The Different Types of Love Depicted in Dickens' Novel, The Great Expectations

1141 Words3 Pages

The Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is a novel filled with drama and emotion, with love being the structural theme that ties important events and characters together. Each character has their own love experience that is of a different nature and type. There are three types of love explained in the novel: Intimacy which encompasses feelings of closeness and connectedness, as in a family; Passion which is the true love that lasts; and Commitment, which is the love that does not last and is not the true love. The characters in the book that justify these different natures in Great Expectations include Miss Havisham and Compeyson, Pip and Estella, the lasting love of Joe and Biddy, Joe and Pip, and Biddy and Pip.

Miss Havisham and Compeyson are the two most important characters in the novel, especially when it comes to the connection of love amongst the characters. Charles Dickens explains Miss Havisham and Compeyson's relationship, then flows smoothly into the Pip and Estella's love situation. Many events would never have taken place if Miss Havisham and Compeyson were not in the novel.

Miss Havisham was raised as a young girl in a high social class. Her wealth and prosperity attracted Compeyson, a selfish and greedy young man who did not want Miss Havisham for who she was, but rather the wealth she had. He blinded her from what he really wanted. Miss Havisham sees nothing of his evil plot and falls in love with Compeyson. Eventually, plans were made for marriage, of which Miss Havisham looked forward to with all her heart. However, the exact day of their wedding, Compeyson vanishes with all her money and leaves her with just her wedding dress and cake. Filled with sorrow and grief, Miss Havisham's heart hardened towards ...

... middle of paper ...

...omes successful and earns a job and an education because of his secret benefactor, Magwitch, he feels ashamed when Joe is around him. Later, Pip begins to realize how Joe really was and how much he cared for and loved him, but by then it was too late for Pip to show his gratefulness and affection since Biddy and Joe had great love for each other.

The Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is a novel filled with drama and emotion, with love being the structural theme that ties important events and characters together. Miss Havisham and Compeyson, Pip and Estella, and Biddy and Joe are all connected in the novel by Dicken's theme of love. Each character's love experience has its different nature and type, from passion, to intimacy, to commitment. Without the love that provides so much emotion to the book, Great Expecations would never have come to life with such drama.

Open Document