Great Expectations Inequalities Essay
Inequalities in the Victorian Social Class Structure in Great Expectations
In Victorian society, there was a clear separation of the classes. The poor lived a life to which society looked down upon them with lives lacking opportunity. The rich lived a lavish life on top of the hierarchy with great opportunity. Each of the classes was separated by their financial situations and heritage, which lead to their daily life situation. Their daily lives were impacted by these contributions, which lead to how they were perceived by society. All of these inequalities can be read in the text of Great Expectations, which ultimately portrays the seriousness of these situations and exemplifies these societal norms. Throughout Great Expectations by Charles …show more content…
The proper terminology to address the upper class is to refer to them as “ma’am” or “sir.” It was rude not to do this. People were shunned if they did not and were looked down upon if avoided this kind of confrontation. The upper class had rules they had to follow, societal norms. For example, not wearing the proper attire at the correct time of day or speaking to certain individuals would result in repulsion by society (Rose). This links with Great Expectations when Pip does not like the way Joe is dressed. He feels Joe is out of place even when he dresses like himself (Dickens 103). Joe is dressed like one of the lower class, so naturally, Pip being rich, would have distaste towards Joe’s attire. As Pip raises social status, Joe calls Pip “sir” (Dickens 222). In Victorian society, “class was revealed in their manners, speech, clothing, education, and values” (Mitchell). The way people dressed and behaved in Victorian society portrayed their social class. “Victorians believed that each class had its own standards, and people were expected to adhere to the rules that were set for their class” (Wojtzack). This concludes that when Joe dresses his normal way and then tries to dress differently, Pip feels disgust towards Joe because he is not dressing to his societal class. In Great Expectations, due to different classes, the high and low classes are addressed by different names and are treated differently by their societal
In Victorian society, there was a clear separation of the classes. The poor lived a life to which society looked down upon them with lives lacking opportunity. The rich lived a lavish life on top of the hierarchy with great opportunity. Each of the classes was separated by their financial situations and heritage, which lead to their daily life situation. Their daily lives were impacted by these contributions, which lead to how they were perceived by society. All of these inequalities can be read in the text of Great Expectations, which ultimately portrays the seriousness of these situations and exemplifies these societal norms. Throughout Great Expectations by Charles …show more content…
The proper terminology to address the upper class is to refer to them as “ma’am” or “sir.” It was rude not to do this. People were shunned if they did not and were looked down upon if avoided this kind of confrontation. The upper class had rules they had to follow, societal norms. For example, not wearing the proper attire at the correct time of day or speaking to certain individuals would result in repulsion by society (Rose). This links with Great Expectations when Pip does not like the way Joe is dressed. He feels Joe is out of place even when he dresses like himself (Dickens 103). Joe is dressed like one of the lower class, so naturally, Pip being rich, would have distaste towards Joe’s attire. As Pip raises social status, Joe calls Pip “sir” (Dickens 222). In Victorian society, “class was revealed in their manners, speech, clothing, education, and values” (Mitchell). The way people dressed and behaved in Victorian society portrayed their social class. “Victorians believed that each class had its own standards, and people were expected to adhere to the rules that were set for their class” (Wojtzack). This concludes that when Joe dresses his normal way and then tries to dress differently, Pip feels disgust towards Joe because he is not dressing to his societal class. In Great Expectations, due to different classes, the high and low classes are addressed by different names and are treated differently by their societal