Critics consider 'Great Expectations' Charles Dickenss best novel.

In many respects, the novel retains all the features definin Dickens's books from the be innin . !he "ritin is a bildun sroman # $ a formation novel$ # a character bio raphy from childhood to a dramatic maturity. !he novel opens "ith a description of the "ild beauty of the %ent marshes. !he effect of the relationship bet"een the vie"s of nature and the mood of the poor orphan &"ho comes to the old countryside cemetery alon "ith his sorro"' is an intense drama. (ip oes his first step to"ards his reat expectations "hen he enters )atis *ouse, the mansion taken out of time, "here the decor is the one traditional in Gothic novels, "ith a mysterious atmosphere. In the mu y air of )atis *ouse, (ip's inner "orld is chan in profoundly, still feelin surrounded by mysteries. +f all these, only one is no" more clear to him, be innin to understand the reason behind the stran e manners of the mistress of the house and behind Estellas contempt for him, fulfillin a ven eance on men. (ip departs from )atis *ouse in mysterious circumstances. *e moves to the bi city, leavin behind a "orld that had very fe" ,oys # the "orld that keeps his parents rave, the memory of the punishments endured from his sister and the secrets of the mystery#surrounded house. -ut, above all, he leaves the only man "hose "armth he truly felt. the ood and enerous /oe and then Estella, his first love, yet unshared. 0ithout decipherin the mystery of )atis *ouse, he leaves, driven by another mystery, not even reali1in it, as he has no doubt that the road to the hi h society "as opened by the tra ic 2ady *avisham. !he second sta e of (ip's reat expectations is, in fact, a failure. 3nd he is the one to blame. !he life that he leads in 2ondon is a series of frivolous pleasures, friends made hastily lackin the merits of true feelin s. 2ondon is a city "here people comin from the clean "orld of the villa e lose their innocence. )o it is "ith (ip. !he corrupt city is a theme of realism. !he only one "ho remains loyal is *erbert (ocket, his room companion from his early time in 2ondon &"ith an exuberant candor and a sincere devotion to his friend'. 0hen (ip finds that the true source of the money "hich he received in order to become a entleman, he stru les "ith dramatic dilemma. on the one hand, he discovers that his hopes lean on money sent by a murderer, dirty money and this s"eeps a"ay his desire to become a reat man in society. +n the other hand, he feels a le itimate affection to this unfortunate man "ho lost everythin in life and "anted to make happy the child "ho had helped him. !his terrible consciousness matter is solved after 4a "itchs death. (ip is back in the villa e "here he could defend his innocence, and "here he "ill be kept from the harmful temptations of the city # a solution that reco ni1es the typical romantic opposition bet"een the rural # /oe Gar ery as its symbol # and the threatenin the city, breakin up the very moral bein of those "ho live here. 3 ainst the back round of the tra ic fire that crumbles do"n the dark )atis *ouse, to "hich poor and crippled 2ady *avisham falls a victim, the destinies of the t"o # (ip and Estella # finally come to ether.

!he first step of his hi h expectations is exceeded "hen he receives from an unkno"n benefactor a si nificant amount of money for him to become a true entle man. It "as natural of him to suspect 2ady *avisham. no one he kne" "ould be enerous to think of him.