Q: 01. Does Pip feel nervous or excited about
accompanying the soldiers on the convict search?
Ans: Pip
feels nervous about accompanying the soldiers on the convict search as he is
afraid that his connection with the convict would be discovered and put him in
trouble too.
Q: 02. What surprising confession does Pip's
convict make to the soldiers, and why do you think he did it?
Ans: The
convict “Magwitch” made a false yet surprising confession to the soldiers that
he had stolen the food and file from Pip’s house as he didn’t want Pip to be in
trouble for his kindness and wanted to protect him from suspicion. Pip had
shown kindness to him by bringing food and file to him as well as trying help
him to escape and this was just a gesture of love and appreciation shown by
convict.
Q: 03. How does Estella treat Pip when they
first meet, and in what ways does this encounter influence his self-image?
Ans: Estella
treats Pip coldly and calls him coarse. She humiliates Pip for his appearance
and coarse hands. She contempt him calling “common” and mocks his appearance.
The encounter has planted seeds of dissatisfaction with his simple life and
fuels the desire to win her approval by becoming a gentleman.
Q: 04. What is unusual about Miss Havisham's
appearance and lifestyle, and how do these reflect her past?
Ans: Miss
Havisham is a symbol of “time stands still if we do not let our past
go away”. She is clad in her wedding suit and has stopped all the clocks at
exact time when she was jilted. The
banquet table and food still set on the table with rotten food, frozen in time.
She has adopted a girl to take revenge upon all the men of the world. Her
determination to preserve her heart break forever as revenge. All in all, she
portrays that she is unable to move past being jilted at the altar.
Q: 05. Does Pip tell the truth about his
visit to Miss Havisham's house? Does Pip reveal the truth to someone later?
Ans: No,
Pip does not reveal the truth rather made false stories when he is asked by his
sister. He invents stories about the greatness, wealth and grand treatment
there. However, overwhelmed by the guilt, he confesses the truth to his
faithful well-wisher Joe, who comforts him while emphasizing the importance of
honesty.
Q: 06. What happens when Pip meets the pale
young gentleman, and what is unusual about the outcome?
Ans: When
Pip meets the pale young gentleman, he challenges him for a fist-fight.
Surprisingly, Pip won the fight and his opponent, Herbert Pocket, congratulated
him. He shood his hand and didn’t show any kind of resentment. This appears to
be a planned fight arranged by Stela to have an idea of Pip’s courage and
skills. It is unusual that the loser congratulates the winner and shakes his
hand to show his respect.
Q: 07. Is Pip happy about becoming a
blacksmith after visiting Miss Havisham's house?
Ans: Pip,
realizing that his appearance and outlook as a blacksmith is the cause of
Stela’s disapproval, makes his uncomfortable and to hate being a
blacksmith. He feels quite dissatisfied, uncomfortable and ashamed. He grows
ashamed while looking at Satis House’s wealth and his own “common” hands,
clothes and overall coarse appearance. This acts as the milestone of the journey
to become uncomfortable and longing to get out of the forge, Joe’s humble way
of life and common living.
Q: 08. What role does Miss Havisham play in
Pip's apprenticeship, and how does this impact his expectations for the future?
Ans: Miss
Havisham showed interest in Pip’s well-being and kept asking Pip about his
plans. When he informed that he has to take apprenticeship under Joe, she
arranged the paperwork and handed over twenty-five (25) pounds to Joe as the
earning of Pip’s visits to Satis House. This act of kindness from Miss Havisham
fueled Pip’s confusion that she is planning something for him and Estella and
would be his financial benefactor. Her such involvement created unrealistic
hopes and expectations in poor Pip’s mind and heart.
Q: 09. How does Pip's relationship with Joe
and Biddy begin to change as he becomes more focused on his new life in London?
Ans: When
Pip becomes more focused on his new life in London to be a gentleman and worthy
of Stela, he grows increasingly distant, formal, uncomfortable and ashamed of
their simplicity. He never wants to visit them and adopts a condescending
behaviour towards Joe especially after Joe’s visit to London where he delivered
Miss Havisham’s message to him. When he visits Satis House, he prefers to stay
at a famous Inn rather going to Joe and Biddy.
Q: 10. Who unexpectedly visits Pip in London,
and what shocking revelation does this person share?
Ans: By
the age of 23, Pip had no clue about his secret benefactor but one night a
stranger visited him. The stranger was Abel-Magwitch, the convict Pip had
helped and served food with, in the childhood. This visit was not only
unexpected but an utter shock for Pip as he revealed the secret benefactor of
“Great Expectations” telling Pip that he was the sole benefactor who had taken
up the charge of being his guardian and financed him till then. The revelation
had shaken Pip from head to toe and his misunderstanding that Miss Havisham was
the secret benefactor came to an end. This also fueled hatred and fear in Pip’s
heart for the convict as well as himself for using a criminal’s money to become
a gentleman.
Q: 11. Does Pip feel proud or ashamed when he
learns that Magwitch is his benefactor?
Ans: Pip
grows ashamed and grieved after knowing that Magwitch is his real benefactor.
He considers that the money he had been spending came from criminal sources as
a dirty money. He thinks that his social elevation is built on crime, not
merit, contradicting his aristocratic pretensions and triggers a moral crisis.
Q: 12. How does Pip's relationship with
Estella evolve by the end of the novel, and what lesson does he learn from
their journey?
Ans: Pip
and Estella come face to face many times since the beginning till the end.
Estella, who has been trained and brought to break hearts, finds inclined to
Pip and she confesses it when she tells Pip that she manipulates everyone but
Pip. This silent respect and care goes on till the end when Pip finds her at
Satis House and breaks his monotonous life by telling her that he still loves
her and life is not as she takes it on. Overall, they both are interested in
each other in their own ways and that leads to a happy ending of Great
Expectations.
Q: 13. How does Pip's character evolve from
childhood to adulthood, and what key experiences shape his transformation?
Ans: Pip
is the protagonist of the novel. The character has been developed in a way that
faces inner and outer conflicts throughout the story and develops with the
events of the of novel. In childhood, he has been portrayed as a victim of
poverty, punishment and deprivation in every possible way but that doesn’t
affect his innocence. As he grows towards adulthood, the innocence changes into
a proud young man thinking about his benefits and place in the society. The
later stage is when Pip grows humble and more understanding towards the life
and its ups and downs. Since feeling guilty while helping the convict till
caring for the same person till his deathbed, loving Estella unconditionally,
considering the favours and kindness of Herbert by helping him all the way and
trying to convince Miss Havisham to realize her mistake in upbringing Estella
into an avenging and self-centered person, all experiences help Pip in shaping
the personality he depicts throughout the novel. The hardships, sacrifices,
loss and loyalty of Magwitch and Joe are ladders which Pip climb during his
life.
Q: 14. What does Joe Gargery represent in the
story, and how does his relationship with Pip highlight themes of integrity and
unconditional love?
Ans: Joe
Gargery symbolizes kindness, honesty, simplicity and unconditional love in a
world that cares for class, money and materialism only. Even when his son like
figure Pip, rejected him Joe accepted him back as he returned to forge near the
end of the story, without anger or mocking. He is presented as a proof of real
greatness that comes from kindness rather social rank. The relationship between
him and Pip shows that love and forgiveness are beyond everything. His
character is the source to teach Pip gentility and humanity.
FURTHER READING QUESTIONS:
Q: 01. What are the elements of a Novel?
Ans: The elements of a Novel are:
Plot, Characters: Setting: Theme, Point of
View, Conflict, Style and Tone:
PLOT:
Plot is the sequence of events in the story, inducting exposition, rising
action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
CHARACTERS: The individuals / beings / animals who drive the story, including
Protagonists, Antagonists, and Supporting Characters.
SETTING:
The time and place where the events
occur, influencing the mood and atmosphere.
THEME:
The central idea or message the novel conveys, such as love, ambition, or
social class.
POINT OF VIEW: The perspective from which the story is told (first-
person, third-person, omniscient, etc.)
CONFLICT: The struggle between opposing forces, either internal
(within a character) or external (against another character, society, or
nature).
STYLE and TONE: Author's unique way of writing, including language,
sentence structure, and emotional feel.
Q: 02. What is a novel?
Ans: A novel is a long, fictional narrative written in prose that explores
characters, events, and themes through a structured plot. It allows for deep
character development and detailed storytelling, often reflecting social,
cultural, or psychological themes.
Q: Define following elements of the novel in the light of Great Expectations.
1. PLOT.
The
plot is the sequence of events that tell the story. Sometimes we call it the
‘narrative structure’. Another way to use the term ‘plot’ is to make a plan.
For example, “There is a plot to rob a bank.”
Plots
usually follow a familiar structure. We tell children that plots have a
‘Beginning’, ‘Middle’ and ‘End’ – and that might be true for a short story:
Beginning: Introduces the characters and sets the scene
Middle: Introduces a
complication and tells the story of how it is overcome
Ending: Resolve each
character’s individual story and provide a sense of closure.
As
students get older, we go into a bit more depth and use more formal terms:
Exposition: The
exposition begins the story. It provides the necessary background information
like the setting and character details. It may also outline the relationships
between characters and any other important information. This section should set
the scene but also entertain the reader from page one.
Rising
Action:
The rising action part is the part of the story where “the plot thickens”.
Challenges, conflicts and complications are introduced during the rising action
segment. This is often the longest part of the story. Authors aim to create and
build tension as long as possible to entertain the reader and create a true
‘page turner’ of a story.
Climax: After rising
action comes climax. This is the turning point of the story where the tensions
in the plotline come to a head. A good climax may involve a twist or a big
reveal. Other examples of a climax might be a big battle, police chase or
exposure of a love affair.
Falling
Action:
After the climax comes falling action. I often find the falling action segment
is brief but may be necessary to conclude the key scenes that occurred in the
climax. During the falling action, tension starts to dissolve
Resolution (denoument):
The resolution gives a sense of closure to the reader. It may tie up loose ends
in character plotlines and explain what becomes of the key characters after the
story. To use The Lord of the Rings example, the resolution shows Frodo sailing
to the Grey Havens and Sam marrying Rosie Cotton.
2. CHARACTER.
Characters
are the people (or sometimes animals!) who are featured in a story. The
different characters in a story that you need to know about are: the
protagonist, antagonist, static character, dynamic character, and confidante
character.
The Protagonist
is the hero of the story and central character. We’ll also usually call them
the ‘main character’. They will get most of the attention of the author. Every
narrative – whether it’s a novel or short story – will have a protagonist.
The Antagonist
is the opponent of the main character. This person stirs trouble and is often
the main cause of tension in the plot line. The hero’s role is often to prevent
the antagonist from doing harm to people.
There
can also be peripheral and dynamic characters. Peripheral
characters who don’t change much throughout a story but set the context are
often called ‘static characters’. Parents are often seen as static characters
in books and movies. They are reliable, always there, but don’t do much to
compel the plot forward. By contrast, a dynamic character might start out as an
unassuming peripheral person in the story. As the story progresses, they move
toward the center of the storyline, become closer to the main character, and
increase in importance.
Lastly,
the confidante is the sidekick for the main character. It often
takes the role of a wise or philosophical character, although not always. In
The Lion King, Timon and Pumba act as confidantes to Simba during his exile
years. Other confidantes in that story include Rafiki and Nala.
3. DIALOGUE:
Dialogues refer to the
conversations between the characters. They reveal personality, behavior, type
of roles, social attitudes the twists they bring into the plot and carry
forward the point of view of the author.
4. SETTING:
The
first of the story elements is the story setting. All stories have a setting.
The setting includes the time and place in which the story will be taking
place.
There
may be just one-story setting, such as in a short story that only takes place
in a single room of a house. Or, there may be many different settings spanning
many locations and times, such as stories that span generations or that have
characters who travel the globe.
Common
setting considerations are: Time, Place and Alternative reality
In
regard to time, stories can be set in the past, present, future, or even a mix
of the three. For example,
BACK
TO THE FUTURE uses all three settings. Marty McFly travels back and forward in
time, capturing the audience’s imagination as settings and time zones change
from scene to scene. Authors also need to create compelling place-based
settings in their stories. Things to consider when looking at the sense of place
in a novel or short story include:
STORY SETTING EXPLANATION
The
Country / Nation: Which nation, if any, will form the backdrop of the story? If
it’s a fantasy story, writer creates own magical land.
Urban,
Suburban or Rural: Story that takes place in a
city, the suburbs or somewhere more remote.
Beachside,
Mountainous, or Other: The stories in which the sea feature prominently in your story? Or
perhaps the story will be set in the mountains. If your character is
travelling, perhaps they will move through many different landscapes such as in
The Lord of the Rings.
Some
stories may also choose to have alternative realities. Alternative reality
books followed the true history of the world to a point. Then, they diverge
after a fictional event occurs such as a war or natural disaster.
Lastly,
some authors want to make the setting of a story ambiguous. This works well in
sci-fi and fantasy stories which want to detach themselves from our current
world. With such an ambiguous setting, the author could create their own
technologies, religions and planets without the need to refer to any contexts
of the ‘real’ world here on earth.
SETTING OF GREAT EXPECTATIONS:
Great Expectations is set in nineteenth-century England, mainly in London and
the surrounding marshlands where Pip grows up. The settings are described
through Pip’s point of view, and highlight both his dissatisfaction and his
idealism. As Pip becomes increasingly discontented with home and with
everything around him being “all coarse and common,” he becomes repelled by the
flat marshlands. Comparing them to his prospects he says, “how flat and low
both were.” Despite Pip’s ambitious hopes for London, when he arrives in the
city Pip finds it “rather ugly, crooked, narrow, and dirty.” Because Pip is
constantly chasing his “great expectations,” he can’t see the value or appeal
of any of the places he encounters. At the end of the novel, when Pip returns
to his hometown humbled and eager to reconcile with Joe and Biddy, he finds
that “the June weather was delicious. The sky was blue… I thought the
countryside more beautiful and peaceful by far than I had ever known it to be
yet.” Because Pip has finally made peace with his history and identity, he can
finally appreciate the beauty of the world around him.
5.
MESSAGE (THEME):
The theme is the author’s central argument or big idea they want to
convey. Themes are often associated with a ‘moral of a story’ or an analogy (a
hidden meaning in the text). They attempt to convey a piece of wisdom or
fundamental truth about human nature for us to think about. Even in a short
story there will be a key theme.
Common types of themes, also known as central ideas, include:
· Good vs. evil
· True love
· The absurdity of life
· The pain of war
· Seeking freedom
· Political corruption
· The power of redemption
· The importance of faith
Similarly,
love has been a theme throughout millennia in stories. What is true love, how
can it be found, and how can we keep it? Perhaps the most famous example is in
Romeo and Juliet.
Existentialist
literature attempts to expose the absurdity of life, e.g. how life is futile,
pointless and meaningless. Two great examples are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
are Dead and Catch 22.
Many
stories throughout history have been cautionary tales about the pain of war and
its devastating effects on life. A compelling example is The Diary of Anne
Frank.
The
desire for freedom is another common motif in stories and movies. This often
involves the struggles in escaping oppression, war or nature. One example of
this theme that I love is The Truman Show’s theme.