Great Expectations
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This
review is inspired by a specific volume provided with an afterword by a
noted academic. The novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald concluded enduring
novels go through a sequence of readerships: First the ordinary man on
the street, then the student and finally the scholar. Beware the words
of this scholar when reading Charles Dickens' work of genius, \u201cGreat
Expectations.\u201d Beware the student and the academic. Why?
Do not
bring an admired art into the abomination of a classroom \u2013 especially in
the case of a revered novel. The cold, hard outlines of the physical
structure will accomplish nothing more than smothering refined, personal
admiration where yawning students and formulated academics take on the
role of poor actors repeating opinions garnered from other academics
often wide of the author\u2019s intentions as experienced by the novice. And
here their substitutes are intended to elevate themselves propped up by
illusions any other persons with originality would not discover based on
personal experience.
According to the Bayesian Probability
Construct humans learn by the accumulation of \u201cpriors\u201d (previous
experiences) stored subconsciously within the brain to be called upon in
the calculation of the probabilities of outcomes in situation calling
for resolution. What such priors are, and the procedures by which
probabilities are calculated evade the purview in ordinary academic
situations simply because teachers are unaware of them. These logical
procedures have been genetically implanted by eons of evolution and are
not amenable to alteration. Conscious experience is manufactured from
the priors and the \u201cinstinctive\u201d functions of the human brain in a
series of \u201cnow moments\u201d each lasting two to three seconds and are
anything but orderly and predictable, giving rise to new conceptions and
thus, \u201ccreativity.\u201d Such experiences result from global changes in
brain areas rather than synaptic alterations within single neurons.
Material
alterations of the learning environment are called for here. Classes
should become nonlinear and the direction of the study based on the
free, casual conversations among students and teachers. Students would
be asked to make probabilistic responses to situations in keeping with
the prior experiences rather than linear lectures and related forms of
pedagogy. Also, more emphasis should be placed in on experiences outside
of school, including hobbies and prior experiences based on accidental
occurrences since the Universe achieves creativity by chance rather than
completion of preordained destinies. More reliance would be made on
real world experimental activities as a basis of judgments about
probabilistic reasoning. The influence of fields considered tangential
to a subject should be brought in including the origins of philosophy,
mathematics, and historical development of worldviews. The quaint
suggestion made here is \u201ccreative learning\u201d is a pleasure. \u201cThere is no
greater pleasure than to think a thought no one has thought before.\u201d
Typically,
students are required to memorize what they are told by the scholar and
not think independently under any circumstances. Notable examples of
writers who have escaped this confinement include Dick, Howard, King,
Burroughs, Bradbury, the Bronte Sisters, Poe and Mary Shelley within a
host of others. In effect, a novel should become a magical creation
modified and exalted over time as a fairy tale is on repeated
recitations.
So, ignore AFTERWORD provided in any \u201cclassic
edition.\u201d In such a one we are told that Dickens had entered uncertain
times \u2013 losing of a wife and once esteemed friends, considering adopting
a mistress, supporting a floundering, self published periodical, losing
his sense of humor and the creatures which scrambled before him on
walkways to be scattered with a stick had become particularly bothersome
(the last of these added as an independent thought in the interests of
completeness.). Based on these considerations according to the author of
the AFTERWORD, Dickens wrote his \u201cclassic novel\u201d.
On the
contrary, an ordinary man on the street would develop no such
contention. Rather, a young fellow, \u201cPip\u201d - an abbreviated version of
his full name, \u201cPhillip Pirrip\u201d begins as a poor soul all (save one) of
whose siblings and parents have retired to the graveyard, and he is
abandoned with his one remaining and abusive sister and her saintly,
blacksmith husband to eke out a meager existence. Some of such details
are reminiscent of Dickens\u2019 childhood. The story then develops when he
encounters eccentrics of different realms of personal existence. Staring
at the printed pages, the reader might begin to wonder which one of
these alternative ways of living should \u201cPip\u201d aim for, and how will this
influence his thinking about himself and others when he reaches young
adulthood? Should he aim for \u201cLanded Gentleman\u201d or \u201cIngenious Criminal?\u201d
Both of these might be difficult to achieve or yield benefits short of
expectation. The AFTERWORD does not mention any of this specifically,
probably because the idea is so obvious that one must avoid
embarrassment by discussing more subtle matters about Dickens\u2019 mental
state when he took up his pen to rescue his floundering and renamed
journal, \u201cAll the Year Round.\u201d
By chance, an innocent reader
might stumble upon just the perfect starting point for the analysis of
the events and characters in \u201cGreat Expectations.\u201d Suppose a fortunate
accident (\u201csynchronicity\u2019) should yield Marie-Louise von Franz\u2019s
structural analysis of stories in general entitled, \u201cAn Interpretation
of Fairy Tales\u201d in which she reveals the most elemental structure and
origin of such a story as related to myths, archetypal motifs, etc.
composing the psyche, as related to the uniquely structured British
society of the Middle 19th Century, and the enduring aspects of the
world culture from Ancient Greece to the present. One estimate suggests
the variations in such Fairy Tales number about a dozen. Significantly,
Pip is introduced as learning to read from family tomb inscriptions
embodying the most enduring expression of his family members, namely
their \u201cskeletons.\u201d
Accordingly, Dickens had lost his sense of
humor, yet the novice reader might detect a similar comedic tone in the
Mathew Pocket home scene filled with children described as \u201ctumbled up\u201d
rather than \u201cbrought up,\u201d and the scene in \u201cAlice in Wonderland\u201d
involving the Duchess and the baby who transforms into a small pig.
Comic relief is provided in depictions of plays attended by Pip, ineptly
performed, even when the author of such plays is identified as
Shakespeare. Depending on the reader\u2019s depth of reading experience in
the classics he might notice a similarity (among others) to his own life
with the \u201cfellows down the street,\u201d and Pip\u2019s convoluted travels where
he meets odd and interesting characters reflective of Cyclops, the
Sirens, and Calypso described in the Odyssey of Ulysses.
As
another parallel, one might also note similarities in Dickens\u2019 and
Dostoevsky\u2019s descriptions of rundown, rooming houses of London and St.
Petersburg - especially the dark, cold staircases and their dim,
cavernous interiors (crouching almost formless denizens embody the
elemental nighttime fears of children) of the rooms themselves and the
environs where Raskolnikov hatched his plot. A notable feature of
Dickens\u2019 narrative is the almost complete detachment of ordinary people
from the progress of the plot. Also, the \u201csplit personality syndrome\u201d of
Raskolnikov seems shared by Dickens\u2019, Magwitch - both criminals are
transformed by Christian redemptive experience (repeated from Sunday
Schools) into a saint is remarkable. More profitably, might they
represent extreme variations in human nature both comforting and
hateful?
Among the eccentrics who appear in the pages of \u201cGreat
Expectations\u201d some might suitably be compared with graduates from Bart
Simpson\u2019s \u201cInstitute of Unreasonable Expectations;\u201d often bent on
achieving wealth and position even at the expense of faultless others.
Such people might be synonymous with motifs of fairy tales where failure
to reach some great expectation is revealed. Significant in advancing
the intrigues of the plot are old, haggard Lady Havisham living in her
yellowed wedding dress near a rotted wedding cake inhabited by assorted
vermin many years after her failed wedding; Estella, her cold, loveless,
beautiful, strangely detached housemate destined to relive her fate;
or, Molly, a lawyer\u2019s assistant committed murder and was \u201cgotten off\u201d
by the very same lawyer; and finally Georgiana Gargery, sister of Pip
and burdened with a fruitless marriage to the blacksmith, Joseph
Gargery, What is the lost expectation? The same bliss of marital glory
is denied them as to Cinderella\u2019s homely stepsisters is a possibility.
Incidentally, Pip is madly in love with Estella, but she does not
respond even to him, and lives hopelessly in the company of an unfeeling
fellow, Drummie. She and Havisham resemble Sleeping Beauty who was
never awakened by a kiss from an enchanted Prince Charming, The home and
remains of a brewery where Havisham and Estella lived is eventually
torn down to its skeletal remains.
Another set of characters
might be compared with a compulsion for the benefits of wealth, either
earned or swindled from the holdings of the more lucky or industrious.
Among these characters are those who are devious enough or heartless
enough to be identified as \u201ccriminals.\u201d Some specific examples of this
motif include, Georgiana, Raymond, Camilla, Pumplechook, Orlick,
Magwich. In these we might identify a fairy tale motif \u2013 expressed in
current terms, the \u201cDisappointed Lottery Winner.\u201d Here, a person
achieves wealth yielded by a chance occurrence, only to find that
friends are transformed into vampires sucking away blood money \u2013 or,
the wealth does obtain a questionable security, but does not buy the
elusive \u201chappiness.\u201d How their visions of themselves and others
transformed over time as they achieve or fail to reach life goals ever
contemplated or only experienced as a haunting? Perhaps they should have
composed an \u201cability and interest inventory\u201d to guide them in their
selection life goals.
Rather unique among the characters
mentioned here is the lawyer, Jaggers whose formal operation in
completing a day\u2019s work is a ritual washing of his hands. Undoubtedly,
Dickens was referring to the guilt of Pontius Pilate and his eternal
hand washing. Herbert and Wemmick (his assistants) as part of their
successful completion of job requirements and satisfaction is to lose
their originality and unique personality completely while in Jagger\u2019s
presence \u2013 a state comparable to the mindless life of a modern office
worker.
The list of characters in \u201cGreat Expectations\u201d is long,
and one would have to rewrite the novel to include all of them. As an
alternative the following question might be posed: \u201cDo any of these (and
any of an assemblage of lesser characters) achieve the benefits of the
Simpson\u2019s, \u201cInstitute of Unreasonable Expectations?\u201d
As a youth
Dickens came into contact with individuals like those described above
and had experiences including, coming from a family with numerous
siblings, the haunt of debt, hunger and lack of warmth and other
amenities of personal comfort, threat of debtors prison and child \u201cslave
labor\u201d factories, from which he would later escape through profits from
his writing. Was he taking advantage of the indigent in this way and
just as guilty as individuals who ignored plights altogether since
poverty might be deemed as a sign of inferiority? Or, did he use his
writing to draw attention to these social ills? In \u201cGreat Expectations\u201d
Dickens does not reveal many of those in need escaping their plights
either out of lack of opportunity or of what might be called poor
\u201cforced choices.\u201d In 21st Century society social programs at government
expense have attempted to ameliorate suffering. Have they succeeded or
merely obscured the causes? Nonetheless, Dickens has been identified as
an advocate of social change based on the gentle principles of
Christianity. Or, from his financial success did he believe his innate
\u201csuperiority\u201d had come to the fore?
How might certain
"unfortunate " experiences contribute to the elusive, "creativity"?
Consider the words of modern psychology, mathematics and science.
Mathematicians in their manipulation and application of numbers make a
significant point on their limits \u2013 certain matters are unique and
cannot therefore be compared to one another. Following, \u201cminds\u201d are
unique and cannot be compared based this premise. Categories and
probabilities, found in comparable entities, do not apply to unique
minds, even though the \u201carrogantly ignorant\u201d attempt to do so. A
coercive idea here related is the matter of \u201cfree will.\u201d Free will does
not exist, since the formulation of an act is based on a unique set of
interrelated factors and it is not possible to follow them all. Yet,
free will is preserved as an \u201cindispensable illusion.\u201d The prediction of
which of these unique minds will use the accumulated knowledge of
humanity in a creative act, cannot be calculated. Specifically, a noted
philosopher and debater was an alcoholic and developed throat cancer.
He was asked if he regretted the drinking. He said \u201cNo!\u201d because he
thought the drink contributed to his success. Consider Samuel Taylor
Coleridge\u2019s poem, \u201cXanadu;\u201d he composed while in drug induced dream
state. Are the innocently ignorant in a position to caution these
creators to alter their behaviors? Or, consider the wisdom of computer
programs advising changes in the grammar of \u201cThe Ancient Mariner\u201d.
Of
course, the greater number of people will disappear without a trace
except for a tomb inscription (if that). But whatever process produces
the exceptional individual might best not be tampered with. The greater
mass of humanity in an advanced society (on experiencing difficulties)
can rely on health care programs for aid. In schools, students will be
identified as \u201cspecial needs\u201d and obtain counseling and medication.
Even there, in cases of psychological matters, such help might simply
yield \u201cmindless emptiness.\u201d Here, it might be well to remember the fate
of Winston in \u201c1984,\u201d when he tried to think creatively in a coercive
society demanding, \u201cGive your mind to us and we will take care of the
rest.\u201d The above is an attempt to demonstrate such societies are
inadvisable. Still, Dostoevsky\u2019s \u201cUnderground Man\u201d will listen to all of
the evidence then simply ignore it out of spite expressed as, \u201cI do not
agree simply because I don\u2019t want to.\u201d
Throughout the five
hundred pages of Dickens\u2019 work identified of \u201cgenius\u201d the characters
wander about seeking wealth and possessions much as they do in any
cluster of nameless individuals wandering the environs of the present
day. Lacking a superior basis for identity they point to the material
evidences of wealth and proclaim: \u201cThis is me.\u201d In attaining this
mistaken goal the wealth and the inherent problems in sustaining such a
wealth simply lead to a life beyond control. \u201cThe world is too much with
us late and soon. Getting and spending we lay waste our powers. Little
do we know of what is ours.\u201d Wordsworth, the author of these words,
alludes to a deep relationship to natural beauty. Clearly, not knowing
what is ours, is anything but \u201cDouble plus good!\u201d as a member of a
luncheon group in \u201c1984\u201d might proclaim after sipping an insipid drivel.
In
summary, Charles Dickens writings remain as a source of thought for the
modern day. At its conclusion, the novel seems to \u201cpeter out\u201d as most
lives do in spite of declarations to the contrary. Pip goes off to
remake his fortune and other life changing effects are recorded in the
final chapters. Other characters disappear, or their fates remain
uncertain. These events will not be summarized here or what would be the
reason to read the novel itself? Make certain to read the novel without
the counsel of \u201cexperts\u201d and simply developing a \u201ctrusting, personal
relationship with teachers\u201d as advised by cognitive learning experts of
the present day. Rely and rethink on your own life experiences and those
of your associates.
Has there really been one hundred and fifty
years of progress since the novel was published so that we could go back
and counsel the needy? Or is the Pax Romana the best humanity can
achieve?
After all of this time is there still no - \u201cAnd they lived happily ever after!\u201d
Your Old Buddy
\u201cWhizbang!!\u201d
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