The lessons of Great Expectations are timeless. There are differences in culture, but the human problems Pip faced are just as important today. For example, different things affected reputation then. For example, gaining an education was difficult and having graduated from a University was a mark of distinguishment. Today, a large percentage of people graduate and a Bachelor's degree is hardly anything to brag about. However, though we might value different things these days, the basic human choices we make, which Pip made in the novel, are just as important. Pip was embarrassed by his uneducated country friends, though they should have been the most important people to him. Do we give up good friends because we are worried about how we might look to others? Sadly, it is a very human mistake that is repeated as much today as in Pip's time.
This novel can actually have a great effect on your own life. Instead of looking at the differences that make it foreign to you, try to apply the lessons Pip learned to your own life. This great novel can help you become a better person, but you have to apply it to your life. Human beings differ in many ways, but basic human behavior is and always has been the same.
