Jagadish 1

Prajwal Jagadish

AP English Literature and Composition

Toth

12/14/2019

Not-So-Great-Expectations of Others: An analysis of prejudices based on societal class and

wealth in ​Great Expectations

Section I: Introduction

Pre-Victorian England is often characterized by a rigid social hierarchy where the rich are

greatly admired and respected and the poor often humiliated. This led to the unequal distribution

of rights and liberties, where the rich could do whatever they pleased and the poor were left few

choices. However, the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century created new

opportunities that allowed people to transcend hierarchical barriers. In the 1861 novel ​Great

Expectations​ by Charles Dickens, Pip Pirrip comes into a large sum of wealth allowing him to

leave his life as a peasant orphan to become the proper English gentleman. As Pip climbs the

social hierarchy, he continually misjudges the character of the people in his life. He writes off the

caring personalities of Biddy and Joe due to their poor background while he routinely praises

those in the upper class with loathsome personas such as Miss Havisham and Estella. It is

through Pip’s eventual realization of people’s inner kindness, Dickens can convey the message

that it can be presumptuous to assume the moral character and contentment of a person solely

based upon their societal class or wealth.

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Section II: Style

Dickens’ usage of a Pip as the narrator for the novel is essential to developing the overall

message of the novel by allowing the reader to understand the thoughts of Pip at that time. The

novel in many ways is Pip reminiscing back on a time when he was young and was making

mistakes he now regrets. The tone that the older Pip uses when discussing his past self is like that

of parents correcting a toddler that is acting out. He constantly points out the mistakes that he

made when he was younger and criticizes the way he treated several important figures in his life

like Joe and Biddy. However, he maintains no hostility in his tone, rather he is rather humorous

about it. This provides evidence that Pip has grown as “the narrator’s overcoming of his former

condition is clear from his ability to look back on his earlier life with wry humor” (Newton).

Additionally, with Pip being the narrator, the point-of-view is limited in knowing the thoughts of

other characters. As such, the reader relies on only Pip’s interpretation of other’s actions to

characterize the nature of the people Pip interacts with. This allows for the elements of other

characters to reveal slowly over time. One such example is of Wemmick, who the reader initially

thinks of as an incredibly material person who only cares about money and has a callous

disregard for the clients he serves in Mr.Jaggers’ law office. However, as Pip learns about

Wemmick outside of the office, He, with the reader in tow, finds out how that not actually his

true persona. Outside of the office, He is much kinder to those he cares about such as his father,

The Aged, and his lover Miss Skiffins. This slow reveal allows for the reader to understand that

despite his outward persona to those that enter the law office, he has an inner kindness.

Coupled with using an older Pip as the narrator, Dickens uses diction and dialogue to

illustrate the differences in social classes of the characters in ​Great Expectations​. Throughout the
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novel, Dickens uses relatively simple diction and constructs his sentences using basic

construction. Even his descriptions of the landscape are simplistic, despite the natural tendency

to give lengthy and elaborate descriptions of the surrounding area. When Pip first arrives in

London, he simply describes St.Paul’s as a “great black dome” (Dickens 151) and Newgate

Prison as “a grim stone building.” There are two possible rationales for Dickens using relatively

simple diction and syntax. One is that his audience was usually the common folk of London who

would buy his publication that would be bored and uninterested by the. The Victorian era, the era

the Dickens wrote the novel in, preferred works based on daily life that depicted the hardworking

man (“Writing Style in Victorian Era”). The other reason is to show that despite Pip becoming a

gentleman, his true nature has not changed that much as indicated by his constant simplistic style

of speaking. This helps develop the message by showing that suddenly acquiring wealth does not

indicate that a person’s true nature has changed. Furthermore, Dickens uses dialogue to illustrate

the differences in social classes. The relatively simple and informal way of talking of the poor is

juxtaposed with the complex and formal style of those in the upper echelons of society. For

example, Joe’s constant use of slang and contractions such as when he says “ ‘here’s the Dutch

clock a-working himself up to be equal to strike Eight of ‘em’” (Dickens 53) shows his common

background as a blacksmith. On the other hand, when Miss Havisham was describing what love

was to her, she described it as “ blind devotion, unquestioning self-humiliation, utter submission,

trust and belief against yourself and the whole world, giving up your whole heart and soul to the

smiter” (Dickens 214). Miss Havisham’s manner of speech, along with others in the upper class,

is composed of more complex sentence structure and words absent for the common man’s

vocabulary. This distinctly differentiates what they say from the rest of the text. This aids in
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developing and making sure that the readers understand there is an inherent difference in the

social class apart from just money.

Section III: Techniques

Throughout the novel, Dickens utilizes several literary techniques to develop the message

that social standing and wealth have no link to moral character or happiness. Present throughout

the novel is the characterization of the various people that Pip meets throughout his journey.

There are several critical people whose characterizations aid in developing the overall theme.

Two such people are Joe and Biddy. The two are there to describe people who do not have a lot

of money nor a high social standing, but they remain one of the most content and morally good

people in the novel. The character of Biddy is characterized as a moral compass for Pip through

the advice she constantly offers him regarding how to treat others, especially regarding Joe.

Initially, Pip simply brushes her off, citing her lack of understanding and proper education, but as

he learns that social class is not equal to the character of the person, he decides to follow her

advice. Joe exemplifies the moral goodness of those in the lower class. Initially, Pip does not

recognize this moral nature of Joe, calling it “coarse and common”(Dickens 132), but as the

story progresses, Pip begins to understand how, although Joe is barely educated and has he is not

even a gentleman, Joe’s kindness far exceeds anyone he has met in London. This

characterization of Joe and Biddy, two lower-class citizens with moral goodness, is juxtaposed

with the characterization of those in the upper class such as Bentley. Bentley represents how

residing in the upper-class does not guarantee moral goodness. His rash and crude behavior,

especially when he was competing with Pip for Estella’s affection, embodies moral corruption.
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However, despite once calling out Joe for being crude, Pip never seems to outwardly criticize

Bentley’s behavior

Instances are a situational irony that is littered in almost every chapter of the novel. While they

not only provide humor to the portions of the novel, they also contribute to the theme by showing

us instances of Pip trying to distance himself from his common past and also when Pip’s

expectations of others have been incorrect. An early occurrence of irony occurs during Pip’s

meeting with Herbert after first arriving in London. When Pip mentions that his Christian name

is Phillip, Herbert decides that he does not like to name and much prefers to call Pip Handel

instead. The irony comes in two forms. First is that a condition imposed on Pip when he received

his fortune was that he must never change his name. While not legally changing his name, Pip

breaks that condition within less than a week. Furthermore, another piece of irony comes from

the source of the name - The Harmonious Blacksmith. Although he wants to disassociate with his

time as a blacksmith’s apprentice, he readily takes this name to win the approval of Herbert.

Similarly, Pip’s rowing instructors also makes note that his hands are one of a blacksmith

without realizing Pip’s background. One of the biggest sources of situational irony comes from

Pip’s “great” expectation of who is his true benefactor is. He originally thinks that the person

who is encouraging to become a gentleman is Miss Havisham, and, as such, he believes that she

is doing so to encourage Pip to become a worthy man for Estella. However, the truth of the

matter is that his mysterious benefactor is instead a convict. This sudden truth shatters many of

his misconceptions about how he once thought his life was going to be and informs him even

though he has money, it does not mean he will get to marry Estella. Furthermore, situational

irony exists in the background of Estella. Pip routinely thinks of Estella as a majestic figure that
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is incomparable. This arises from the fact that she is not only one of the most beautiful people he

has met, but also that she is the physical embodiment of the upper class that Pip wishes to

become a part of. However, irony occurs when Pip finds out that Estella is the child of two

convicts, Magwitch and Molly. His view of her being the embodiment of the upper class and the

perfect background is washed away. He is, however, able to overcome this news when he

realizes that wealth and background do not change a person’s true nature, and he eventually tells

Magwitch “[Estella] is a lady and very beautiful. And I love her!” These instances of situational

irony allow Pip to realize his original thought that wealth and social class is linked with

contentment and moral character is false, and thus it shows the opposite - they do not go

hand-in-hand.

Section IV: Structure

The structure of ​Great Expectations​ is best described by its three chief qualities - its

serialization into three distinct parts and the bildungsroman nature of the novel. When it was first

published, ​Great Expectation​s was published in weekly installments as part of the periodical All

the Year Round. The key aspect of this serialization is the cliffhanger that Dickens places at the

end of each installment. While the original purpose of the cliffhanger was to provide “a

suspenseful ending designed to tease the reader into buying the next issue” (Markley), it also

provides insight on Pip’s current outlook on the world at the end of each stage. At the end of

“The First Stage of Pip’s Expectations”, Pip had just been informed that an anonymous

benefactor was funding him to become a proper English gentleman. Although this brought about

several changes to the Pip’s outlook, one of the most important of them was the dramatic
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positive outlook he had out on life afterward. To him, “the world lay spread before [him]”

(Dickens 146) at that time. The amount of money he was receiving gave him countless

opportunities outside of becoming a blacksmith for the rest of his life. However, at the end of the

“The Second Stage of Pip’s expectations,” his view of the money he had gifted dramatically

sours after finding out it had come from the hands of a convict. After finding this out, Pip begins

to describe the surrounding area with an extremely bitter tone such as claiming the wind and rain

only intensifying “the thick black darkness” (Dickens 285). This is ending marks the beginning

of Pip’s realization of how money does not always lead to happiness. This realization comes full

circle at the “The Third Stage of Pip’s Expectations” where an ambiguous conclusion is written

regarding the future of Pip and Estella’s relationship. Although it is ambiguous, the reader can

assume that they end up living a relatively happy life when Pip says “I saw no shadow of another

parting from her” (Dicken 421). This happiness came even though both of them fell from their

high social standing with Pip losing his wealth and Estella leaving Bentley. With these

cliffhangers in place, Dickens can convey how happiness is not always linked to money.

Additionally, the weekly serialization aided Dickens in making a much concise and compact

story compared to his other stories (Markley), which allowed him to build multiple storylines

within the novel apart from Pip’s journey.

Throughout the story, Dicken’s develops several side storylines alongside the main one -

Pip’s journey that aid in developing the message that wealth and social standing is not always

connected to moral goodness and happiness. While there are several various side storylines

throughout the novel, the two that contribute the most to the message of the novel are those of

Estella and Herbert. Estella’s journey one of a fall from grace, mirroring Pip’s own. Even though
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she was born an orphan, she was taken in by a wealthy Miss Havisham, allowing her to live a life

of comfort and dignity, and almost queen. However, after she marries Bentley, she is almost

constantly abused. Despite her marrying someone wealthy and respected, her life is undoubtedly

miserable. Only after she goes off with Pip, who truly loved her, does she begin to gain

happiness despite becoming a commoner. Even though she did fall from high social standing, she

ended up more content in her life than she ever did before. The other main storyline that is

discussed throughout the novel is the development of Herbert. When first introduced, Herbert is

described as the classically rich aristocrat who is living off his family. As a friend of Pip, they

both go through their young adult years as prodigal heirs to fortunes - going to expensive clubs,

spending extreme amounts of the moment, and racking up endless debts. When his wasteful

antics catch up to him, Herbert decides to buckle down and start making more responsible

decisions based on his love for Clara. He even picks up a job as a merchant to settle his debts and

create a life for himself and Clara. After doing so, he ends up living a good life in Cairo with

Clara at his side. The happiness after settling down was much greater than the time he spent in

extravagance. Both of these storylines aid in developing the theme by giving different aspects

apart from the main bildungsroman of Pip.

The last and arguably the most important structural aspect that contributes to the theme of

Great Expectations i​ s the bildungsroman nature of the novel. The main storyline of the novel

follows Pip as he progresses through his life and goes through several hardships that change his

outlook on others. At the beginning of the novel, he constantly admires the rich and powerful

since his only reference point is Miss Havisham and Estella. After first meeting with the two of

them, he begins to resent his upbringing: the coarseness of his hands, the fact that “[Joe] had ever
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taught him to call those picture-cards jacks which ought to be called knaves” (Dickens 64), and

the other little things that differentiates him from the upper class. With this, he begins to long to

become a rich gentleman to be suited to marry Estella, one of his many “great expectations.”

When he does come to a great fortune, he becomes callous to those of his past as a method of

distancing himself and his background as a poor commoner. This nature of cruelty to those

whom he believed to be lower than him in social standing continues when arrives in London.

While The Avenger is dutiful in his services as a servant to Pip, Pip abuses him because Pip had

only bought him to appear more like the typical gentleman. It is only after it is revealed that

Magwitch, a convict, is this mysterious benefactor whom does he begin to recognize people’s

inner goodness. He is initially shocked and scared that an outlaw was the person who had helped

him, as his great expectation of who was his benefactor, whom he had thought was Miss

Havisham, was completely shattered. He began to realize his expectations of marrying Estella,

becoming dignified aristocrat, and never becoming a commoner again were all fictitious. Even

though, he is originally shocked he reluctantly agrees to help Magwitch escape back to Australia

as he realizes the kindness Magwitch has shown him. This realization helps him see the kindness

that people like Biddy and Joe had shown him for so long and how badly he had mistreated then.

This naturally led to him realizing that wealth and social standing have nothing to do with

someone’s moral character.

Section V: Theme

In many ways, the journey the Pip goes through mirrors the one that Dickens himself

went through to become a gentleman. Several aspects that occured to Pip are extremely similar to
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events in Dickens life. Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England to relatively poor parents. The

town that Dickens grew up in shares commonalities with Pip’s birthplace of Rochester, including

the fact that they were both rural areas and the cities were harbor towns. Another key aspect of

Dickens's childhood was his father eventually ended up going to debtor’s prison due to him

trying to live a life beyond his income level. The reader sees a similar aspect when Pip

accumulates a vast array of debts from living like a king and spending it on superfluous things

such as “[putting] themselves down for election into a club called ‘The Finches of the Grove’...

[whose] members should dine expensively once a fortnight, to quarrel among themselves as

much as possible after dinner, and to cause six waiters to get drunk on the stairs”(Dickens 242).

Like Dickens’s father, Pip is also eventually thrown into debtors jail for a staggering debt of

123.15 pounds. The last connection comes also comes from Dickens’s childhood, where he was

forced to work at the factory until he was able to escape through using his writing. It’s through

these connections that a reader can assume that one of Dickens's purposes in writing this novel is

a fictitious retelling of his life. However, Dickens also seems to have written this novel as a

criticism of the Victorian Society of the time.

Victorian society put extreme emphasis on material wealth and fame. Other Victorian-era

novels, such as The Picture of Dorian Gray, also shows a culture of aestheticism and hedonism.

Great Expectations makes several criticisms of this type of culture which is symbolized in

different ways by characters like Miss Havisham, Joe, and the Pockets. The most overt criticism

is how wealth instead of moral goodness dictates how a person is viewed in Victorian society. As

addressed in section four, the reader sees how Pip originally exalted Miss Havisham and Estella

for their wealth and power and essentially threw Joe and Biddy to the curb despite how well he
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was treated by them. Dickens further criticizes Victorian society by showing how many of Pip’s

dreams and goals are shaped by Victorian ideals. Dickens ends up showing how these ideals are

extremely wrong by illustrating the downfall of Pip at the end of the story. The theory that

Dickens wrote this novel as a scathing criticism of Victorian society also lies in the fact that

communism was on the rise with the publication of The Communism Manifesto a decade and a

half prior to the publication of l. Several aspects of the novel line up with Marxist beliefs. The

main motivation behind Magwitch giving a fortune to Pip is to take revenge against the rich who

had once wronged him. In addition, the money Pip receives causes Pip to go against his true

nature as he begins to insult the people that he originally cherished. “In Marxist terms, the money

changed Pip’s social identity and at the same time alienated him from his own being... However,

in the end, Pip does realize his own self-deceit. Pip is ‘at last compelled to confront soberly [his]

situation in life, [his] relations to others’ (The Communist Manifesto 65)” (Newell). It’s with

these aspects of the novel that the reader is able to understand that the theme of ​Great

Expectations​ is regarding how money is not an indicator of joy nor for moral character.

Section VI: Conclusion

Works Cited

Dickens, Charles. ​Great Expectations​. Readers Digest Association, 1985

Newton, K.M. "Great Expectations: Overview." Reference Guide to English Literature, edited by

D. L. Kirkpatrick, 2nd ed., St. James Press, 1991. Literature Resource Center,
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https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1420002257/LitRC?u=tel_k_farrhs&sid=LitRC&xid=80

fdb1ac. Accessed 1 Nov. 2019.

Markley, Arnold A. "An overview of Great Expectations." Literature Resource Center, Gale,

2019. Literature Resource Center,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1420003532/LitRC?u=tel_k_farrhs&sid=LitRC&xid=ee

afa4a3. Accessed 13 Nov. 2019.

Meckier, Jerome. "Charles Dickens's 'Great Expectations': a defense of the second ending."

Studies in the Novel, vol. 25, no. 1, 1993, p. 28+. Literature Resource Center,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A13927351/LitRC?u=tel_k_farrhs&sid=LitRC&xid=9a8e

f738. Accessed 13 Nov. 2019.

Parkinson, Kirsten L. "'What do you play, boy?': card games in Great Expectations." Dickens

Quarterly, vol. 27, no. 2, 2010, p. 119+. Literature Resource Center,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A225504196/LitRC?u=tel_k_farrhs&sid=LitRC&xid=252

f8650. Accessed 13 Nov. 2019.

“Writing Style in Victorian Era.” ​Victorian Era Life in England. Victorians Society & Daily Life,​

http://victorian-era.org/writing-style-in-victorian-era.html​.

Newell, C. H. “Marxist Dickens: Money and Class Mobility in Great Expectations.” ​Father Son

Holy Gore,​ 11 May 2017,

https://fathersonholygore.com/marxism-charles-dickens-class-mobility-in-great-expectati

ons/.