Importance of Social Class in the Eyes of Charles Dickens Essay Example
Importance of Social Class in the Eyes of Dickens
In many ways there are things about the Victorian Age that are vastly different from our way we live today. In the 1800’s elements such as courting manners, having children, transportation, housing and careers are all proof of this. The novel Great Expectations gives many examples of the difference in the present and past times of society. Victorians were a very class-conscious society. These days, just about anyone can somehow manage to have fairly nice clothes, a decent car, a place to live, and reasonable job. Not so in Victorian times. Through his novel’s main characters, Charles Dickens explores and portrays the struggle of the individual to organize his own life, among influential social expectations.
Born on February 7, 1812, Charles Dickens was the second child of John and Elizabeth Dickens’ eight children. They lived in Portsmouth, located on England's southern coast. John Dickens was stationed in Portsmouth as a clerk in the Navy Pay Office. The family was of lower-middle-class origins, his father having come from servants and his mother from minor bureaucrats. Dickens' father was lively and generous but had an unfortunate predisposition to live beyond his means. His mother was affectionate and rather incompetent in practical matters.
In 1814 John Dickens was transfered from the post in Portsmorth to one in London. The Dickens family moved to Chatham three years later to be closer to their father who was working at the post. Dickens' mother taught him to read when he was nearly five and for the next few years Dickens read every book he could get his hands on. He quickly read through his father's collection of Shakespeare, Cervantes, Defoe, Smollett, Fielding, and Goldsmith. Every one of these authors left a mark on the young mind of Charles Dickens. Dickens started school when he was about eight or nine, but in 1824 his education was put on hold when his father was imprisoned for debt in 1824
In many ways there are things about the Victorian Age that are vastly different from our way we live today. In the 1800’s elements such as courting manners, having children, transportation, housing and careers are all proof of this. The novel Great Expectations gives many examples of the difference in the present and past times of society. Victorians were a very class-conscious society. These days, just about anyone can somehow manage to have fairly nice clothes, a decent car, a place to live, and reasonable job. Not so in Victorian times. Through his novel’s main characters, Charles Dickens explores and portrays the struggle of the individual to organize his own life, among influential social expectations.
Born on February 7, 1812, Charles Dickens was the second child of John and Elizabeth Dickens’ eight children. They lived in Portsmouth, located on England's southern coast. John Dickens was stationed in Portsmouth as a clerk in the Navy Pay Office. The family was of lower-middle-class origins, his father having come from servants and his mother from minor bureaucrats. Dickens' father was lively and generous but had an unfortunate predisposition to live beyond his means. His mother was affectionate and rather incompetent in practical matters.
In 1814 John Dickens was transfered from the post in Portsmorth to one in London. The Dickens family moved to Chatham three years later to be closer to their father who was working at the post. Dickens' mother taught him to read when he was nearly five and for the next few years Dickens read every book he could get his hands on. He quickly read through his father's collection of Shakespeare, Cervantes, Defoe, Smollett, Fielding, and Goldsmith. Every one of these authors left a mark on the young mind of Charles Dickens. Dickens started school when he was about eight or nine, but in 1824 his education was put on hold when his father was imprisoned for debt in 1824