Essay on The Revised Ending of Great Expectations

The Revised Ending of Great Expectations The revised ending of Great Expectations is the version that Bulwer-Lytton gave his advice on. It was after reading what Dickens had written in his original ending that Bulwer-Lytton made suggestions on how to improve the ending. In this ending, Pip and Estella meet again in the garden at Satis House, but the possibility of them being together, even married, is left open in contrast to the original. By this point in the novel, Estella has suffered enormously, and is made into a better, more sympathetic person for it. Although this comes through in the original version, it is made even clearer in the second version. As Estella herself says, I have been bent and broken, but--I hope--into a†¦show more content†¦Although Estella repents for her past actions, it is hard to believe that she can now condescend to loving someone like Pip. Because of this, the possible union between Pip and Estella does not seem like a viable option for either of them. This huge plot change with the ending implies the weight of Bulwer-Lyttons influence on Dickens. Bulwer-Lytton was not only an author, but also worked in literary theory. He believed that the best fictional works did not end unhappily. Since he was asked to give his opinion of the novel, Bulwer-Lytton possibly swayed Dickens to avoid what he felt was the bleak original ending for a happier one. This would explain why the ending change occurred. However, it does not explain its brevity. Many critics have speculated that the abruptness of the total change of the ending shows that it was a half-hearted attempt by Dickens to create a positive ending. He originally felt that the true ending of the novel concerned Pip returning to the forge, not to Estella (Millhauser 268). Thematically, the novel ends when Pip returns to the forge. It is at this point that he sees what his greed has made him become. Before Pip met Havisham and Estella, he was happy being with Joe and wanted to be a blacksmith. However, once he realizes that he cannot be poor and marry Estella, he becomes greedy in order to lift himself socially to her rank. This leads to the changes that occur in Pip after heShow MoreRelated In Defense of the Original Ending of Great Expectations Essay1172 Words   |  5 PagesIn Defense of the Original Ending of Great Expectations    Many critics prefer the original ending to the revised version because it is the ending that Dickens himself decided to write without consulting anyone. Many people believe that since Bulwer-Lytton gave Dickens input on the second ending that it is not as true. 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