The Great Expectation - Discussion

[ButterflyKisses]

So, what did you like about it? 

For me, it was the whole mystery of it... and also the "reality of people" such as Miss Haveshaim.  The story was told in an engaging kind of a way... simple yet memorable.  It's not like one of those were you simply remember the gist of the story only... but you actually remember detail information from the story.

I think there are many Miss Haveshaim in the world... people who could do something for someone in need... but they don't.

[minorcharacter]

I enjoyed the complexity of the characters and how they all tied in with one another.  It's hard to discuss the characters without getting into a full discourse, but to sum things up I mainly enjoyed how some of the characters would replace the happiness they lacked in life with materialistic items.  Miss Haveshaim marrying a rich man because she herself had her heart broken.  Magwitch becoming a thief and convict in life.  These two were social engineers that experimented on Stella and Pip to raise them in their ideals.  Haveshaim in her beliefs of men, and Magwich as a way to repay Pip for his kindness.

I enjoy how Charles ****ens uses this story to relay a message about the society that he grew up in.  The story itself is classic and many of us can still relate to it especially since consumerism has such a strong hold on our society.  I'd say many Hmong people should read this book since it parallels very well with their life in the sense that most of us started very poor and through the kindness of others have made it far in life.

Were you inspired by Duckwingduck's thread today about happiness and how all these wealth and choices won't lead to it?

[ButterflyKisses]

For this thread?  No.  It was from ICU2's thread about favorite classics.  Looks like quite a number of people have read it... so I just thought we would discuss.

[zena]

I read it so long ago (freshman year in high school)...that was about 24 years ago.  After reading it, we watched the movie.  I can barely remember much of it.  I may have to re-read it sometime in the future.  I've got too many books to ead this year.

[ButterflyKisses]

I saw the movie too, but the pictures in my head are more clear... lol.

[ICU2]

So, what did you like about it? 

For me, it was the whole mystery of it... and also the "reality of people" such as Miss Haveshaim.  The story was told in an engaging kind of a way... simple yet memorable.  It's not like one of those were you simply remember the gist of the story only... but you actually remember detail information from the story.

I think there are many Miss Haveshaim in the world... people who could do something for someone in need... but they don't.

i liked everything about it.  the style of the writing, the characters, the plot, the storyline.  But the best part is reading about a little boy who likes a little girl and could never win her heart........c ause she's a little you know what 

Pip and his dumb ass head over heels falling in love with Miss Estella.  Her continue bucthery of his arrogant love.

Oh, and i love the character play between his sister and his brother in law.  I'm reading through it and i'm like, WTF dude...have some balls  y u let her put a lease on you.

but overall, it was a good book to read.  Then i started Tales of Two Cities, and that's how it went downhill for me cause jumping between the two towns and the start of the novel just did not capture my attention.  But that was when i was much younger, so who knows, maybe i'll take another jab at it someday.

[ICU2]

lol...not lease

ya'll know what i mean already though 

[chidorix0x]

Wow, read this book my Freshman year in High School, and still practically remember nearly every detail about it, more or less, even today.

And for the record, "Miss Haveshaim" (and Stella) did NOTHING for Pip except to torment him for their twisted pleasure.  Throughout the entire story/book, you were fooled, or mislead to believe "Miss Haveshaim" was Pip's benefactor, when in fact it was Stella's father -- the convict who Pip helped from the onset.

There are a lot of "morals and values" (life lessons) throughout the entire book/story.  But for me, what stands out is the "pure innnocence" (in Pip, a genuinely naïve yet pure of heart orphan) who not only aid a convict -- mainly out of fear, but also aspired to be greater despite all the odds, and then rising to meet and eventually fulfill those "Great Expectations".  (Good begets good -- reciprocity -- is how and what I took away from this story.)

This is probably one of my favorite fictional book.  One other that I can think off of the top of my head is Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales".

[chidorix0x]

I enjoyed the complexity of the characters and how they all tied in with one another.  It's hard to discuss the characters without getting into a full discourse, but to sum things up I mainly enjoyed how some of the characters would replace the happiness they lacked in life with materialistic items.  Miss Haveshaim marrying a rich man because she herself had her heart broken.  Magwitch becoming a thief and convict in life.  These two were social engineers that experimented on Stella and Pip to raise them in their ideals.  Haveshaim in her beliefs of men, and Magwich as a way to repay Pip for his kindness.

I enjoy how Charles ****ens uses this story to relay a message about the society that he grew up in.  The story itself is classic and many of us can still relate to it especially since consumerism has such a strong hold on our society.  I'd say many Hmong people should read this book since it parallels very well with their life in the sense that most of us started very poor and through the kindness of others have made it far in life.

Were you inspired by Duckwingduck's thread today about happiness and how all these wealth and choices won't lead to it?

R u sure you have the right book?  (Miss Haveshaim never remarried, or even got married.  She FROZE in time.  Hello!)

Magwich?  Is that "Spider"?  Can't seem to remember that character?  He's the one who married Stella, being a pompous snob if I recall correctly.  And then eventually divorced Stella who became the next Miss Haveshaim.  (It's been ages.  Maybe I'll go back and read the book again.)

[chidorix0x]

i liked everything about it.  the style of the writing, the characters, the plot, the storyline.  But the best part is reading about a little boy who likes a little girl and could never win her heart........c ause she's a little you know what 

Pip and his dumb ass head over heels falling in love with Miss Estella.  Her continue bucthery of his arrogant love.

Oh, and i love the character play between his sister and his brother in law.  I'm reading through it and i'm like, WTF dude...have some balls  y u let her put a lease on you.

but overall, it was a good book to read.  Then i started Tales of Two Cities, and that's how it went downhill for me cause jumping between the two towns and the start of the novel just did not capture my attention.  But that was when i was much younger, so who knows, maybe i'll take another jab at it someday.

No! If I recall correctly, that girl (his aunt) is NOT Pip's sister.  Pip was an only child, and an orphan, left to apprentice "blacksmith" from his uncle Joe -- living under their roof, who is married to that wench (forgot her name), because Joe is an extreme case of an "introvert".

I read the "Sesame Street" version of "A Tale of Two Cities" ... kekeke.  It was like 20-pages, most artwork, and like 2-3 sentences per page ... kekeke.

(Hold up, come to think of it, Pip did have a sister, or cousin, because when the "wench" -- Joe's first wife or whatever left/died -- Joe ended up marrying that girl.  Maybe the "wench" was Joe's sister???  Can't remember?  Well, I'll have to re-read the book for sure then ... kekeke.)