Great Expectations is a mix of a fairytale and bildungsroman including several great

gentlemen. Throughout the story, the main character and prince charming, Pip faces many
difficult decisions that he must make for his future. All while becoming a gentleman, he realizes
who he is and who he wants to become in his later years. Miss. Havisham is represented as a
witch who misleads Pip into thinking she is his benefactor, and in return helps Estella break his
heart. Pip comes of age through the story and truly discovers his identity. In Great Expectations,
there are several underlying truths that fully define this movie.
Great Expectations in Comparison to a Fairytale
Great expectations includes several aspects of a fairytale including characters and similar
themes. According to Jessica Cambell, Dickens gave his characters and locales fairy-tale
attributes in order to endow them with that larger than life quality. (Cambell) In the beginning
of the movie, Miss. Havisham appears to be a fairy godmother. She is seen as very wealthy and
as someone who would help Pip become a successful man. Pip thinks that Miss. Havisham is
helping build his future with Estella and career. Eventually though, Miss. Havisham turns into
being seen as the witch of the story. Pip sees Miss. Havisham as his benefactor and then finally
as a self-centered, if heartbroken, manipulator. (Cambell). She turns her sadness and depressed
feelings to ruin someone elses life. Throughout the movie, Miss. Havisham has expectations of
Estella to make Pip fall in love with her and then break his heart. Another person that takes on a
character from a fairytale is Pip, as prince charming. Pip refers explicitly to fairy tales several
times casting himself as the handsome prince (Cambell). From the beginning of the movie, Pip
is a kind and charming boy. As the story progresses, Pip becomes a gentleman and falls in love
with Estella. She gives Pip a hard time, but he does not give up because his love for her is that
strong. Eventually, Pip fought for Estellas love like any fairytale prince charming would do. In

Great Expectations, Mrs. Gargery is presented as the wicked step mother. She abuses Pip his
whole life and does not appear friendly or supportive to him at all. Mrs. Gargery has a hard time
helping Pip feel a part of the family as well. The wicked step mother does this in fairytales as
well. For example, in Cinderella, the wicked step mother is not kind to Cinderella and does not
want to include her in the family. The characters in Great Expectations help form and represent a
common fairytale.
Throughout the movie, there were several themes that followed the same scheme as a
fairytale would. A theme that is similar in both a fairytale and Great Expectations is poor people
receiving good riches. Pips future included becoming a blacksmith and living in the same place.
He did not become educated and did not know how to read or write, so he was expected to not
have the abilities to become successful. Out of nowhere, he got the privilege to move to England,
become a gentleman, and become successful. Pips future did not include becoming wealthy or
successful because he grew up in a poor home, but eventually he earned good riches. Another
theme that is similar to a fairytale is a lower class person falling in love with someone out of
their league so to speak. There is a love story in almost every fairytale involving that situation.
In Jessica Campbells comparison to Beauty and the Beast she explains, Great expectations is a
tale of learning to see beyond surface differences. During Great Expectations, Pip, a lowly,
poor, common boy who is not educated or successful falls in love with Estella, a very wealthy
and smart girl. Pip tried to impress her and believed that he was sent to England to become a
gentleman so he will be allowed to marry her. Estella, in return, did not return the feelings and
was rude to him. Pip still loved her through everything. In reality, it is unrealistic and unlikely to
happen.

The Greatest Gentleman

In Great Expectations, there are several kind gentlemen. Philip Pirrip also known as
Pip is one of those men. Appearing at first as a young boy, Pip quickly shows his kindness
when he is confronted and threated by an escaped convict Magwitch to go get a file. Not only
does Pip bring the file, but he brings back a piece of pie for him. Magwitch is touched by the
innocent gesture and later pays back the kindness. In the beginning of the story, Pip is short on
manners and proper etiquette. He is invited to Miss. Havishams home simply to play with and
entertain Estella. While he is there, he is taught the ways of how to become a proper gentleman.
Pip starts to fall in love with Estella but is heartbroken when she declares that she would never
want to be friends with him. Years later, Pip returns to Miss. Havishams home and still is not
quite a perfect gentleman with his actions, but in his heart he is the kindest gentleman of all. He
sees Estella again and is told she is moving to London. Soon after that Pip is approached and told
that he is to move London and become a perfect gentleman. It is all to be paid for by his
benefactor, whose identity cannot be revealed, but he assumes is Miss. Havisham. While in
London he learns everything possible to be the perfect gentleman who he thinks Miss. Havisham
would be proud of, and be good enough for Estella. Through these years he encounters great debt
and finds himself not the same man he once was before all the money and the move to London.
Although all along Miss. Havisham did not see him as the perfect gentleman, the kindness in his
heart made him a very great gentleman.
Another gentleman in the story is Joe Gargery. Joe was Pips very kind brother-in law that
took care of him throughout the years. He gave Pip the unconditional love and support that
would be seen as a father figure. Throughout the movie, Joe stood by Pips side and was there for
him through the process with Miss. Havisham. Although Joe most likely wanted to see Pip take

after him and become a blacksmith, he pushed that aside and supported Pip. Joe always had a
kind heart. Even when Pip did not try to contact Joe after he moved to London, Joe still showed
his love for Pip by visiting him. Later in the movie, Pip comes home and apologizes to Joe. After
all that time, Joe still finds the kindness in his heart and accepts his apology. According to Tobin,
At the conclusion of Pip's story, he finds little reward beyond personal satisfaction only after he

rejects his great expectations and starts living up to the ideal of Joe, the gentle Christian man
who never leaves the forge. Pip forgets his fortune to be with the kindest gentlemen of all, Joe.
Joe Gargery is a very kind gentleman because of his forgiveness, compassion, and
understanding.
Bildungsroman
In Great Expectations, Pip goes through a transformation, which was becoming of age.
Pips character in Great Expectations faces many challenges that he overcomes which helped
develop him to become a gentleman. At a young age he lived with his sister and brother-in-law,
Joe Gargery, in the marshes where it is dark, gloomy, and nothing around them. A challenge Pip
faces at a young age is when an escape prisoner ask Pip to bring him food and file to cut the iron
chains off around his legs. Pip brought the prisoner back a pie his sister had made and a file. Pip
was unsure about stealing the pie and file and felt guilty about stealing behind his sisters back.
Pip had a heart and felt bad for the prisoner and so he wanted to do something good for him. Pip
came to an understanding that stealing was wrong but found compassion in helping out a
prisoner.
When Pip started going to Miss. Havishams house and played with her daughter Estella,
he realizes he was inferior to Estella and Miss. Havisham. Miss. Havisham encouraged her
daughter Estella to make Pip fall in love with her and then break his heart once he has fallen in

love with her. Miss. Havisham misleads Pip into thinking Pip must become a gentleman for
Estella (Mittleman). Later on Pip learns that Estella was going to break his heart and that it was
Miss. Havishams plan. Pip had also lost his relationship with Joe when he came to visit him in
London and Pip was embarrassed because Joe was a poor blacksmith. During this time in his life
after moving London and found wealth he had realized that being rich is not all its cut out to be.
Pip does not like the man he has become and realized he had shunned away the people who had
cared for him.
Growing up in a poor setting, Pip realized, as he got older that he wanted to be more
successful with his life than to just be a blacksmith like Joe (Mittleman). He had moved to
London and became rich. Pip later learns that the prisoner he helped in the Marsh, Magwitch,
was his benefactor and not Miss. Havisham. Pip comes across many losses including, his
relationship with Joe, becomes in debt, finds out Estella and him werent meant to be together,
and his sister died. Pip learned many lessons as he came of age and in the end became a better
person.
Conclusion
Great Expectations is found to incorporate ideas of a fairytale and bildungsroman, as well
as includes several great gentlemen who shape the plot of the story. Miss. Havisham, Pip, and
Mrs. Gargery all represent characters from a fairytale. Pip, representing a prince, shows kindness
in his heart as he comes of age. He also represents one of the greatest gentlemen of all. Through
his struggles and hardships he grew, developed, and learned valuable lessons. In Great
Expectations, there are hidden glimpses of different pieces of literature that combine to complete
this movie.

Works Cited
Cambell, Jessica. Beauty and the Beast and Great Expectations. Explora. 32-40. Dickens
Quarterly. Web. 3 Feb. 2016.
Mittleman, Leslie B. "Great Expectations By Charles Dickens." Salem Press Encyclopedia Of
Literature (2015): Topic Overviews Public Libraries. Web. 3 Mar. 2016.
Tobin, Mary Ann. "CRITICAL CONTEXTS: From Sham To "Gentle Christian Man" In Great
Expectations." Critical Insights: Great Expectations(2010): 55-67. Literary Reference
Center. Web. 3 Feb. 2016.