Theme Of Guilt And Innocence In Great Expectations

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Recommended: Moral development of pip in great expectations

Tom McCarthy
Mrs. Reitz
Honors English I
14 January 2014
Significance of Crime, Guilt and Innocence in Great Expectations
In 1861 Charles Dickens wrote the moving novel Great Expectations in which crime, guilt and innocence play a huge role in the story. Every character throughout the story is impacted by these whether they are guilty, innocent, or committed a crime. This is true because of relationships with characters like Joe and Pip. The end of the story would also be very different without these three factors. Throughout Great Expectations, crime, guilt, and innocence impact the actions and feelings of every character and truly influence the outcome of the work.
Firstly, Pip is probably the character most affected by crime, guilt, and innocence. Pip’s harsh childhood by the harsh Mrs. Joe contributes to his loss of innocence. He never experiences real love and compassion from her so his innocence is already partially gone before he meets Estella and Magwitch. For example, when Pip is in the churchyard and confronts Magwitch, some of his innocence is chipped away. "You get me a file." He tilted me again. "And you get me wittles." He tilted me again. "You bring 'em both to me." He tilted me again. "Or I'll have your heart and liver out." He tilted me again (Dickens 3-4) After Pip decides to steal the food and the file for him he commits his first real crime and feels very guilty about it so his life is never the same. Pip’s innocence is slowly being drained out of him. The turning point in this setting is when Pip meets the beautiful Estella at Satis House. She treats him like trash and is very discourteous and mean to him. “…gave me the bread and meat without looking at me, as insolently as if I were a dog in di...

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...rison twice as long as Compeyson because of looks. Magwitch is really innocent in this situation but when he vows revenge and Compeyson is killed, he is sentenced to death. Magwitch’s innocence that is found guilty in a biased trial makes him live a life full of crime, even though he really is a good person on the inside.
Crime, guilt, and innocence play a major role throughout Great Expectations. The lives of every character are greatly changed, if not totally transformed by these three factors. Every setting in the story is somehow connected to crime, guilt, or innocence. The outcome of the novel is based on crime, guilt, and innocence as well. Charles Dickens’s novel would not have been the same story if not for these vital factors. In 1861, a love story was written and it combined that love with crime, guilt, and innocence to make Great Expectations.

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