Great Expectations Review

I have just finished reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. This is a classic British Literature novel. I have to say, I'm not sure exactly what Pip was expected to do, but it does show us his journey. The novel starts out with him being an orphan and living with his sister and her husband. She is a lovely woman (sarcasm). One afternoon he is at the graveyard visiting his parents graves when he comes across an escaped convict. Pip is told to bring him a file so that he can file off his ankle braces. Pip does so the next morning, and that is when the seed is planted. Later on in the novel Pip goes and plays at Miss Havishim's where he meets Estella. This girl is the one great love in his life, but she can never love him back. Pip grows older and begins apprenticing with his brother-in-law, Joe, as a blacksmith. Joe loves Pip unconditionally and even considers them to be the best of friends. One day Pip is told that he has been "adopted." This means that he is now rich and is coming into property. Pip immediately has to move to London to start this process. I would consider it a coming of age process. Pip does not contact his family again. It is as if he forgot where he came from. It upset me because Joe did so much for Pip, and Pip took advantage of it. Pip eventually moves in with a great friend named Herbert, and Pip begins anonomously funding a business for Herbert. He still has not forgotten Estella. He sees her when he can, but she eventually told him to stop and she married. Late one night Pip heard something coming up the stairs. He opens the door to see the convict he had helped so many years before. The man's name is Provis, and he is the one who adopted Pip. It was his way of thanking Pip for bringing him the file all of those years ago. Provis is still on the run from law enforcement, so he has to stay hidden. Eventually Pip and Herbert come up with a plan to smuggle Provis out of the country. They were unsuccessful, and Provis was apprehended. Provis eventually dies in prison, and Pip is broke. He is so broke that he had an arrest warrant. Pip goes back to his home where Joe is where he learned that Joe paid all of his debt. Even though Pip completely forgot about Joe, Joe still took care of him. Pip becomes a very old bachelor. He then runs into Estella, who is now a widow. They catch up on the past and she tells him they should never see each other again. The novel ends with Pip telling the reader that he does not see a shadow of separation between them. It is implied that they do end up together. I think it was important for Pip to go back to where he started. He thought his fortune defined him, and Estella would not consider him because he was common. He changed everything about him for all the wrong reasons and ended back where he started. This novel reminds us to remember what is important and not to lose sight of who you are.