Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens (February 7, 1812 – June 9, 1870) was an English writer and social critic who wrote many famous books including David Copperfield, A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, and many others. Possibly the greatest novelist of the Victorian era, Dickens used his books, as a medium to criticize the English social structure and the problems in Western life. As Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi points out, “Even Charles Dickens, [for] example, at that time he found out these things [problems of social structure] and he said it. And I mean the description of all these things is so beautifully done in the literature that you are amazed how people had a capacity to see themselves, the society as it is …characterization of people: how characters are built up, you see, and how it becomes a social problem. It’s beautifully done and that’s the wisdom. That’s the real wisdom of British, I tell you. I mean you may lose it if you start getting dominated by nonsensical ideas, but otherwise that wisdom you have [is] innate.” [1980-0927]

One example of such a novel is Great Expectations. In this story, one of the characters, Miss Havisham is an abandoned bride and she cannot get over this tragedy for life. She insists on wearing her wedding dress for the rest of her life, restricts herself to the ruins of her mansion and ensures that her adopted daughter, Estella takes revenge on men by attracting them without ever loving them. Hence, she ruins her own life and in the process, lives of Estella and the main character, Pip, who is in love with Estella. In pursuit of her, Pip is embarrassed of his roots and in expectation of becoming part of Estella’s society, he abandons his truest friend and brother-in-law, Joe Gargery.

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi points out, “I’ve seen in England, even an eighty-year-old woman behaves like a bride, I mean, she doesn’t get over her feeling that she was a bride. Like one of the ‘Great Expectations’ you must have read of Charles Dickens where there was a bride who was sitting all the time thinking she was a bride. I see that picture even today, all the time they are in bridal mood. You are a mother and you have to treat your children with that dignity and with that love that a mother should give. It is very difficult for some people to accept the position of a mother, they think: ‘Why women should be the mothers?’ I said this is the greatest thing – look at Me. Look at Me. This is the greatest thing to be the mother, to love everyone, that they depend on you for love and guidance, just for love.” [1981-0327] There are many more problems of society that are highlighted in this novel. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi recommends reading such literature as a medium to witness the problems of society and introspect our own lives.