Making Connections

Charles Dickens' book has the central idea of not letting obstacles,wise or foolish, get in your way of your dreams and pursuits. This novel is Dickens outlook on his life, opinion, experiences as well as expectation all wrapped up into one. The connection I made between Great Expectations and 21 seemed obvious to me. One, because the guy in the center, Ben Campbell, is what I picture Pip as. And two, he looses his head in the idea of earning, really cheating money out of the hands of casinos, much like Pip does (except minus the casinos).

The movie starts off with us being introduced to the character, with a very humble background, trying to pursue his dream of graduating from MIT and later attending Harvard Medical School. The correlation between 21 and Great Expectations is that:
 

Ben - Pip

Harvard Medical School - Estella

Mother - Joe

Professor Micky - Mrs. Havisham, (at times Jagger)

Miles& Cam - Biddy

Kate - Herbert

As Pip grows in the book, we see that he is little by little detaching from his family. He gets caught up in the idea of attaining social status and becoming a gentlemen. We see Pip loosing himself and becoming a man full greed and selfishness.Much like Ben does in 21. He also gets caught up in the game of 21. Counting cards, behaving badly in order to get the money. His intention start out pure. Earning money to pay for Medical School, saving his single mother from working hard to pay only a small fraction of the tuition. Pip, only wanted the gentlemen title in attempts to win Estella andgainthe respect that he never recieved while leaving with Gargerys, but he lost his focus and used his power for selfish things.

The writer of both 21 and Great Expectations had one main purpose to show how easy it is  to caught up with the sensation of wining and gaining. In the end both characters are looking for something to fill the emptiness, which coincidentally has to do with the absence of parents. In, 21 he ended up happy because he learned his mistake, I'm hoping that will happen with Pip in Great Expectations.