Dickens Ideas On Gentility As Shown Through Great Expectations :: Great Expectations Essays

Dickens criticized the field of his own time because it valued the status of being a gentleman over someone doing a reclaimable job. Those who thought they were gentlemen often mocked ordinary citizens. Show how he achieved these aims through the language used and his description of the way Pip and the other characters behaved in the novel. In his many literary works, Dickens strong sense of right and wrong, and his recognition of the many injustices present in Victorian Society are clearly displayed. There is no better an example of these strong set of ideals then those portrayed in his novel, Great Expectations, which tells the story of Pip, a young boy who is initially fooled into believing that square wealth is a substitute for the real moral values a gentleman should posses. However, through the many trials and tribulations he is forced to go through, he is finally able to identify what it means to be a "true gentleman", one that has acquired true wealth and value. It is only then that he is able to have the real meaning behind Matthew Pockets wise words, that"No man was not a true gentleman at heart, ever was since the world began, a true gentleman in manner." (page 175) In Dickens novel, societys idea of a gentleman is perceived as someone of large(p) affluenceand breeding, who did not necessarily posses the moral values and graces a true gentleman should have. After his initial visit to Satis House, Pip was infatuated by Estellas beauty, wealth, and self importance. He allowed himself to be degraded by her scornful references to his "coarse hands", and "thick boots", not realizing at this point that these factors are unimportant on the route to becoming a true gentleman. At that very moment, he deludes himself into believing that if he were to meet Estellas interpretations of gentlemanly conduct, that she would regard him as her equal. Unfortunately, he completely fails to recognize the true moral values present i n Joe and Biddy, and is attracted instead by a fantasized version of Miss Havishams and Estellas lifestyles. He sees his visit to Satis House as the first link in the long chain of events which will lead to his eventually becoming a gentleman.     Dickens leaves the reviewer with no doubt that position and rank were major contributory factors as to how a person was regarded in Victorian society.