This novel was a large success because of the relation people made with real life experiences. The aimed-at audience were about 20 years old, and some of them had experienced what happened in the story. This book stirred a lot of people. It stirred them enough to abolish child labour, or at least to question the decisions some of the politicians made and what effect they would have on the people.
There was a long period of time between the writing and success of Oliver Twist and the writing of the next book, ‘Great Expectations’. in this time, he left his wife and 10 children, he wrote another novel, ‘A Christmas Carol’, and started giving public readings of his work. He also started a monthly publication of his novels. This was how he distributed ‘Great Expectations’.
Great Expectations was a story about a boy called Phillip Pirrip, known as Pip, who doesn’t know any of his parents or 5 brothers, as they died while he was too young to be able to remember them. His only relation is his sister and her husband, the local blacksmith, and she runs a very strict household. The story starts where Pip is in the village church yard. He is cornered by an escaped convict, called Magwitch. He threatens Pip and says that if he doesn’t bring him food and a file, that he will hurt him. Pip runs home and steals a pork pie and a file and brings them back. On his way to the churchyard, he comes across another convict who he startles and he runs off. Pip eventually finds Magwitch and he gives him the file and the food. The two convicts are late caught fighting. Magwitch is exiled to New South Wales. He confesses to stealing a pork pie and a file from the blacksmiths, to “bail Pip out”. The next week, Pip is invited to go and play at Miss. Havishams house. When he’s there he fights a boy and wins. He then is introduced to Estella. He plays here until his 14th birthday when he has to go and be an apprentice for Joe, the blacksmith. He works here for 6 years, until he is visited by Mr. Jaggers. He tells Pip that he is considered to have ‘Great Expectations’ and is to travel to London and become a gentleman. He tells him that he has also inherited a large sum of money. If he were to accept, he would also have to agree to two conditions: To keep the name Pip, and not to inquire about who is donating him the money. He went to live with Mr. Pocket, the boy with whom he fought at Miss Havishams. This goes well for a long while until Magwitch visits him. he is proud of pip for becoming a good gentleman. In doing so, Magwitch has betrayed his sentence and has come back to England so pip has to figure out how to get him back to America without being noticed. They decide to put Magwitch on a trans-Atlantic ferry. He is followed to the ferry by the police who have been tipped off by the convict Magwitch was fighting at the start of the story. They fight on the boat that comes to pick them up and fall off. The other convict is killed but Magwitch is still alive, although badly hurt. He is put on trial and is sentenced to death. Pip goes to Miss Havishams house and tells her that he thought it was her sending him the money. She tells him that there wasn’t enough evidence for it to be conclusive that it was her sending it. He walks out of the room, and a block of coal from the fire falls out and burns her. She dies and so pip goes back to London. Magwitch has taken ill due to his injuries. He tells Pip of his daughter. Pip makes the connection between Magwitch and his daughter, who turns out to be Estella.
