This is a guide for my AP English Literature students to help them make sense of the literature we encounter, and I will include some cool stuff that will lead others to love and admire a variety of authors and their works.
Read this chapter carefully -- then read the first Connections story, "A Dickens of an Ending." Which ending to the novel do you believe is the ending that fits the story best? Why?
I think that the ending in the book fits the story the best. For one, it is a happy ending and I think that this book needed a happy ending. I also think it gives Pip a break after being kind of "left" by Biddy for Joe. He loved each of his friends so much that he sacrificed what he thought was his love for Biddy for the happiness of both of them. I think also after he told Biddy about him always being a bachelor, that this part was deffiantly needed in the book. He always loved Estella and finally she loves him back and he is happy. Also she was treated cruelly by Drummle and she deserves better as well! I like the end and I would not change it!
The ending of the novel seems to be the best ending for the novel. After the death of Magwitch and Pip's loss of Biddy and loss of social status (though he is better off in his original class) the reader needs to feel that Pip will be happy later in life. Also, the reader needed to know that Estella admits that she is changed and has been greatly hurt by Mr. Drummle. After eleven years, Pip deserves a happy ending to a life that has presented him with much distress. By then he had become much wiser and knows that love is the most important thing, not money or social class. He accepts the social class he belongs to and is a better gentleman in this social class than he was in the higher social class. I believe that this happy ending was very needed in this novel.
To me, both endings have the same message: Estella has suffered since parting with Pip, and that suffering has lead her to realize her blindness to what Pip was and could have been to her. However, out of the two, I prefer the longer ending. This ending, to me, is more complete in it's closure. Satis House has been torn down, and construction is slated to begin on raising up something new, symbolizing the end of Pip's journey since he first set foot there, and his moving on from it (the same also applies to Estella). The other ending was sort of awkward to me, in the sense that it felt a bit out of place and abrupt.
All in all, this novel was an interesting coming-of-age story. Pip, in his desires to become a hero, winds up with zero, but wises up with the twists and turns of his life. He establishes strong friendships, and realizes that the true value of his life lies with the people he truly cares about rather than all the unimportant people he once wanted to impress. The newer ending to "Great Expectations" best fits into this story, because it adds an anticlimax that fits smoothly with this theme. Pip and Estella end up together in the end, but only after the trials of a harsh life have instilled the correct values into their hearts for a practical relationship. Estella has learned, by way of terrible treatment in marriage, that Pip's loyalty is a valuable thing. Pip learns to dedicate his life to those dearest to him rather than selfishly trying to impress others with money. Both, in this ending, have developed the traits to make their relationship an appropriate anticlimax to the story.
I feel the finalized ending in the novel makes the best story. Throughout the novel, Pip had to learn that it was the people who care about him and how he treats them was more important than social standing. If he had gone through all that and still not seen the benefit he had desired since the beginning then the novel would have no justice to back up its theme. The otehr ending just seemed to smash all of Pip's great expectaions completely. Estella had a hard life after she wa trained to be a life ruiner. Pip lived out his days alone, and all his hard work and Estella's suffering was for nothing. Without the happy ending, there would have been numerous complaints come the first day of class.
The ending presented in the book seems to fit the book better. A lot of things happen since Pip coming back to his town. It also brings the much needed closure between Pip and Estella. With Estella, she has suffered greatly and through that suffering, she realized how foolish her behavior was toward Pip. To Pip, he has experienced many things since his expectations, from joy to pure heartache, and through this he also becomes stronger in the end. With the mansion being torn down to become something else, symbolizes the ending of Pip's Great Expectations.
The ending in the book wraps up the novel in a happier way. Pip and Estella's common past has lead them to the point in the end where they realize their love for one another. Also it connects to the foreshadowing of the mist and how Pip leaves with Estella and no longer sees the shadow cast around her, which he hopes means they'll never part again. Pip finally realizes things constantly change and that relationships with his loved ones are what matters most in life, not money or social status.
I have mixed feelings about both endings. Obviously most people like a happy ending, including me, but I feel like something’s missing. When Pip and Estella walked away, I took that they would be together now. Though I think one of the most important things of the book was that you shouldn’t have to change who you are to impress someone (Pip becoming a gentleman for Estella). I think the book would’ve have more closure with the theme of staying true to yourself if maybe Pip and Estella talked about how he was wrong in trying to become a higher social status for her, because it seemed like she learned the lesson through Drummle. Other than that, I’m glad it was a happy ending, it made the book seem more worthwhile.
I think the happy ending was better suited for the book. It made me feel like this book that I had spent my whole summer reading was worthwhile. Pip had changed for the better, and after seeing Biddy ended up with Joe, he handled it very well, and despite his disappointment, he was genuinely happy for the well-being of his friends. It wasn't just a happy ending for Pip, but also for Estella as well. Even though you pretty much want to kill her the whole book for being so hard and not having a heart, though Pip has this undying love for her, I was happy that she had changed. Estella was clearly unhappy throughout the novel, and was leading an unhappy life with her husband. A quote I liked from earlier in the novel was when Pip asked Estella if she decieved other men, and she replied, "Yes, and many others--all of them but you." This made me think that she did have feeling deep down for Pip, but because of the way she was raised by Miss Havisham, she was not able to show them. So since they had both changed for the better, I think it was a suitable thing that they ended up together.
The real ending in this book makes better since than the original ending. I liked how this novel had a happy ending because you could tell that Pip and Estella will end up together. The other ending did not seem very realistic and it seemed like there were parts missing from it. Also the quote from the real ending, "I saw no shadow of another parting from her" was a way to tell that they would be together forever. This last chapter had so much symbolism in it including the ruins from Satis House. It showed that the house was where Pip's journey began and ended.
I personally like the original ending better than the one present in the novel today. First of all, what's the probablility that both of them go visit the land at the same time on the same day when neither of them has been there for years. Second of all, I don't want Pip to have a happy good ending. I don't like books that have fantasy endings rather than possible realities. Pip made a lot of mistakes throughout his life and even till the end he didn't appreciate Biddy. Although he wanted to marry her, the only reason he did was because he couldn't have Estella, and Biddy was just the next best thing that he could settle for. The present ending implies that Estella and Pip will end up together, which would leave the reader being told that Estella really is this beautiful worthy woman as well as someone that can make Pip happy. Third of all, the original ending kind of hints that Pip has moved on and so has Estella and now they are on normal acquaintances, which I like.
Hey, this is greg, i am really sorry but my other account is not working so i am forced to use this one. I hope i still get credit...
but I agree with a majority of the people on this page in saying that the happy ending is best suited for the end of the book. After spending so much time getting to know Pip and going through the events of his life, I was really pulling for him to be relatively happy in the end. I also was happy because i called out Estella and Pip ending up together in the chapter that she was introduced, so that was pretty cool for me. The ending is also gratifying because all of the change Pip has gone through during the novel is shown to have effected him in a positive manner, having him be content with the one he loves instead of worried over his social status, and choosing his friends happyness over all else.
I know people like a happy ending but I don’t think that the revised ending is as good of a fit for the book. Up until now this book had been fairly realistic. Between showing how in life things aren’t always what you expect ( Pip’s true benefactor, Joe marrying Biddy), how having money can change people (Pip) and how people treat you ( How Plumblechook was suddenly Pip’s best friend when he found out about Pip’s expectations and how he tried to convince Pip he was responsible for Pip’s expectations. Then how Plumblechook reverted to his normal malicious self when he found out Pip was no longer rich.) and that true friends don’t care how much money you have (Joe and Biddy) Dickens wrote a lifelike story. I believe that the ending change detracts from this by taking a unhappy story and just slapping a fairy tale ending on it.
I really dislike the revised ending Dickens used in the novel, and personally I think that the original was much better. The fact that Estella and Pip end up together is upsetting to me. While Estella has every reason to love Pip for his loyaly and kindness over the years, Pip has no reason to return these feelings due to her past cruelty. Yes, Estella has most likely changed from recent expereinces, but Pip doesn't know anything about her newfound self, and claiming that they will never part again is a little over the top. Also, Pip's past facination with Estella was based soley on his obsession to climb up the social ladder, and the novel works so hard to help him oversome that only to bring her back into the picture again. This novel is about growing up. Part of growing up is being able to let things go and move on, hopefully becoming a better person along the way. The fact that Dickens changed the ending for crowd pleasing purposes instead of staying true to the message of the story makes him a sell out in my opinion.
I disagree with the revised ending as well. The whole entire novel has been full of realistic events in life, and I honestly don't think the ending is very consistent with the plot. I realize that Dickens likes to throw in some spontaneous happy events within the novel, but to end it like this? It isn't a bad ending, but by concluding it with Pip and Estella being together doesn't exactly prove Dickens point of moving on in life. I would have liked the story to end with Pip beig the true gentleman he was by forgetting Estella and moving on in life.
I think that the original story is a better fit. I really like the last line at the end about suffering has given Estella a heart, and I think that this is more realistic. During Pip’s time in London, he does not see the cruelty that he is giving Joe, and he does not really learn until that cruelty is returned to him in Magwitch’s death. It is sensible to say that the same goes with Estella, she does not see the error her ways until she experiences it herself. The entire story way the metamorphosis of Pip from a parentless, little boy, to a snotty “gentleman, and then into a real gentleman, so if Pip can change Estella should be able to as well. However, I think that the current ending is a bit over the top with the lovey-dovey stuff, and it seems that Dickens’ changed it just so that his readers would feel happy and content. Also, I think that with all of the bad blood between Pip and Estella, I just do not see the two walking off into the sunset holding hands. Even Pip and Joe’s relationship is not the same after the events of London.
16 comments:
I think that the ending in the book fits the story the best. For one, it is a happy ending and I think that this book needed a happy ending. I also think it gives Pip a break after being kind of "left" by Biddy for Joe. He loved each of his friends so much that he sacrificed what he thought was his love for Biddy for the happiness of both of them. I think also after he told Biddy about him always being a bachelor, that this part was deffiantly needed in the book. He always loved Estella and finally she loves him back and he is happy. Also she was treated cruelly by Drummle and she deserves better as well! I like the end and I would not change it!
The ending of the novel seems to be the best ending for the novel. After the death of Magwitch and Pip's loss of Biddy and loss of social status (though he is better off in his original class) the reader needs to feel that Pip will be happy later in life. Also, the reader needed to know that Estella admits that she is changed and has been greatly hurt by Mr. Drummle. After eleven years, Pip deserves a happy ending to a life that has presented him with much distress. By then he had become much wiser and knows that love is the most important thing, not money or social class. He accepts the social class he belongs to and is a better gentleman in this social class than he was in the higher social class. I believe that this happy ending was very needed in this novel.
To me, both endings have the same message: Estella has suffered since parting with Pip, and that suffering has lead her to realize her blindness to what Pip was and could have been to her. However, out of the two, I prefer the longer ending. This ending, to me, is more complete in it's closure. Satis House has been torn down, and construction is slated to begin on raising up something new, symbolizing the end of Pip's journey since he first set foot there, and his moving on from it (the same also applies to Estella). The other ending was sort of awkward to me, in the sense that it felt a bit out of place and abrupt.
All in all, this novel was an interesting coming-of-age story. Pip, in his desires to become a hero, winds up with zero, but wises up with the twists and turns of his life. He establishes strong friendships, and realizes that the true value of his life lies with the people he truly cares about rather than all the unimportant people he once wanted to impress. The newer ending to "Great Expectations" best fits into this story, because it adds an anticlimax that fits smoothly with this theme. Pip and Estella end up together in the end, but only after the trials of a harsh life have instilled the correct values into their hearts for a practical relationship. Estella has learned, by way of terrible treatment in marriage, that Pip's loyalty is a valuable thing. Pip learns to dedicate his life to those dearest to him rather than selfishly trying to impress others with money. Both, in this ending, have developed the traits to make their relationship an appropriate anticlimax to the story.
I feel the finalized ending in the novel makes the best story. Throughout the novel, Pip had to learn that it was the people who care about him and how he treats them was more important than social standing. If he had gone through all that and still not seen the benefit he had desired since the beginning then the novel would have no justice to back up its theme. The otehr ending just seemed to smash all of Pip's great expectaions completely. Estella had a hard life after she wa trained to be a life ruiner. Pip lived out his days alone, and all his hard work and Estella's suffering was for nothing. Without the happy ending, there would have been numerous complaints come the first day of class.
The ending presented in the book seems to fit the book better. A lot of things happen since Pip coming back to his town. It also brings the much needed closure between Pip and Estella. With Estella, she has suffered greatly and through that suffering, she realized how foolish her behavior was toward Pip. To Pip, he has experienced many things since his expectations, from joy to pure heartache, and through this he also becomes stronger in the end. With the mansion being torn down to become something else, symbolizes the ending of Pip's Great Expectations.
The ending in the book wraps up the novel in a happier way. Pip and Estella's common past has lead them to the point in the end where they realize their love for one another. Also it connects to the foreshadowing of the mist and how Pip leaves with Estella and no longer sees the shadow cast around her, which he hopes means they'll never part again. Pip finally realizes things constantly change and that relationships with his loved ones are what matters most in life, not money or social status.
I have mixed feelings about both endings. Obviously most people like a happy ending, including me, but I feel like something’s missing. When Pip and Estella walked away, I took that they would be together now. Though I think one of the most important things of the book was that you shouldn’t have to change who you are to impress someone (Pip becoming a gentleman for Estella). I think the book would’ve have more closure with the theme of staying true to yourself if maybe Pip and Estella talked about how he was wrong in trying to become a higher social status for her, because it seemed like she learned the lesson through Drummle. Other than that, I’m glad it was a happy ending, it made the book seem more worthwhile.
I think the happy ending was better suited for the book. It made me feel like this book that I had spent my whole summer reading was worthwhile. Pip had changed for the better, and after seeing Biddy ended up with Joe, he handled it very well, and despite his disappointment, he was genuinely happy for the well-being of his friends. It wasn't just a happy ending for Pip, but also for Estella as well. Even though you pretty much want to kill her the whole book for being so hard and not having a heart, though Pip has this undying love for her, I was happy that she had changed. Estella was clearly unhappy throughout the novel, and was leading an unhappy life with her husband. A quote I liked from earlier in the novel was when Pip asked Estella if she decieved other men, and she replied, "Yes, and many others--all of them but you." This made me think that she did have feeling deep down for Pip, but because of the way she was raised by Miss Havisham, she was not able to show them. So since they had both changed for the better, I think it was a suitable thing that they ended up together.
The real ending in this book makes better since than the original ending. I liked how this novel had a happy ending because you could tell that Pip and Estella will end up together. The other ending did not seem very realistic and it seemed like there were parts missing from it. Also the quote from the real ending, "I saw no shadow of another parting from her" was a way to tell that they would be together forever. This last chapter had so much symbolism in it including the ruins from Satis House. It showed that the house was where Pip's journey began and ended.
I personally like the original ending better than the one present in the novel today. First of all, what's the probablility that both of them go visit the land at the same time on the same day when neither of them has been there for years. Second of all, I don't want Pip to have a happy good ending. I don't like books that have fantasy endings rather than possible realities. Pip made a lot of mistakes throughout his life and even till the end he didn't appreciate Biddy. Although he wanted to marry her, the only reason he did was because he couldn't have Estella, and Biddy was just the next best thing that he could settle for. The present ending implies that Estella and Pip will end up together, which would leave the reader being told that Estella really is this beautiful worthy woman as well as someone that can make Pip happy. Third of all, the original ending kind of hints that Pip has moved on and so has Estella and now they are on normal acquaintances, which I like.
Hey, this is greg, i am really sorry but my other account is not working so i am forced to use this one. I hope i still get credit...
but I agree with a majority of the people on this page in saying that the happy ending is best suited for the end of the book. After spending so much time getting to know Pip and going through the events of his life, I was really pulling for him to be relatively happy in the end. I also was happy because i called out Estella and Pip ending up together in the chapter that she was introduced, so that was pretty cool for me. The ending is also gratifying because all of the change Pip has gone through during the novel is shown to have effected him in a positive manner, having him be content with the one he loves instead of worried over his social status, and choosing his friends happyness over all else.
And they lived happily ever after.
I know people like a happy ending but I don’t think that the revised ending is as good of a fit for the book. Up until now this book had been fairly realistic. Between showing how in life things aren’t always what you expect ( Pip’s true benefactor, Joe marrying Biddy), how having money can change people (Pip) and how people treat you ( How Plumblechook was suddenly Pip’s best friend when he found out about Pip’s expectations and how he tried to convince Pip he was responsible for Pip’s expectations. Then how Plumblechook reverted to his normal malicious self when he found out Pip was no longer rich.) and that true friends don’t care how much money you have (Joe and Biddy) Dickens wrote a lifelike story. I believe that the ending change detracts from this by taking a unhappy story and just slapping a fairy tale ending on it.
I really dislike the revised ending Dickens used in the novel, and personally I think that the original was much better.
The fact that Estella and Pip end up together is upsetting to me. While Estella has every reason to love Pip for his loyaly and kindness over the years, Pip has no reason to return these feelings due to her past cruelty. Yes, Estella has most likely changed from recent expereinces, but Pip doesn't know anything about her newfound self, and claiming that they will never part again is a little over the top. Also, Pip's past facination with Estella was based soley on his obsession to climb up the social ladder, and the novel works so hard to help him oversome that only to bring her back into the picture again.
This novel is about growing up. Part of growing up is being able to let things go and move on, hopefully becoming a better person along the way. The fact that Dickens changed the ending for crowd pleasing purposes instead of staying true to the message of the story makes him a sell out in my opinion.
I disagree with the revised ending as well. The whole entire novel has been full of realistic events in life, and I honestly don't think the ending is very consistent with the plot. I realize that Dickens likes to throw in some spontaneous happy events within the novel, but to end it like this? It isn't a bad ending, but by concluding it with Pip and Estella being together doesn't exactly prove Dickens point of moving on in life. I would have liked the story to end with Pip beig the true gentleman he was by forgetting Estella and moving on in life.
I think that the original story is a better fit. I really like the last line at the end about suffering has given Estella a heart, and I think that this is more realistic. During Pip’s time in London, he does not see the cruelty that he is giving Joe, and he does not really learn until that cruelty is returned to him in Magwitch’s death. It is sensible to say that the same goes with Estella, she does not see the error her ways until she experiences it herself. The entire story way the metamorphosis of Pip from a parentless, little boy, to a snotty “gentleman, and then into a real gentleman, so if Pip can change Estella should be able to as well. However, I think that the current ending is a bit over the top with the lovey-dovey stuff, and it seems that Dickens’ changed it just so that his readers would feel happy and content. Also, I think that with all of the bad blood between Pip and Estella, I just do not see the two walking off into the sunset holding hands. Even Pip and Joe’s relationship is not the same after the events of London.
Post a Comment