Abstract

Charles Dickens is regarded as one of the outstanding novelists in the history of Victorian England. His works vividly reveal the entire British society of Victorian age, and their depth and width are beyond comparison when compared with many contemporary works.

By analyzing Pip’s character development in Great Expectations, it is possible for people to have a good command about this novel. Great Expectations narrates the story of Pip’s pursuit of gentleman life with the help of an anonymous donator. To achieve his dream of being a gentleman, Pip gradually lost himself and abandoned his original virtues in London. It was until the appearance of the real donator that Pip’s great expectations failed, Pip regretted his deeds and found his identity again.

There are five parts in this paper. Part one is a brief introduction which introduces the author and Great Expectations. Part two is the literature review, presenting different explanations about Great Expectations. Part three discusses various kinds of factors which affect Pip’s character development, namely, social circumstances, family conditions, educational factors and personal reasons. Part four analyzes Pip’s character development in details, purity and innocence in childhood, degeneration and capriciousness in adolescence, maturity and self-construction in youth. The last part concludes the true meaning and far-reaching impact of Great Expectations.

Key words: Charles Dickens; character development; social circumstances; educational meaning

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction-1

1.1 Charles Dickens and his achievement-1

1.2 Great Expectations-2

2 Literature Review-3

3 The Factors that Influence Pip’s Character Development-4

3.1 Social circumstances-4

3.2 Family conditions-5

3.3 Educational factors-6

3.4 Personal reasons-7

4 Analysis of Pip’s Character Development-9

4.1 Purity and innocence in childhood-9

4.2 Degeneration and capriciousness in adolescence-10

4.3 Maturity and self-construction in youth-11

5 Conclusion-12

References-13