18. Expectations (pg.416)

18. Expectations (pg.416): “But, there was recompense in the joy with which Herbert would come home of a night and tell me of these changes, little imagining that he told me no news, and would sketch airy pictures of himself conducting Clara Barley to the land of the Arabian Nights, and of me going out to join them (with a caravan of camels, I believe), and of our all going up the Nile and seeing wonders.”:
In this passage, Dickens writes of Herbert's wishes to take Clara to the land of Arabian Nights. This is a reference to the Middle East (mainly Egypt and Arabia). The Middle East, in this time, was a mysterious place. Herbert speaks of living with camels and traveling up the Nile River to see all of the wonders. The Arabian Nights are also adventure stories. Dickens makes this reference to show that while Herbert still dreams of adventure and does not see reality clearly, Pip is now being forced to face the reality of his life.

“The Thousand and One Nights.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 29 December 2009. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/593514/The-Thousand-and-One-Nights.