Great Expectations - Thoughts on Reading

     Reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens allowed me to discover a new kind of literature. My book of choice would most likely be a realistic fiction by Jodi Picoult, not a classic that you would most likely read in English class. I was surprised that I actually enjoyed the reading  and the plot. The character descriptions were my favorite part, they each had their own unique personalities and I missed them after the book came to an end (I think it would be pretty cool to meet Estella in person). The settings were also a work of art. Miss Havisham's house gave me the shivers and Wemmick's castle cottage is something that I wish I could see. Character development was also something that I admired from Dickens as a writer. He really got the reader to feel what he wanted them to feel. For example, at the beginning of the novel Pip was portrayed as a small, innocent child, and I was given the feeling of sorry for him. But as Pip grew older, so did his ego, and I felt a sense of regret for ever feeling the way I did. Although Sparknotes did aid me along with my reading I tried hard to read first, then when things got too confusing, I checked Sparknotes to clear it up. Many of the mysteries were revealed to me as I read the book, and talked to others who had already finished. Even though this was the case, I still had a few pleasant surprises that awaited me at the end of the book.

     Although the reading was fascinating at some points, I have to admit that there were those days where I would come home, sit on the couch sticky notes at hand committed to finished the chapters assigned, then of course midway through the reading my eyes would droop and I would promise myself to only close them for a few seconds. But no, I would then fall asleep, having dreams about Pip and Jaggers. I eventually did get through the entire book without procrastinating. The thought of having to finish 90 pages in one night just sounds appalling. Sparknotes has helped me understand what was going on at some parts, but it did not help me all that much when it comes to decoding the hidden themes and symbols the author was trying to incorporate. Sometimes I simply just didn't agree with it. Overall I did enjoy reading Great Expectations. It brought me out of my comfort zone when it comes to reading and maybe even consider reading some of Dicken's other works.