The Irony of the Title of Great Expectations

唐恩萍

【Abstract】There are three levels of irony of the title in Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations. First， many characters except two can make their expectations come true. Next， all great expectations become disillusionments because they are ill-founded dreams. Finally， the sacrifice instead of the expectations is great.

【Key words】irony； Great Expectations； Charles Dickens

The title of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is a great irony.

The irony of the title consists of three levels. The first level is based upon the plural form of “expectations”. Almost all characters （Pip， Miss Havisham， Estella， Magwitch， Uncle Dumblechook， and wife of Joe etc.） have their great expectations. Joe and Biddy， however， make their dreams come true although they dont have a word of “expectations”. Still， their “expectations” can be found deep in their hearts：to live a peaceful and happy life. It seems rather ironic that the majority obviously have “great expectations” but their dreams vapor； whereas the minority can have a happy ending although without demonstrating their “great expectations”. The sharp contrast leads us to find the second level of the irony， to find out the cause.

The second level is that almost all “great expectations” become disillusionments because they are ill-founded dreams. This is very ironic. For Pip， his great expectation is to receive good education， to become a gentleman， and finally to marry his princess， Estella. On the way of his growth， he finds that his expectations are based on money. He is lucky to be financed from an unknown resource. He mistakes Miss Havisham for his benefactor， always expecting her to marry Estella to him until he gets to know the real supporter， the convict Magwitch， whom he has helped when he is a little boy. More strikingly， Estella turns out to be Magwitchs daughter and she is beaten and humiliated by her “gentleman” husband. Seeing all these， Pip becomes upset. His “great expectations” become disillusionments. Another character Miss Havisham is a tragic figure. She has been waiting for her run-away lover for long. Her great expectations result from the man who deserts her at their wedding. To revenge all the men in the world， she adopts and brings up Estella as a weapon， teaching her to refuse and torment all the men who love her. Unfortunately， Miss Havisham also receives the cruel treatment by her cold-hearted daughter. Whats worse， her revenge deeply hurts her only honest and kind-hearted friend Pip. Thus， she not only hurts herself but also her true friend. Still， her lover wont come back. The revenge brings her disappointment， sadness， despair and sorry. Therefore， her expectations are nothing but emptiness. Apart from the two characters， criminal Magwitch and Estella also have great expectations. The former makes a lot of money， hoping to support Pip and let him become a gentleman since he himself will never be. Yet he fails to make it. The latter wants to live a luxury life and has every gentleman at her call. However， she suffers from her brutal “gentleman” husband. All these expectations cannot turn to reality because they are ill-founded. In contrast， Joe and Biddy live a peaceful and happy life because they have always been thinking highly of working hard and living a happy life.endprint

The third level of irony of the title is the modifier of these “expectations”. On one hand， the ill-founded expectations are nothing but illusions； they are not “great” at all. What is great is the sacrifice in pursuing their dreams. Pip loses his happiness for his gentleman expectations. Miss Havisham wastes her life for her revenge plan. Estalla misses her true lover and has a terrible marriage； moreover， she loses her heart and sympathy. How great the sacrifice is！ Joe and Biddy form a sharp contrast to the ill-founded expectations. They live a happy and peaceful life， which is superficially insignificant but actually very important and essential for people. Their unsaid expectations are really great. The irony is obvious.

In the final analysis， Dickens is a great critical realist. The irony of the title is a good case in point. Dickens tells readers a lesson of the ill-founded “great expectations” and indicates that people should work hard to pursue a happy life.

【基金項目】本文系肇庆学院校级科研课题“‘学伴用随原则如何促学英语”研究成果之一（项目编号：201614）。endprint