Why did Charles Dickens write two endings for Great Expectations?
Dickens’ original ending, in which Pip returns to find that Estella has re-married a doctor (and Pip is quite content with this development), wasn’t a “happy” one, by the standards of the day. A friend and fellow-writer (some say Edward Bulwer Lytton — who coined both “it was a dark and stormy night” and “the pen is mightier than the sword” — others say Wilkie Collins, I’m inclined to believe it’s the first guy) suggested that Dickens revise the ending to suit the readers. In the second ending, Pip and Estella basically get together (it’s not completely blatant, but clear enough). The first ending is generally thought of as more consistent with the tone of the rest of the book and the evolution of Pip’s character, but it probably wouldn’t have been received particularly well by the public who was used to Dickens’ heroes getting mostly happy endings. Sorry — I was sort of rambling on, there.
