. I just read a book called GREAT EXPECTATIONS which really left me a deep impression. When I first picked up this book, I just wanted to read it for fun , but soon I was deeply fascinated by the story. And I learn a lesson of life from the hero, Pip.
Pip was an orphan, whose parents died when he was a little boy. It was his sister who brought him up. Pip's sister married a man named Joe, a village blacksmith who was very kind to Pip. Each time Pip was scolded by his sister, Joe always came to jive him help .For many years the family live a relativity peaceful life.
Then one day Pip came across a fierce convict hidden among the graves near his house. Pip was forced to find him some food. Though the convict was finally found and taken away by the police, this incident has great influence on Pip’s life.
Besides that, a beautiful girl called Estella also plays an important port in Pip’s life. Estella was adopted by a wealthy lady and was taught to seduce men and then desert them recklessly. Pip was stroke by Estella’s beauty and fell in love with her. Hoe ever, Estella didn’t take it seriously, which left Pip a strong desire to be a gentleman in possession of a large fortune, so that Estella would think more of him and accept him. From then on ,Pip began to study hard and fight for his great expectation. Fortunately he was subsidized by a mysterious stranger. Everything went on smoothly.
Then one day the secret was unveiled. The stranger who gave him financial support was no others than the convict whom Pip gave food to during his hiding among the graves. The convict held the view that money could help educate a poor young man into a gentleman. So when he escaped from the prison and made a good fortune, he aided Pip financially. What’s worse, Estella tuned out to be the convict’s daughter!
How desperate Pip was to find out the secrets. Pip’s great expectation seemed to be ruined in sudden.
At the end of the story, Pip came to life at last. I think he has been a gentleman. And after Estella knew her real identity and what had happened, the vain girl began to understand the value of life, and she married Pip.
After reading this book, I realize that a person's success is not so easy as we have expected. To build a great future, you have to pay out much. During the process, you may feel unhappy ,disappointed or even desperate, but if you fight to the end ,you will find a way out ,and maybe you can achieve your goal .On the contrary ,if you just give up when you get into trouble, you would never build up your great expectation, In my opinion, the most important thing is your belief, a strong belief has a unbelievable energy. Believe in yourself! If you try, you may succeed, and if you give up , you are sure to be failed!