Great Expectations

 

       I just started reading the book Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I've been wanting to read a classic for a long time, but I never seemed to get past the first two chapters because they don't draw me in. However, this book was quite different. It had a very interesting start and although sometimes the old- fashioned wording is kind of confusing, so far I have been able to keep up. It starts off with the description of why Pip came to be called Pip. The descriptions of Pip's family- whom he had never seen- is also present in the beginning of the book. So far Pip, the main character, has talked to a homeless man who threatened to kill him if Pip doesn't bring him food the next day. Pip goes home to his sister- the woman who raises him- and is thinking about stealing some food from the dinner table to give to the homeless man. Told in first person, the story is able to include Pip's inner thoughts and intents for actions. During the night, Pip is only able to think about the man tearing out his heart and liver and barely gets a wink of sleep. Pip wakes up early in the morning and guiltily steals some food from the already low supply. He brings these goods to the homeless man who is sitting by the grave yard, asleep. Pip watches as the man stuffs food down his throat like he hasn't eaten for days- which might be the case. Pip thinks to himself and makes the connection that the man eats a lot like a dog does,  I found his descriptions of why he thought so quite humorous. Pip states that the man scarfs the food down hurriedly and messily, occasionally looks up to look for anything that might threaten his food, and crouches over in a protective manner over his meal, or as the book states:
"I had often watched a large dog of ours eating his food; and I now noticed a decided similarity between the dog's way of eating and the man's...He swallowed, or rather snapped up, every mouthful too soon and too fast; and he looked sideways here and there while he ate, as if he thought there was danger of somebody's coming to take the pie away."

       So far, this book has been a really good read and I look forward to finishing it, and watching the movie.