(What's the Story) Morning Glory

I think Dickens wrote this book for all the people who have ever wanted more and dreamed of becoming something great. He wanted to examine the hardships of great expectations during a time when class structure reigned supreme. If you look at the quote on page 61 that begins, "That was a memorable day to me..." you can see that Dickens uses the symbolism of the chain links to explain how people feel bound to their fates, and also how people feel connected to other expectations. Miss Havisham uses Estella as a sort of temptation to Pip. She dangles Estella in front of Pip because she wants to taunt him with the life he can never have. Dickens also uses the moral conflicts within Pip to show how conflicted he is about what he wants to do and be. Does he want to be like the convict, or like Joe, or like Miss Havisham? Does he want to live with regrets, never have an exciting life, or be bitter about everything?