Women In Great Expectations Analysis

Charles Dickens presents a very different view of Victorian women in his novel Great Expectations and they suffer badly in the hands of men. Dickens provides powerful portraits of manipulative women including Mrs. Joe, Estella, Miss Havisham and Molly. He depicts women in his novel with little softness and he has very little sympathy for them. Charles Dickens filled his novel with mutilated women. Why does Charles Dickens portray the majority of the characters in Great Expectations this way. Dickens depiction of women is unorthodox and it could be attributed to his personal experience with females in the 19th century.

Dickens through Great Expectations seemed to have depiction of women and according to Martin Chilton should not be surprising

Frankly, these beliefs allowed men including Dickens to branch out and become part of the changing world. Dickens though expected women to stay in their place at home and thus out of the public eye. Charles Dickens portrayed the men in the novel as villains. Charles Dickens in his life was considered to some as a villain. Dickens however still managed to be popular because of his incredible writing. Dickens was a 19th century star, people were amazed with his works. The men of the novel including, Compeyson, Drummle and Orlick were bad guys and Peter Scheckner suggested, “ they beat, abuse or kill other people, usually women” (237). However, he portrayed the other men in a far better light although, they were not ideally nice people. The men being portrayed were, Pumblechoock, Jaggers, and Abel Magwitch. It is important to understand the portrayal of both the women and men. The men of the novel although not perfect, were perhaps in a better place. Some of these people include Pip, who was building his way to the top. The reader observes Mr. Joe portrayed in a far better way than his wife Mrs. Joe. Usually, in most families that father is the stern character, but not in Great