Elements of the Bildungsroman, mystery, and love story in Great Expectations by Yakir Forman

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Elements of the Bildungsroman, mystery, and love
story in Great Expectationsby Yakir Forman
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Bildungsroman

• Development from childhood to adulthood
• Often, protagonist is an orphan who seeks to find
  his own identity since he has no parents to
  define it
• I never saw my father or my mother (p. 1)
• that the small bundle of shivers growing afraid
  of it all and beginning to cry was Pip (p. 2)

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Bildungsroman

• One part of the protagonists development is his
  education
• Education is one of the first things stressed by
  Mr. Jaggers as important for Pips becoming a
  gentleman
• It is considered that you must be better
  educated, in accordance with your altered
  position, and that you will be alive to the
  importance and necessity of at once entering on
  that advantage (p. 147)

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Bildungsroman

• The protagonist often has a desire to leave his
  provincial life and become his own man in a
  large city
• In Pips case, the provincial life is symbolized
  by the apprenticeship to blacksmithing, the
  family job, and the large city is London
• I have felt for a time as if a thick curtain
  had fallen to shut me out from anything save
  dull endurance any more. Never has that curtain
  dropped so heavy and blank as when my way in life
  stretched out straight before me through the
  newly-entered road of apprenticeship to Joe (p.
  113)
• and the world lay spread before me (p. 169)

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Bildungsroman

• The protagonist usually experiences a series of
  epiphanies where he continues uncovering his
  place in life
• My first most vivid and broad impression of the
  identity of things (p. 1)
• Miss Havishams intentions towards me, all a
  mere dream Estella not designed for me those
  were the first smarts I had (p. 344)

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Bildungsroman

• A near-death experience often encourages the
  final stage of the protagonists maturation
• Limekiln incident Youre dead. I felt that I
  had come to the brink of my grave. (p. 453)
• Illness If you take me from here, I think I
  shall die by the way. (p. 492)
• Finally, maturation is complete
• Tell me of my ingratitude. (p. 493)

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Mystery

• A mystery novel centers around a mystery being
  revealed.
• In Great Expectations, there are two mysteries
• Who is Pips benefactor?
• What is Estellas lineage?

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Mystery

• Detective
• Pip What purpose I had in view when I was hot
  on tracing out and proving Estellas parentage, I
  cannot say (p. 434)
• Red Herrings
• I always supposed it was Miss Havisham (p. 355)
• Miss Estellathats her niece, I think (p. 70)

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Mystery

• Clues for both the reader and the detective
• A convict with Joes file gives Pip two pounds
• Him and Compeyson had been in a bad thing with a
  rich lady some years afore (p. 368)
• What was it that was borne in upon my mind when
  she stood still and looked attentively at me?
  (p. 251)
• The young women presented herself before Provis
  for one moment, and swore that she would destroy
  the child (p. 431)

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Love Story

• Protagonist falls in love
• Pip falls in love with Estella and remains in
  love throughout the novel
• I think I would have gone through a great deal
  to kiss her cheek (p. 97)
• I must give one chapter to Estella. It is not
  much to give to the theme that so long filled my
  heart (p. 319)

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Love Story

• Obstacles to love
• ponderingthat I was a common labouring-boy
  that my hands were coarse that my boots were
  thickand generally that I was in a low-lived bad
  way (p. 67)
• She had admirers without end. No doubt my
  jealousy made an admirer of every one who went
  near her, but there were more than enough of them
  without that. (p. 321)
• I dont care for what you say at all (p. 384)
• Have you any idea yet of Estellas views on the
  adoration question?She is thousands of miles
  away from me (p. 262)

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Love Story

• Other characters
• Drummle (Estellas other love interest)
• I felt we could not go a word further without
  introducing Estellas name, which I could not
  endure to hear him utter (p. 378)
• Biddy (Pips other love interest)
• She was not beautifulshe was common, and could
  not be like Estellabut she was pleasant and
  wholesome and sweet-tempered. (p. 132)
• And now, dear Biddy, if you can tell me that
  you will go through the world with me, you will
  surely make it a better world for me, and me a
  better man for it (p. 503)

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Love Story

• Other characters
• Herbert (Pips friend who tries to detach him
  from Estella)
• Not being bound to her, can you not detach
  yourself from her? (p. 264)
• Happy ending allows principal lovers to be
  together
• I took her hand in mineI saw no shadow of
  another parting from her. (p. 516)