Making Connections

Pictures at bottom

Great Expectations on left Jane Eyre on right

A novel similar to Great Expectations would be Jane Eyre. At first you might say "Whaat? But Pip's a boy and Jane is a girl, where's the connection? Helloooo?" But the plot and themes are very close and many chapters seem like a rewritten form of the other book. First of all, Jane an Pip are both orphans, both taken care of be the nearest relative(s) of age. Though Jane's aunt -Mrs. Reed- absolutely hates her; likewise Pip's sister (and guardian) is very irrational and abusive towards Pip. Jane eventually finds a friend and teacher that supports her and helps her learn in order to gain a future and maybe become a governess. Pip is given money from a mysterious donor so as to carry on and develop a career. Later in Jane's life she meets Mr. Rochester whom she loves and is ignored by. Mr. Rochester knowingly lets other women flirt with him to make her feel jealous and relationships get quite tangled for a while. Correspondingly, Pip is emotionally and psychotically abused by Estella. In the mist of all this confusion Jane gets a letter saying her abusive Aunt Reed is on her deathbed, and wants to see her again; Jane accepts this invitation and her aunt eventually dies. Pip gets a letter saying that his abusive sister has passed away and visits shortly to console his brother in law and (ex)best friend, -Joe-.

But besides these most obvious plot correlations, there are many thematic relationships. One may be Guilt. Guilt is found in many situations. The feelings of regret, anxiety, sadness, and fear all hold guilt within them. Both Pip and Jane grew up being told "you aren't good enough" and "why can't you be like someone else". Being innocent and young, their human conscience couldn't help but feel at least a little guilty for being a baron to others. It wouldn't be a good feeling to be told constantly that you make other's lives harder without intending to. Deception and Mystery are both reocurring themes. Pip and Jane are both decieved by false love through their "lovers". Additionally, many mysteries (involving the convicts and unidentified donors) are in Great Expectations, and (attempted murder and relationship confusions) in Jane Eyre. Both stories reflect morals of human nature concerning respect, and listening to that inner voice -versus the abuser's.