Great Expectations is a novel with profound social significance. The protagonist Pip is an orphan and is raised by his sister. Brother-in-law Joe is a blacksmith, who is loyal and honest, kind and friendly. At the beginning of the novel, Pip was a child and he met a fugitive in the churchyard. The kind Pip stole food and files from his home to help the fugitives. When teenager Pip was once employed by Miss Havisham, a wealthy woman in the town, he got acquainted with her adopted daughter Estella and fell in love with her. When Pip grew up, he learned to be a blacksmith from his brother-in-law in the country, while Estella went to Paris, France to be educated. He had to bury his love deeply in his heart. Later, Pip accidentally received a grant from an anonymous rich man, which allowed him to get rid of his fate as a blacksmith and live a good life in London. After Pip became rich, his thoughts and behavior changed. When brother-in-law Joe came to London for visit, Pip ignored his brother-in-law for being rustic. One stormy night, an uninvited guest came to Pip’s residence. It turned out that he was the fugitive Magwitch, who Pip had rescued in the cemetery, and was sentenced to life in exile in Australia. In order to repay a meal, he worked hard in the colony and sent the money he saved to London, all of which was used to cultivate Pip. Magwitch risked his life to sneak back to London in order to take a look at the gentleman he made. After Pip learned the truth, he felt pain and surprise. Later, Magwitch was arrested and died in prison with all his property confiscated. Estella also married someone else. Pip’s “Great Expectations” was in vain, and he was seriously ill. Under meticulous care of Joe, Pip recovered his health and his mind was reborn. Soon Pip left the UK to take a job in a company. The ending of the story is that he returned to his country 11 years later and met Estella again. Bathed in the hazy moonlight, the two walked out of the ruined Havisham house and rushed to a new life. The structure of the novel is compact and complete, and the plot is surprisingly changeable. Both the appearance and the inner world of the characters are portrayed in detail and lifelike.
