Compeyson And Magwitch Foils

The book Great Expectations is filled with foils and "opposites", characters that bring out characteristics important to the theme of the novel. One of the biggest foils is Compeyson and Magwitch. Compeyson is a rich "gentleman" and is let off pretty easily from a long , hard sentence, while Magwitch, a poor, unsuccessful orphan, is not pitied by society. He is labeled a convict and framed by Compeyson. He takes the blame for everything bad Compeyson has done and comes off as a shady, dodgy person. Compeyson is self-centered; this is emphasized by the incident in which a man named Arthur, whom Compeyson employs and who does all the "dirty work", is dying. Though Compeyson's wife has pity on the man, Compeyson himself does not give a passing