Web of Obsession

Great Expectations is one of the most epic stories of love and loss of all time. There is a reason this book is a classic. It speaks to many of the human conditions, as is the nature of Charles Dickens in his works. We are going to peer in on Pip and Estella, a love that was as one sided as love can be, until one day…

In Great Expectations, Pip finds himself falling deeply in love with a girl he cannot possibly hope to marry, although he would dearly love to. He begins to tell himself stories of how Miss Havisham has planned it all out. He begins to believe that somehow the woman has orchestrated this very complex plan to ensure that Estella will be his. Oh what a web we weave, when we practice to deceive – especially ourselves.

Great Expectations is a cautionary tale about self-deception based on assumption. Pip, receiving a mysterious gift of wealth, assumes that the wealth came from Miss Havisham to assure that he was of the right class to marry Estella. What he didn’t consider is that although the world divides humanity, true love will transcend all obstacles.

We as human beings do this all the time. We want something [insert thing here] so badly that we begin to tell ourselves stories. We rehearse the lines for conversations that may never happen. We create scenarios in our head of all the possibilities. We choose the one that makes the most sense to us and build upon it, and one day we find we have fallen deep into obsession.

Pip is obsessed with Estella. He can’t live a single day without the story he has created ruling his life. Until the day he learns the mysterious gift of wealth did not come from Miss Havisham at all. This one intricate piece of knowledge unravels the story in his mind, leaving him disappointed, heartbroken and in a state of disbelief.

There are no greater lies than the lies we choose to tell ourselves. Think about it. The deepest disappointment that comes to each of us is self-made, through the stories we tell ourselves. Obsession is blinding to all things real.

Be careful about how much you fall in love with someone or something. You may just find yourself caught in the web of lies you tell yourself.

Through literature we learn to live, to love and to conquer!