"Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day."
What Charles Dickens is trying to say with this quote is that there is a a series of decisions, or "chain" that make up our life, and often there is one situation that can affect the proses of all the other decisions following it in our lives. For Pip this is when he first meets Estella and Miss Havisham. After meeting them his entire outlook on his life changes. He goes from being happy in his small home with Joe and the forge and the marshes. To being ashamed of his home and friends and wanting to become a gentleman. This one occurrence shapes the entire plot of the novel. After just one meeting with Estella Pip has already begun to form his great expectation.
Looking back at my life though I can't seem to find one individual occurrence that has affected my outlook on life. I suppose the biggest "link in my chain" would be the death of my little brother Ethan. Even though I never saw him alive, he died only minutes after his birth, it still felt like I had lost a close friend. At the age of six, nine months of expectancy can feel like an eternity and to me Ethan had been my brother since the moment I found out my mother was pregnant. Because of this his death made a big impact on my beliefs and the way I perceive myself. I definitely feel more of a burden with being an only child. Being the only child out of four to survive a rare genetic disorder that both of my parents carry causes me to think a lot about how my decisions affect them and how I have so much to live up to to make them proud. Ethan's death also makes me think a lot about the beauty and gift of life. I am so very lucky to be alive today.
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