Great Expectations

The 1998 movie rendition of Great Expectations, starring Ethan Hawke, Robert De Niro, and Gwyneth Paltrow, succeeds in setting Charles Dickens’ classic novel in modern times, portraying the power of love, acceptance and forgiveness.

The story traces the life of Finn Bell, who falls in love with a rich girl, Estella, and spends his life trying to win her love. His love for Estella inspires him to begin drawing and painting. When Estella walks out of his life without even saying goodbye, Finn puts the pencils and paints away and buries his dreams of becoming an artist, and of marrying Estella.

The movie, and the novel, begins with Finn stumbling upon an escaped convict, Arthur Lustig, whom he supplies with food and bolt cutters to cut his shackles, and then helps him escape from the police. Lustig is later captured and that is the last Finn hears about him.

Finn lives with his sister, Maggie, and her husband, Uncle Joe. Maggie walks out on Joe and Finn, and Joe raises Finn as his own son. While on an errand to the dilapidated mansion of Ms. Nora Dinsmoor, Finn sees Estella for the first time and becomes enchanted with her. When Ms. Dinsmoor invites Finn back, he soon discovers that she is an eccentric lady who hates men. As she continues to invite Finn back to be around Estella, it becomes obvious that her hatred for men, caused by her fiancé not showing up for the wedding, is what is driving her to seek revenge on Finn by causing him to fall in love with a girl he will never be able to possess. Even though she clearly warns Finn of her intentions, he blindly falls in love with Estella, only to have his heart broken.

After giving up painting for nearly ten years, a lawyer approaches Finn with an opportunity to have a private show in New York. He takes the offer and begins to paint. While in New York he meets Estella and begins to pursue her again. She poses for him and his inspiration returns. Finn tries to break up her upcoming wedding but to no avail. As he goes to her home to plead with her he discovers that she is not home but her aunt, Ms. Dinsmoor is there waiting for him. She taunts him and reveals that she was merely using Finn to make Estella’s fiancé jealous so he would finally commit and get married. She laughs at Finn for his naivety, and rejoices in the success of her plot to break Finn’s heart. When Finn breaks down, she becomes remorseful and asks Finn for Forgiveness, which he refuses to do.

As he returns home, Finn helps an old man escape from some mobsters who are trying to kill him. In his apartment the old man reveals himself as the escaped convict, Arthur Lustig. Finn helps him to elude the mobsters but Lustig is finally stabbed on the subway. Just before he dies, he tells Finn that he was the one who sponsored his art show and bought all of his paintings because he wanted to repay Finn for his kindness.

Finn later returns to visit his uncle Joe and learns that Ms. Dinsmoor has died and that her mansion will be leveled. He goes to visit it for one last time and runs into Estella, who is now divorced, and her daughter. Estella apologizes for all the pain she has caused him, and Finn reaffirms his love for her.

In classic Dickens style, pain, misfortune, and abuse are overcome with love, forgiveness and kindness. When we are mistreated we can respond as Ms. Dinsmoor did, seeking revenge and dying lonely and bitter, or we can respond as Finn did, forgiving and loving even the one who has broken your heart. We should also be aware that even our smallest kindnesses can have far-reaching consequences. Forgiveness, love and kindness are always the right and best choices, even when it is towards those who have hurt us or don’t deserve it.