What does it mean for something to be great?
You're probably reading this right now and wondering how stupid I truly am, but I've been thinking about this word a lot as I read the book, and I think we really have to understand multiple definitions if we want to apply our knowledge to the first word in the title. So take a look at this picture below:
As you can see, there are multiple definitions given by the Free Online Dictionary. #6 and #14 are our most common uses for the word, yet I don't think Dickens thinks of the word in that sense. For example, Pip describes his guardian (Mr. Jaggers) as being a man of greatness, yet Pip is completely frightened by him, and I don't personally believe Jaggers is a nice guy.
So what is it about this word that gives it an altogether different meaning in the time period and society Great Expectations takes place in. Why is the word 'Great' there? I think the word might have something to do with loftiness. My translation of "Great Expectations" in our English would read: Pip is expected to become a gentleman, but in doing so, he loses his very nature and emerges as a lofty person.
What do you think this word "great" has to do with the story as a whole?
On a side note, the title of this post is a reference to a remark of Ralph Waldo Emerson. The quote is also food for thought...
This is a really insightful question Shruthi! I think it's a really good idea to analyze this word because there are a ton of definitions. I think that, concerning the title, great just means large or high expectations. But when you actually delve into the book, great becomes something else. Great becomes everchanging. Pip's "expectations" are constantly changing throughout this book, and so I think that is a key part of this word.
ReplyDelete