When Dickens’ conceived the original ending for Great Expectations, it had a much different outcome than the revised ending readers of the novel are familiar with. The original ending written in June of 1861 saw Pip and Estella meet again, but Pip has knowledge that she has remarried after her first husband’s death. Instead of being set at the Satis house as in the revised ending, Estella is in a coach and just briefly speaks to Pip. They have nothing but cordial feelings in the brief encounter, they part, and the story ends. Dickens shared the draft with his friend Edward Bulwer-Lytton who in turn encouraged a happier conclusion for his loyal readers. Since Dickens was the chief editor and owner of his periodical, he relied on fan reactions and was known to change a story mid-way through to appease fans while still upholding his original idea. In the revised ending, the story is set at the ruins of the Satis house with the mist mirroring the marshy scene at the start of the novel. In this ending, Estella had still lost her first husband but had not remarried. As pictured, the revised original manuscript’s ending phrase also reads differently than the published one: “I saw the shadow of no parting from her but one.” The “but one” addition changes the meaning of the revised ending, seeming to mean that Pip will part from Estella this once and see her no more. While it could instead mean parting in death, it leaves much less ambiguity than the revised, published ending. The final chapter was officially published August 3, 1861, and the last sentence read “I saw the shadow of no parting from her.” The elimination of “but one” leaves more ambiguity in the meaning of the ending. While most assume that this leaves Pip and Estella the opportunity of a romantic relationship, the truth of Dickens’ original ending may damper any hopes of a marriage between the two. If Dickens originally planned for Pip and Estella to remain unmarried, then it’s likely the revised ending does not mean Pip and Estella have a romantic relationship. The interpretation of the alternate endings is still up for debate.

For further reading:

- See page 508, Appendix A (in Penguin edition) for original ending

- Charles Dickens’s Alternate Ending to Great Expectations

- Museum with Original Manuscript

- “The Altered Endings of “Great Expectations”: A note on Bibliography and First-Person Narration

“Last Words on Great Expectations: A Textual Brief on the Six Endings”