Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Themes in Great Expectations (Social Class (Upper class people (Very…
Themes in Great Expectations
Social Class
Very significant in the 1800s
Dickens uses characters from all of the classes: Miss Havisham (upper class), Jaggers (middle class) and Joe (working class)
Great Expectations explores what it means to be a gentleman. Pip learns what it means to be a true gentleman (be kind and respectful) rather than have a lot of money
Most Victorians thought that to be a gentleman, you had to be wealthy and not work, or hardly work with your hands.
Magwitch - Good, kindhearted, poor
Compeyson - Wealthy, 'gentleman', criminal, antagonist of novel
Most characters treat Pip differently because of his "expectations" and the fact that he is being given a lot of money. This teaches Pip about the "stupendous power of money"
Mr Pumblechook refers to as "boy" and even harms Pip as a child, before he obtains his riches. Afterwards, he calls Pip his "dear young friend"
Upper class people
Very conscious about appearance
Miss Havisham's relative Camilla complains that some children who attended a funeral were not wearing their "deepest of trimmings"
Shows that the upper class were quite petty, shallow and ridiculous
When Pip buys richer items of clothing, they do not fit, which is referred to as a "disappointment" which shows that Pip is not meant for the Upper class and does not fit in.
Expected to speak correct English with no regional accent
During industrial revolution, it became easier to become rich (you could invest in industry). However, these people were not fully accepted as upper class, unlike those who inherited their fortune.
The novel shows us that you can't get happiness from having a lot of money - Miss Havisham is wealthy but is too concerned about power and revenge, while Pip has money but gets no pleasure from it
Pip's whole sense of self-worth is simultaneously tainted and empties out when he finds out that a convict is his benefactor - being a gentleman is an illusion.
Dickens links social class to the idea of self-advancement which subtly reinforces the themes of ambition and self-improvement
Ambition
There are lots of characters in Great Expectations that have ambitions to go up in society
Pip wants to be a gentleman, Mr Pumblechook, Mr Wopsle and the Pockets are also ambitious.
Because of the easier way of moving up the class system after the industrial revolution, more people became ambitious that they too could work hard to become rich.
Ambitious characters will use other characters to achieve their ambitions.
Mr Pumblechook takes Pip to Satis House because he is keen to be invited in - he takes advantage of Pip's opportunity to go up in social status
Mr Pumblechook also sends Pip to Miss Havisham despite the fact he knows she is scary and strange
Mrs Joe takes any money that Pip earns as a child, and keeps encouraging to get some more from Miss Havisham
The Pockets are good friends with Miss Havisham and almost 'suck up' to her in order to inherit her money when she passes away
Most characters realise to go up in social class, you need to be educated
Joe says that Mrs Joe doesn't want him to become educated because she fears that she might lose control of him and that he will "rise"
Pip wants to become educated to please Estella and earn her love, but instead this makes him arrogant and see himself as superior to those who raised him, for example Joe.
Biddy makes good use of her education and teaches people
Dickens makes well-educated characters (for example Compeyson and Drummle) appear rude, obnoxious and evil, to show that he questions the idea that education is a good thing
Dickens shows that less ambitious characters are often happier
Characters like Joe, Biddy and Herbert work hard to improve themselves. It's also Joe's hard work that pays off Pip's debts. Dickens deliberately contrast the two ways of life to show the dignity of working hard for a living
Joe is kind, decent and loyal throughout the novel. He accepts and is happy being a blacksmith and doesn't want to get in the way of Pip's future - has a happy ending when he marries Biddy
Biddy dedicates her time to teach others and make a difference rather than dreaming of a higher social class. Her life gradually improves as she gets a better teacher job and then marries Joe
Herbert has the ambition of insuring ships and to work up to the "perfect fleet". Dickens shows in the character of Herbert that you have to work hard to achieve happiness and your ambitions.
Pip's Ambition
When he is at Satis House, Estella calls him a "coarse" and "common", "labouring boy". This saddens Pip and he wants to impress her and win her love, so his ambition is to become a gentleman and be wealthy. He uses his ambition as a driving force
Refers to his belongings as "vulgar appendages", disrespecting his past and upbringing.
He believed that the forge was a "glowing road to manhood" before he met Estella and ignited his ambition
He is too focused on his ambition and becomes ignorant of love, friendship and loyalty (he is too focused on education, money and manners).
Dickens balances the character of Pip. He shows that Pip's ambition and wealth changes him, but does not make him appear awful so that the audience don't stop caring
Pip is generally happy when he loses his ambitions
Reunited with Joe when he is ill and loses his wealth and possessions, feels sorry for the way he has acted
Does "very well" working hard in Egypt to earn money with Herbert when he has lost his riches.
Realises that relationships are important with others when he loses his money
Crime and Justice
Dickens tried to represent what his life was like at the time in his books. He made it clear that the justice system was not always fair
Pip is surrounded by crime from a young age, tainting his whole life.
This first appears in the form of Magwitch. Magwitch demands Pip to steal food and lie about it.
The leg iron that Magwitch files off (thanks to Pip stealing the tools) is used to kill Mrs Joe, this reminds Pip of his guilty feelings of helping the convict
Pip's village is near the prison hulks and he sees a "gibbet" on the marshes. In London, he lives near Newgate Prison and its "gallows", showing that he can't escape crime and prisons.
His apprenticeship is described as "bound" and "red-handed" which relates to crime
Two convicts on the coach when Pip goes to Kent
Motifs of crime haunt Pip until Magwitch reappears
Dickens shows that the Law and Justice system are not very fair
The court thought of Compeyson as a gentleman who had been influenced and led astray by Magwitch, so he got a shorter sentence
Magwitch gets a longer sentence because he is of a lower social class - the judge assumes he will re-commit and is "likely to come to worse"
Jaggers
Bends the law to help people escape from it - lets Miss Havisham adopt Estella and helped Molly in her murder trial
Shows how corrupt the law can be. He is popular because he can help guilty people get off the hook, and uses hired witnesses to give false evidence to do this.
Jaggers wants to be successful and have money
Everyone gets what they deserve in the end
Joe and Biddy are nice and end up marrying each other
Magwitch Dies happy
Compeyson drowns in the Thames - Jack looks for his body to steal his stockings
Drummle abuses Estella and is killed by a horse he mistreated
Guilt
Most characters in the novel feel guilty for their actions even if they haven't broken the law
Miss Havisham makes Pip feel miserable for telling him to love Estella. She teaches Estella to not love anyone and at the end, she confesses her guilt, repeating "What have I done!"
Estella asks for Pip's forgiveness at the end of the novel - she feels guilty for how she treated him
Dickens shows characters being guilty so that the audience feel sorry for them.
The audience are taught to dislike the characters who do not feel guilty for what they have done: Compeyson and Drummle
Dickens also questions whether some crimes are justified. For instance when Pip and Herbert break the law to help Magwitch escpae and then he goes on to kill Compeyson. You get the sense that this is just in Dickens' opinion, as they are not being punished within the legal system.
Most characters are forgiven for what they have done
Pip redeems himself for rejecting Magwitch when he discovers he is his benefactor. He looks after Magwitch when he is dying. he also makes it up to Joe (how poorly Pip treated him) by asking for forgiveness.
Estella appreciates Pip's love when in an abusive relationship with Drummle. She begs for forgiveness of the way she treated him.
Miss Havisham apologises for what she has done to Pip, and attempts to make it better, but still dies in the fire. Death could be considered a release for her because of her "profound unfitness for this Earth" as she locked herself away from others.
Dickens likes to encourage people to act the right way via his novels. Great Expectations taught the audience that no matter what someone has done wrong, they can still be forgiven.
Relationships
One of the major messages that Dickens portrays in Great Expectations is that relationships are the most important things in life. Some characters know this from the beginning, and Dickens rewards them by giving them happy lives. Characters who give love find love.
Joe loves Pip even though they are not related. Biddy cares for Pip even though he hardly notices her.
Joe and Biddy are rewarded by having a happy life together.
Herbert marries Clara despite the fact that his family do not think she is good enough; they have a happy life together.
Wemmick cares for his father (Aged P) with great affection and is loyal to Pip. Eventually he marries Miss Skiffins
Some characters are unable to love, and they have bad relationships that then make them realise how valuable loving relationships are
Estella
She was trained to bury her feelings, and tells Pip that she has "no heart". She is then physically abused by Drummle and regrets throwing away Pip's love and was "ignorant of its worth".
Miss Havisham
Flatters and praises Estella but never shows any affection, and is in the end rejected by Estella. Miss Havisham begs Pip for forgiveness.
Mrs Joe
Beats both Pip and Joe. She was eventually attacked, and as a result, her temper was "greatly improved".
Most of the characters who are unable to love are women which reflects Dickens' attitudes to them, he doesn't portray them very sympathetically
Pip is very loyal to Estella and their relationship is very important
This is the reason that Pip starts to wonder whether he is good enough , and her comments about his "coarse hands" and "thick boots make him ambitious and start his obsession with social class.
Stops Pip from realising Biddy is in love with him and they would live happily together
His loyalty pays off when Pip and Estella become friends.
Pip's friends
Joe
First real friend, like a father to Pip.
When Pip becomes a 'gentleman' he feels awkward about his past of a lower social class and also awkward around Joe, and avoids seeing Joe. During this, Joe remains loyal
Their relationship teaches Pip that friendship is more important than money and social status
Herbert
Fight when they first see each other at Satis House, but become friends when they meet in London
Pip ends up working for Herbert in Egypt, and their relationship teaches Pip how to be independent and responsible. Herbert doesn't have a fortune and has to work hard, unlike Pip.
Parental Figures to Pip
Miss Havisham is a poor motherly figure to Pip, as she exploits Estella to get her own revenge on men.
Joe
Initially ashamed of Joe due to his profession, but becomes caring again when Joe cares for him when Pip is ill and pays off his debts, even though Joe is not very well-off.
Magwitch
Not always a good fatherly figure. He forces Pip to steal from Joe and Mrs Joe and everything he does for Pip is motivated by a desire to get revenge on society
His relationship with Joe and Magwitch make him realise that friendship and loyalty are more important than being rich
Pip develops as a person throughout the novel.
Young, immature Pip values money and class and only really cares what other upper class people think of him. The older he gets, the more mature he gets and realises that things like kindness, taking care of others and loyalty are more important.
The turning point in Pip's life is when Magwitch is dying in prison after the escape attempt. Magwitch supported him and even risked death despite the fact he hardly knew Pip.
He repays Herbert for his friendship by getting him a job, and he repays Biddy and Joe by asking for forgiveness.