Strained Relationships, Resentment and Indignation Between the Classes in Great Expectations

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Strained Relationships, Resentment and Indignation Between the Classes in Great Expectations Great expectations is a profound story. It contains the theme of love, desire, foolishness, the relationship between a family, and so on. And the story also strongly represents social context and social force of Dickens's time. Dickens provides us with scathing insight into the social standard of the time. I'd like to consider English social class of Great expectations. The class system in England began with the introduction of feudalism which followed the Norman Conquest of 1066, and it has been the social standard for hundreds of years. The class system consists of an upper, middle and lower class. These classes and the differences between them are evident in the plot and interaction of the characters in Great Expectations. Dickens depicts severely the English class system, where the upper class is omnipotent, the middle class consists of those envious of the upper class, and the hard workers of the lower class who are unable to succeed due to their birth status. These injustices are personified through Miss Havisham, Mrs. Pocket and Magwitch, and I think they satirize the upper, middle and lower classes. Through colorful narrations and descriptions, these characters indicate the various classes of nineteenth century England. Miss Havisham's lazy and indulgent nature is seen through Pip's many vivid descriptions of her as he became progressively more embroiled in Miss Havisham's games. Miss Havisham personified the idle rich, who sat in her mansion, brooding ... ... middle of paper ... ...r class were morally bankrupt despite their great material wealth. The middle classes adored the aristocrats of the upper class and sacrificed much self-dignity in order to be accepted by the upper class. The lower class were laveled from birth as being of lesser value than those of the upper and middle classes. The strained relationships, resentment and indignation between the classes is evident through the interactions of the characters in Great Expectations. These characters represent each social class in England, and the defining characteristics of the classes. Despite the ill feelings between classes, at the conclusion of the book we learn that happiness can be achieved on different levels, regardless of social stature and class. Dickens's brave message is one of hope for a future of greater social equality.

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