Dickens Life Reflected In The Character Of Pip

Both Miss Havisham and Magwitch are two key characters who shape Pip’s life and dreams. Pip himself is a young boy whose story reflects that of Charles Dickens, the author. When Dickens was twelve his father was imprisoned for debt, much like Magwitch- the father-figure in Pip’s life who was also a convict. Dickens was then sent to work at a boot-blacking factory where his mother forced him to work even after his father was released. Similarly, neither Mrs Joe nor Miss Havisham (the mother-figures) treated Pip well. Later, Dickens fell in love with Maria Beadnell but she rejected him- she is reflected in Estella who cruelly rejected Pip for much time. In 1875, the forty-five year old Dickens fell in love with eighteen year old Ellen Ternan though he never dared to tell the public about her. The happiness that could have been his is reflected in the comfortably married. As well as reflecting aspects of Dickens’s life, ‘Great Expectations’ also reflected the key social, historical and cultural influences of the time. These include the issue of ambition- a man could improve his station in life if he worked hard enough. This idea of a ‘self-made man’ was popular in the nineteenth century. The layers of social class also played a vital part in Victorian life and its effects and influence can clearly be seen in Pip’s life. Along with the social hierarchy came social problems- there was a special notice of the condition of the poor and the idea of social reform was becoming recognisable, Dickens appears to have been a supporter of social reform. Family and social connections including the church played a big role in people’s lives. They are all acknowledged in ‘Great Expectations.’

Dickens introduces Magwitch in the first chapter of the...

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...ysical condition- further inducing pity on him from the reader. However, it may also remind the reader that he is a convict with a price on his life. Pip imagines he is a pirate come to life from the gibbet and is walking back to hook himself up again. This again reinforces the idea he is of the living dead and is another link to death. The reader by the end of the chapter is torn between pity for the convict and a sense of foreboding. Dickens creates an unexpected twist when the character turns out to be decent, honest and even likeable. The impression is given that he purposely defeated the superstitions and the ideas imposed on people by the church and may be evidence that Dickens disapproved of the power the church and social class had over people. He may have even induced the idea of social reform in many, being a popular author, through ‘Great Expectations’.