How Does Dickens Present The Separation Of Social Class
Separation of Social Classes Thematic Analysis As small children, we all entered this world with freedom from judgement of others. We were happy with what we had, and were accepting of others based on their character, not their wealth. Pip came into Dickens’ world of Great Expectations in the same fashion, but as he came of age he learned to judge others with as much vigor as others in his society. Born into a poor family, Pip rose among the ranks of society, and with this rose his willingness to tear others down based on their wealth. With the tactical use of intricate characters, situations, and darkness and light, Dickens exemplifies the wrongness of judging people by their social class. Characters in the novel are what portray strong
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Pip navigates through his life, and the strange situations he finds himself in shape his character with gravity. Dickens changes readers thinking in the assumption that being rich makes you a better person. Pip proves this wrong when Joe comes to visit pip in London, and Pip treats him terribly and judges him. Joe goes on to describe the separation of social classes, “...one man’s a blacksmith, and one’s a goldsmith...Diwisions among such must come, and must be met as they come...You and me is not two figures to be together in London…”(Dickens 275). Even though Joe has been a friend to Pip his entire life, he resigns to the fact that he is inferior to Pip, based on the amount of money he has. Pip was once a good person, but money corrupted him, because he cannot even be kind to those who love him. A similar situation is Magwitch getting an incredibly lengthy prison sentence while Compeyson got a light one for the same crime (Dickens 430). The difference between the two is not only their social status, but their motives and values. Dickens makes Compeyson the gentleman, yet he is the one who aims to hurt others and is selfish. Magwitch, however, did what he did to survive, and truly cares for Pip as well. This is ironic in the sense that the better person had the worse outcome in life. Dickens is urging readers to realize that judging people solely based on their social class is wrong, because people are worth more than just how much money they
Pip navigates through his life, and the strange situations he finds himself in shape his character with gravity. Dickens changes readers thinking in the assumption that being rich makes you a better person. Pip proves this wrong when Joe comes to visit pip in London, and Pip treats him terribly and judges him. Joe goes on to describe the separation of social classes, “...one man’s a blacksmith, and one’s a goldsmith...Diwisions among such must come, and must be met as they come...You and me is not two figures to be together in London…”(Dickens 275). Even though Joe has been a friend to Pip his entire life, he resigns to the fact that he is inferior to Pip, based on the amount of money he has. Pip was once a good person, but money corrupted him, because he cannot even be kind to those who love him. A similar situation is Magwitch getting an incredibly lengthy prison sentence while Compeyson got a light one for the same crime (Dickens 430). The difference between the two is not only their social status, but their motives and values. Dickens makes Compeyson the gentleman, yet he is the one who aims to hurt others and is selfish. Magwitch, however, did what he did to survive, and truly cares for Pip as well. This is ironic in the sense that the better person had the worse outcome in life. Dickens is urging readers to realize that judging people solely based on their social class is wrong, because people are worth more than just how much money they