Re: information wanted
Charles Dickens (cdickens@RMPLC.CO.UK)
Wed, 21 Jan 1998 10:36:42 -0100
My dear Sir,
You have read my book carefully. The better part of prose fiction, I
suppose, features leading characters who will not see the truth, and blight
their lives, at least until they learn to do so. Pip, I like to think, is
one of my more successful examples of such characters - successful because I
believe I make readers love him despite his faults, even before he unlearns
them.
As a boy and as a youth, Pip refuses to see that Miss Havisham is mad and
mischievous. He sees only her wealth, and her association with Estella. He
refuses to see the distortion of Estella's character, and chooses to believe
she will reward his love, despite her warnings. He fails to see the
goodness and love of Joe, and his duty to honour these things. Until almost
too late, he fails to see through Magwitch's crimes and vanity, to the
germinating seed of love within, which makes Magwitch truer to him than he
had been to Joe.
Pip's good fortune is to be given the opportunity, eventually, to see all
these things clearly, to repent, and to ask forgiveness, at least of Joe.
I am glad you have read "Great Expectations" so percipiently.
Faithfully yours,
Charles Dickens
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>i have almost completed the novel Great Expectations and I noticed that Pip
refuses to see the truth in many different occasions. I was wondering if
you could inform me of the most important times he does this or the time of
greatest significance, plus many other examples where he refuses to accept
the truth
>
>
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Charles Dickens
charles_dickens@rmplc.co.uk
Author