Charles Dickens - Great Expectations

Great Expectations-Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens wrote ‘Great Expectations’ in 1860 and it was the first book of the 19th century to be based on a child, spoke by a child and seeing the world through a child’s eyes. This type of narrative can be compared to other books by Dickens, like ’Oliver Twist’ which is used to portray the plight of poor children and orphans in the workhouse. Also ’David Copperfield’ which symbolises the difficulties and burdens of childhood. All these books contain a child-centered theme, in the same way that our other class novel, ’To Kill A Mockingbird’ centres around Scout Finch.
In 1849, Dickens was offered a seat in the House Of Commons, but he turned down the offer, as he thought he could make a bigger and better impact on mankind through his literature. He believed that through his novels, he would change the mind-set of the public. Most of his books focus on the injustice of children and the abuse they face in their lives. Charles Dickens made it his goal to make a difference.

One of the major issues which Dickens wished to highlight to his Victorian readers, was that the effects of bad parenting on children, are consequential to how they act or behave in later life. Characters such as Pip and Joe have both experienced bad parenting and are emotionally and mentally suffering for it in the present.
Joe as a young boy, faced a traumatic experience with his father, as he was an alcoholic and frequently abused Joe’s mother: because of the mental scarring that this caused Joe, he was unable to stand up for himself against any sign of conflict, in particular from Mrs. Joe. She knew that she had gained full control over Joe and used it at his disadvantage. “She pounced on Joe and tanking him by the two whiskers. Knocked his head for a little while against the wall behind him.” Joe was too shy and timid to stand up to Mrs. Joe, so he let her carry on with her abuse toward him.
Also due to Joe’s timidity, he could not protect Pip from Mrs. Joe’s anger and wrath: “She concluded by throwing me-I often served as her connubial missile-at Joe.” Joe would not cross Mrs. Joe to even protect Pip. He adores Pip but cannot bring himself to confront Mrs. Joe.
Joe suffered a hampered childhood with restricted intellectual growth throughout. For example, he wasn’t able to go to school, which caused a dramatic drawback to his learning, “Now please God you will have some schooling child!” Joe’s mother wanted to give Joe a good up-bringing but his father wouldn’t allow it. In hindsight, Joe could never really grow up, as he was discontented with being illiterate.
In conclusion, due to Joe’s bad childhood experiences, he could not behave like an adult. His mental growth had been obstructed by the consequences of bad parenting.
Pip also in comparison, has also suffered the consequences of bad parenting. Mrs. Joe had acted as Pip’s surrogate mother, she however wasn’t a great support system to Pip, but more like a hindrance as she showed him verbal and physical abuse daily. “My sister fished me up by the hair: saying nothing more than awful words.” Mrs. Joe is violent towards Pip because she believes that she, as a woman, is being taken for granted, as women were treated unfairly in this time too. This gave her power and strength to be seen as an authoritative figure in the household.
These severe actions, caused psychological damage to Pip, causing him to be, “morally timid and very sensitive.” Pip was also afraid to stand up for himself in fear of being beaten by Mrs. Joe. Germane to this, when Pip was hired by Mrs. Havisham as a companion for Estella, he couldn’t stand up for himself against Estella’s manipulative ways. He was too used to being beaten down and dominated by female figures all his life, he knew no different.
Pip was not just mentally abused by Mrs. Joe or Estella, but by uncle Pumblechook too, “Think what you’ve got to be grateful for. If you’d have been born a squeaker.” he is referring to if Pip had have been born a pig, he would not have the life he has now.
Summarising Pip’s childhood, he could never stand up to women and his mental growth was hindered by the bad parenting he had faced over the years.

Dickens had also wished to bring to the attention of his Victorian readers the problem of how children were very vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous parents. Pip was the main character that experienced this unethical and morally incorrect act towards children, in Victorian times. Parents in these times sold their children to professions such as chimney sweeping, this today would be regarded as illegal and an act of slavery, but yet today, it still happens behind closed doors. Back then, there were no laws regarding the safety and welfare or children and the police did not interfere in family matters as such. This is unjust, but in Victorian times, children were seen as inferior and they did not matter. Parents had complete control over their children and the government did not intervene or try to stop abusive and unethical behaviour.
Pip was abused by Mrs. Joe to a great extent, “Immediately divined the cause and applied Tickler to further investigation.” But not one person in these times thought of it as abusive or cruel, but that it was raising them “by hand” as it was so aptly put. People regarded this harsh up-bringing as a good thing, “be grateful boy, to them which bought you up by hand.”
Pip was emotionally and mentally exploited when Mrs. Havisham hired him as Estella’s companion. Pip was really hired for Estella to manipulate Pip, she was used by Mrs. Havisham as a weapon of revenge and a weapon against all men. She had her heart broken, and knowing that Estella is beautiful, she wreaks her revenge on men through Estella’s manipulative ways. Estella is cruel and turns her nose up at Pip for being from a working class back round and uneducated. She shows him total contempt as she believes that she is superior to him. But in a way, Estella is also facing exploitation: her mother has moulded her to be vengeful and twisted towards men because of her own experiences. She moulds Estella to be what she wishes that she could have been like towards men all those years ago. Estella doesn’t realise but Mrs. Havisham is using her beauty and newly acquired manipulative skills to be cruel to men.
Mrs. Havisham is also cruel to Pip when he visits her home. “You say nothing of her, what do you think of her?” She here, tries to intimidate Pip by pointing questions at him about Estella.
In conclusion, Dickens has portrayed that in these times, children were of lesser importance to adults and they had no rights. The consequences also proved to be hindering to their personal development and growth as they were treated with disrespect.

Another aspect of plight of children which Dickens believed was in need of reform, and wished to give emphasis to, was the fact that children we inferior at this time. Their role in life was ornamental, they were not valued in terms of thoughts or feelings and they were seen as a burden of hindrance by the rest of the family.
The Victorian times did not harbour a child-centered culture at all. Children at these times were not valued as a part of the family and they were regarded or known as insignificant. ‘Great Expectations’ was the first book to be written from a child’s point of view and based on the life of children in that time. Dickens wrote this book in order to depict clearly the problem of how badly children were treated. “I got so smartingly touched up by these moral goads.” Pip was being intimidated and humiliated by uncle Pumblechook. This weakened Pip’s mental and emotional strength and caused him to be “morally timid.”
The only people that give Pip respect in the book, are Joe and Magwitch. Joe speaks to Pip as he is on the same level as him. “Your sister’s a master-mind. A master-mind.” Joe treats Pip as an equal to him.
Magwitch also talks to Pip like an equal and values Pip because he is a gateway to food. “You’d be but a fierce, young hound indeed, if at your time of life you could help to hunt a wretched warmint, hunted as near death and dunhghill as this poor warmint is!” Pip feels pitiful towards him and his sorry situation. Because of the state Magwitch is in, the tables could have been turned and Pip could have made Magwitch feel in superior, but the book is based on the plight of children.
At this time also, children were seem as ornaments, just to sit there and not speak, “…nor because I was not allowed to speak (I did not want to speak.)” Pip was not expected to talk or stand up for himself against their intimidating remarks toward him. The adults would pester and annoy Pip as if to make him crack so he would be punished. “I should not have minded that, if they would only have left me alone.” Looking at children of today, I know myself, when you are provoked, it’s natural instinct to defend yourself by any means possible. Back in Victorian times, children were to be seen and not heard. Meaning they were the weaker and more vulnerable species.
Children’s opinions thoughts and feelings were not valued at this time also. As children were inferior, as were their minds. Nobody cared how a child felt in accordance to a situation or what thoughts they had on a particular matter.
Nowadays there are such things as counsellors for children and paediatricians for when they have problems or illnesses. Also there are school councils, where a child’s opinion can be heard. I think today, would be regarded as child-centered for the most part as, education is available, children are entitled to their own opinions and thoughts and so many things are based on children today, such as, books, films and television shows. “I was not allowed to speak.” Pip was unable to express himself, which for a child would be painfully difficult, as when you are young you really find out the ways in which your mind works and how you think for yourself.
Opinions, feelings and thoughts were under-valued in this era for children. This again would hinder their personal growth as they could never speak their minds or say how they feel.
In conclusion, bad parenting in this era had an extremely bad on children’s mental and emotional growth. Their childhood was basically robbed from them by adults. And they say childhood is the best time of your life, clearly not the way of things in this era!

Dickens uses the example of Mrs. Joe in the novel to show how terrifying adults were to children in that era. He uses the device of portrait to depict the mind of Mrs. Joe. From the use of symbolism, actions and speech, we can create a complex character study of the main example of a figure who portrays bad parenting.
Dickens uses symbolism, to give the reader psychological insight into Mrs. Joe. The main symbol he uses to represent Mrs. Joe’s mind-set is her apron. “Almost always wore a coarse apron fastened over her figure behind with 2 loops…” Mrs. Joe wears her apron in this fashion, it seems, to exclude any air of femininity that she has. I believe this is because, Mrs. Joe is aware that women were of the weaker sex at this time. It’s as if she doesn’t think of herself as a woman, but she believes she faces the hardship of a man in that era.
The apron had, “a square impregnable bib in front, was stuck full of pins and needles.” This symbolises Mrs. Joe’s hard and cold exterior and also represents her sharp, cut-throat remarks to both Joe and Pip. Wearing the apron in this way portrays the fact that she is always at work in the house and it’s as if she’s experiencing slavery.
Pip comments, “she made it a powerful merit in herself, and a strong reproach against Joe, that she wore this apron so much.” The fact that Mrs. Joe constantly wears this apron and also prides herself in it, shows that it’s as if she’s being forced to work all the time. She feels powerful with the apron on, like she is an equal member of society rather than a regular housewife.
From the information gathered on the apron we can now clearly depict the symbolism of this item. We can tell that she feels powerful in wearing it and she feels equal. The way in which she wears it, gives off a façade of coldness, not like her role of Pip’s supposed surrogate mother. It’s as if she is pushing away the fact that she is woman in order to gain respect and to be treated with equality.
Dickens uses imagery and portrait to help reveal Mrs. Joe’s anger and hatred towards Joe and Pip. He uses vivid images and descriptions in order to give the reader a clear insight into how Mrs. Joe looked and acted.
“With black hair and eyes…” the way which Dickens describes her features, gives the impression that she is an evil and dark person.
“…had such a redness of skin” this is used to propose the idea that she’s constantly angry because the colour red, is consciously linked to anger.
Dickens also mentions that she is, “tall and bony” in a way he is trying to give off the picture that she is sharp, severe and almost witch-like.
“’Where have you been young monkey?’ said Mrs. Joe, stamping her foot.” the way in which she stamps her foot gives off the image that she is angry and impatient with Pip.
Dickens uses Mrs. Joe’s actions in order to portray to the reader that she has a lot of built up anger and frustration towards Pip and Joe. She expresses these feelings by abusing both Pip and Joe and also by the way in which she cuts and butters the bread for them, with such violence and anguish.
Taking Joe to begin with, she expresses great anger toward him. “So she pounced on Joe, and taking him by the two whiskers, knocked his head for a little while against the wall behind him.” this was an act of sheer frustration and desperation, taken out on Joe.
“She concluded by throwing me-I often served as her connubial missile-at Joe.” this action involves both Joe and Pip but it mainly shows her hatred of her marriage to Joe because, “it’s bad enough to be a blacksmith’s wife (and him a Gargery)” showing that she is ashamed of Joe’s social status and illiteracy.
Now Pip, who experiences a great extent of Mrs. Joe’s wrath. “My sister made a dive at me, and fished me up by the hair.” This shows that Mrs. Joe is extremely violent and angry with the life she leads. She vents her anger through Pip and Joe. They both are sorry victims of the consequences of bad parenting in this era and due to this, they could not protect themselves or each other.
“The urgency of my case demanded a pint of this mixture which was poured down my throat, for my greater comfort…” Mrs. Joe doses Pip with a severe amount of Tar-water because she believed in its, “virtues correspondent to nastiness” when her own abusive methods fail, she uses Tar-water to punish both Pip and Joe.
The way in which Mrs. Joe cuts the bread is the best action in the novel to portray her anger and violence.
“She jammed the loaf hard and fast against her bib-where it sometimes got a pin into it.” this shows the extremity of her harshness and her excessive anger.
“Then she took some butter (not too much) on the knife and spread it on the loaf in an apothecary kind of way.” shows that she is precise about how much butter goes on the bread because she doesn’t want Pip or Joe to have too much of a luxury.
“…using both sides of the knife with a slapping dexterity” this shows she has mastered great skill for preparing the bread for Joe and Pip.
“…then she sawed a very thick round off the loaf” the word ‘sawed’ is used as an extremity to cut or sliced, to represent sheer violence.
Direct speech is used skilfully, in order to delineate how harsh and sharp Mrs. Joe is towards Joe and Pip, she uses very severe tone and language to represent hatred and disgust.
“If it waren’t for me you’ have been to the churchyard long ago and stayed there.” she tries now to make Pip feel guilty and tries to put in his head that if it weren’t for her, then he’d be dead and gone.
“You’ll drive me to the churchyard betwixt you, one of these days, and oh, a pr-pr-precious pair you’d be without me!” Mrs. Joe sees herself as the authoritative figure in the household, and she knows that Pip and Joe would be helpless without her.
From the symbolism, imagery/portraits, actions and speech that Mrs. Joe expresses, we can tell that she was a typical adult in the Victorian era. She was powerful, authoritative and knew that she had a mental and physical control over Joe and Pip. She uses their weaknesses as an advantage to her power and equality.

Dickens portrayal of children in the Victorian era is quite unlike today, very much so, as there are plenty of interventions for child abuse, such as the police and social services. In this way, children have a sense of protection. Children are still very much exploited in the media such as Lourdes, Madonna’s daughter, she is being thrust out as only a 12 year old girl. Also child grooming and prostitution is at a peak now due to unscrupulous people. Child protection services are however improving now with the help of the government.