What I Learned from Great Expectations

“a most excellent man, though I could have wished his trousers not quite so tight in some places and not quite so loose in others.”

For the past two Sundays on Masterpiece Theatre on PBS, I watched a recent adaptation of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. I hadn't planned on watching it. I had already read the book in college and seen my favourite version of it (the loosely based movie of the same name with Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert DeNiro and Anne Bancroft) a hundred times. But Sunday evening came along and I was too lazy to change the channel. It was the one time that my laziness paid off because after the first couple of minutes, I was hooked. It was so well done. And I had forgotten what a great story Great Expectations is. It's amazing that a book that was originally published 150 years ago can still bring so much meaning to our world today.

So, here are a few things that I learned from Great Expectations:

• Be true to yourself because pretending to be something you're not will not bring happiness (or fool anyone).
• Revenge and bitterness only hurts yourself.
• Be kind to everyone because you never know when you might meet them again (and possibly become your benefactor).
• Money can't buy love or impress others.
• Lies have a way of coming out in the end.
• Clothes do not make the man (or woman).
• Great expectations only come with honesty and hard work.

After watching this two part series, I'm really tempted to read the book again. Well, at the very least, watch the second part of the movie again this Wednesday when PBS replays it.

“If you can't get to be uncommon through going straight, you'll never get to do it through going crooked. [...] live well and die happy.”

“Herbert received me with open arms, and I had never felt before so blessedly what it is to have a friend. When he had spoken some sound words of sympathy and encouragement, we sat down to consider the question, What was to be done?”