Great Expectations Charles Dickens

-the theme of the Gentleman-

Vduva Ana-Maria

Facultatea de Limbi si Literaturi Strine, an II Sectia Filologie, Portughez Englez Great Expectations, written by Charles Dickens is one of the most representative pieces of the Victorian Literature and was first published in serial form in Dickens' weekly periodical All the Year Round, from 1 December 1860 to August 1861. It is a bildungsroman, or a coming-of-age novel which describes the growth and personal development of an orphan named Pip. Great Expectations represents Charles Dickens maturity as an author and was written, according to G. K. Chesterton, in "the afternoon of his life and glory". The novel has a very complex and dense action, with many characters and covers many themes, such as the theme of the orphan, crime, social class or ambition but one of the most interesting themes the novel deals with is the theme of the gentleman because this subject is the one that triggers the action, the one that made Pip become another person. In fact, the whole novel carries us on a journey Pips journey of becoming a gentleman and his attempt of exceeding not only his social status but also his whole being, which he finds shameful and unworthy of Estellas love. Even the title of the novel contains a bitter irony: almost all of the characters have unreachable dreams, for example Pip wants to become a gentleman although he doesnt really know what this means, Miss Havisham lives in a world of regret and sadness and transforms Estella into this cold lady, unable to feel love. The social and psychological analysis of the novel, reveals the fact that the plot of the novel is established upon a tragic blend between appearances and reality. Therefore, the author makes us witness the drama of this fascinating character, which cannot surpass his social condition. In the novel, Dickens describes a world built upon appearances and a fake reality, a world in which things and people are not what they seem to be and where people noble and kind, like Pip was when he was a child, are teached to be ashamed of what they are because they dont have money, the tool that controls everything, even love. As a result, Pip finds himself very lucky when he is informed that he will receive a large sum of money from an anonymous benefactor and that he must leave for London immediately where he is to become a gentleman, but is not aware of the fact that this will not only bring him misery, but will eventually lead him to become a false gentleman and

a sham and will make him feel ashamed of the life he had and the people who loved him (Joe, Biddy). Pips mistake is that he wants to become something very vague, a gentleman, although he doesnt really know what this means or what consequences this thing will bring to him, "Biddy," said I, after binding her to secrecy, "I want to be a gentleman." One of the most accurate description of the gentleman, we can identify in the novel is the one that Matthew Pocket gives when he talks about Compeyson: No man who was not a true gentleman at heart, ever was, since the world began, a true gentleman in manner...no varnish can hide the grain of the wood, and the more varnish you put on, the more the grain will express itself. He talks about the true gentleman, the man who is noble, kind and generous, who does not put money above people and love, the one that values respect and dignity, not money and power. We can understand from this quote that maybe Pip was more of a gentleman when he was a child, when he showed kindness and mercy to the escaped convict, which will become later on his secret benefactor, than he was when he grew up, had money but was no longer noble at heart, when he wanted to change everything and everyone he has: I wanted to make Joe less ignorant and common, that he might be worthier of my society and less open to Estella's reproach. Pip feels ashamed of the person who raised him. He thinks Estella and Miss Havisham are better than Joe because of their knowledge, appearance and money. I wished Joe had been rather more genteelly brought up, and then I should have been so too. He doesnt appreciate Joe for what he is but he tries to fix him, like a broken object as if being a gentleman is easy and all you have to do is try. Money represent a powerful tool in the Victorian Society, because it dictates ones value but, unearned money will bring misery and destruction. People without money are worthless and are not seen for what they really are. Estella is no exception, she doesnt see Pip as a humble and kind child but she talks about him, by only referring to his physical appearance: coarse hands and common boots. We can again observe here the irony: Estella, the ultimate snob, has Magwitch and Molly for parents. The description of a gentleman, Miss Havishams father reveals us some of the values of the Victorian Society: "Her father was a country gentleman down in your part of the world, and was a brewer. I don't know why it should be a crack thing to be a

brewer; but it is indisputable that while you cannot possibly be genteel and bake, you may be as genteel as never was and brew. You see it every day." You were supposed to have a certain occupation in order to be a gentleman. You can make beer and be a gentleman but you cant be a blacksmith or a baker. Beer before iron and baked goods. This proves once again that the idea of what a gentleman is and does is very vague and cant be truly described and understood. Although Pip climbs the social ladder, he finds a world very different from the one he dreamed about. Money come before human values, relationships are built upon interest and people are not what they seem to be: Magwitch, Miss Havisham, Estella and her failed marriage with Bentley Drummle. The action is full of twists and turns, mostly because Dickens manages to create these unique and uncommon characters: Magwitch, the escaped convict becomes Pips secret benefactor and is in fact Estellas father and a kind person, Miss Havisham, this tragic bride for which time stopped has her revenge in the end and realizes the mistakes she did with Estella, Pip understands the fact that people need to be cherished and loved for what they are, Estella has a failed marriage because she married for the wrong reasons. In the end the true gentleman is revealed and is surprisingly the blacksmith Joe, poor embarrassing Joe, who pays Pips debt and also the one who finds true happiness, although he is not a gentleman, by marrying Biddy and living happily and simple. By choosing such an ending, Dickens wants to prove something: having a pure, simple and humble life is more powerful and rewarding than having all the money on Earth and that no matter what you do in life you have to, above all, be a human being. To conclude with, Charles Dickens uses the portrayal of the gentleman to show one more of society's destructive values. The destructive potential of wealth in Pip's society is shown by his emotional and moral deterioration in becoming a gentleman. The question simply remains: was Pip more of a gentleman in his childhood, when he was humble and good with the people around him, when he showed compassion to the convict? Or is he a gentleman in London, where he didnt earned intellectual, cultural, or spiritual values but where he managed to go into debt and become a snob? For Ch. Dickens, being a gentleman means more than having great expectations, being a snob and judging people after external criteria it means being a gentleman with your heart,

having a good and humble behavior and moral integrity. Dickens is not only a historian of his Age and a thinker preoccupied with philosophical problems, but also an amazing artist with a strength and spontaneity always fresh. He doesnt grow old, but is timeless.