Orlick as the dark side of Pip in Dickens' Great Expectations Charles Dickens' novel, aptly titled Great Expectations, focuses on the journey of the main protagonist of the story, Pip, to meet the expectations of his life that have been set for him by outside forces. The fusion of the seemingly unattainable aspects of high society and the upper middle class, combined with Pip's insatiable desire to achieve such status, pushes him to realize these expectations that have been prescribed for him. The all-encompassing desire he feels comes from his experiences with Mrs. Havisham and the unbridled passion he feels for Estella. Pip realizes that due to the caste system imposed by the society in which he is trapped, he will never be able to acquire Estella's love by working as a lowly blacksmith at the forge. The dark realizations Pip is going through lead him to adamantly despise everything about himself, feeling ashamed of the life he lives when gaslighted by upper-class crowds. These feelings are summed up in Pip's utter disgust and hatred for Orlick's character. . For Pip, Orlick represents everything he hates about himself. When Pip sees Orlick he imagines what awaits him in the future; being trapped in a life he couldn't bear. Orlick, in reality, is Pip without his high expectations. But there is a much deeper and more disturbing aspect to the relationship between Pip and Orlick. Dickens uses the character of Orlick to symbolize Pip's dark side. Pip's innermost primal feelings and desires are represented through Orlick's actions, for which Pip is ultimately responsible. These actions ultimately lead to the downfall of both men. In the first scene where we see Pip and Orlick together, there is... half the paper... eration. It is ironic that if only Pip had lived up to the original expectations he set for himself instead of the supposedly higher expectations he was hoping for, he would have been better off. Works cited and consulted Bell, Vereen. “Understanding the Characteristics of Great Expectations.” Victorian Newsletter 27 (1965): 21-24.Dickens, Charles. Great expectations. Ed. Janice Carlisle. Boston: Bedford, St. Martin's, 1996. Rawlins, Jack P. "Great Expectations: Dickens and Betrayal." Studies in English literature, 1500-1900. 23 (1983): 667-683.Millhauser, Milton. "Great Expectations: The Fall." Dickens Studies Annual 2 (1972): 267-276.Rosenberg, Edgar. “Last on Great Expectations.” Dickens Studies Annual 9 (1981): 87- 107.Sucksmith, Harvey Peter. The narrative art of Charles Dickens. Oxford: Oxford SU, 1970.