Great Expectations

 How does the phrase “great expectations” change and develop from the beginning to the end of the book? Why do you think Charles Dickens chose this phrase for the book’s title?

Though Great Expectations contains some flawlessly kind, ideal characters (such as Joe and Biddy) and some simply evil characters (such as Orlick), most of the novel’s characters are morally complex, displaying both their best and worst characteristics. Choose between Pip, Estella, Miss Havisham, Mr. Jaggers, or Abel Magwitch and track that character’s moral progression over the course of the book. 

Between Pip’s various “educators” on his path to becoming a gentleman—including Mr. Wopsle, Biddy, Estella, Herbert, and Matthew Pocket—how does Pip’s educational process change over the course of the novel? How does Pip’s idea of a “gentleman” evolve with his teachings?