Introduction
Great Expectations is Charles Dickens’s classic novel, published in series from 1860 to 1861. It was compiled and issued in book form in 1861. The novel is the narrative story of an orphan who struggles to attain a social status in society.
Great Expectations novel summary in 500 words
This is the story of an orphan who belongs to the lower class and lives with his sister and her husband in Kent. The novel begins as Pip visits his parents’ graves in the nearby graveyard—meanwhile, a stranger suddenly grabs and holds him. The stranger appears to be in prison.
The prisoner orders Pip to bring food and a file. Pip steals the items, but the stranger is captured by authorities again. Pip grows as a young boy and goes with Joe, his brother-in-law, to Satis House. Satis House is the resident of Miss Havisham, an unmarried woman, and her behavior is slightly unconventional.
There Pip sees Estella and becomes enamored. Estella is a young, beautiful, blossoming girl. She is the ward of Miss Havisham. Pip imagines and creates a vision of being a wealthy man to marry Estella. She is beautiful and intelligent, yet she seems cruel in her behavior. Pip hopes that Miss Havisham will support him to be an educated person and gentleman. Therefore, he visits there and tries to meet with Estella. Pip gets annoyed at working under Joe and is desperate to become instantly rich.
Pip unwillingly continues the work with Joe in the forge. There, he hates the worker, violent Orlic, who beats his sister and makes her disabled. During work, a lawyer named Jaggers meets Pip in the forge. The lawyer asks Pip that a good amount of money has been transferred as a gift to you by an anonymous benefactor. Pip judges his benefactor as Miss Havisham.
Miss Havisham instructs Estella to play with Pip’s feelings. Pip happily goes to receive the sum of money. Afterward, Pip finds that he cannot access the money until he is 21 years old. The young boy leads his life with debts, and Estella marries a wealthy gentleman. Bentley Drummle, Estella’s husband, is cruel and unkind. After a few months, Miss Havisham invites him to her house and pleads for forgiveness from him for separating Estella and Pip.
Orlic tries to kill Pip, but Pip’s forge friend arrives at the scene and saves him. A few years later, Pip finds the stranger in his room in London city. The stranger unveils his Magwitch, who requests him for help because the police with a former criminal are searching him.
Conclusion
Pip finds that Magwitch is the father of Estella. Pip and Herbert manage Magwitch’s escape from London. However, the police find the location with the help of former criminals. Magwitch is sentenced to death. Pip returns to Kent after several years. He visits the abandoned Satis House. He finds Estella there. She is now neither manipulative nor a deceiver because her husband tortured and treated her like a lower class. The novel ends with Pip and Estella holding hands.