Great Expectations Theme Essay

“Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be” (Dickens 284). The three major themes of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens are social status and character, growing pains, and revenge. In the novel, social class determines how a person is viewed and treated in society, but it does not define the character of a person. Pip realizes that class and wealth are less important that loyalty and affection. For example, “...Miss Havisham up town, - as an immensely rich and grim lady who lived in a large and dismal house barricaded against robbers, and who led a life of seclusion” (Dickens 31). Although Miss Havisham is of high social class, she lives a bitter life, set on getting revenge on the male gender. On the other hand, Magwitch is viewed as a lowly convict, but is selfless and his life goal was to support Pip in being a gentleman. The perception of wealth and social class does not determine a person’s character. As Pip grows up her realizes that life is full of pain and struggle. Pip learns that, “Miss Havisham’s intentions towards me, all a mere dream; Estella not designed for me; I only suffered in Satis House as a convenience, a string for the greedy relations, a model with a mechanical heart to practise on when no other practice was at hand...”
Without revenge Estella would not be the cold, feeling-less character in the novel. “ That girl’s hard and haughty and capricious to the last degree, and has been brought up by Miss Havisham to wreak revenge on all the male sex” (Dickens 104). Miss Havisham's revenge not only brought despair upon others, she also hurt herself in creating Estella. Also, the result from Compeyson’s revenge on Magwitch results in both characters dieing. This demonstrates that revenge causes harm not only to oneself and others, but it does not bring real happiness to the people who seek