We always look for monsters in the darkest places: under the bed, in the closet, out in the woods where the light could never penetrate the trees. We always let ours wander imagination to depict creatures that replicated furry beasts with angry fangs and cat-like eyes whose pupils never widened to show their good in every evil We would always imagine that monsters are dark, scary, manipulative and dangerous, but what if they same monsters we imagine were just replicas of us? What if the same monsters we imagined were so familiar to us because we knew that perhaps in a different world they could be us? One of the recurring but underlying themes of the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens explores ideas about how humans essentially create monsters; they don't form on their own. The evil potential that can take away a character's moral goodness in almost any circumstance is what can cause the monstrous ideas that people often associate with beasts, such as big, dark, angry, ambitious and determined. Many of these qualities are also human, but are not negatively associated when used positively. One of the “monstrous” themes discussed in the novel is the idea of ​​ambition driven by wealth, which can be seen through the character of Pip. As readers experience how Pip grows up and learns about the mistakes he made in his early life, Dickens tells readers that, although ambition is inherently good, it has the potential to be bad depending on how far someone will go to achieve their goals, and which goals drive certain ambitions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay People's ambitions differ based on the different goals they have. Success for one person may mean something different for another. In Great Expectations, there is a clear difference between the goals and meanings of Joe's life and Pip's life, as highlighted at the end of Chapter 9. After Mrs. Joe and Pumblechook arrange for Pip to play at Mrs. Havisham's house in the hope of Pip's rise In terms of social status, Pip returns home and is overwhelmed by the difference between his life and that of Mrs. Havisham. When he tells Joe his feelings about his experience, Joe advises Pip to stay within his social class and tells him that honesty will pave a path to success. Pip however, overwhelmed by the extravagance of the other life, falls asleep “remembering what [he] “used to do” when [he was] at Mrs. Havisham's; as if [he] had been there for weeks or months, instead of hours; and as if it were a matter of rather ancient remembrance, instead of something that had only arisen that day” (131). It is seen in the early chapters that although the idea of ​​Pip going to Mrs. Havisham was not originally Pip's idea, but instead Mrs. Joe and Pumblechook's idea, Pip showed signs of showing the same desire that his sister and Pumblechook, which was a different class and, essentially, a different way of life. Dickens shows us that the decision between a morally good but intangible goal and a goal worth monetary value and stature is difficult to make, and Pip is presented with this option by Joe in this chapter. Even if it is a choice to be made, Pip clearly doesn't know it yet, as something monetary and tangible at first glance seems to outweigh anything intangible. While Pip's ambition drove him to become better, his choice to become better in terms of wealth over the choice to become a better character had driven his ambition to transform..