The Importance Of Family In Great Expectations By Charles Dickens

In Charles Dickens’ novel, Great Expectations, Pip is portrayed as a boy brought up in a poor family. He inherits a large fortune from an unknown benefactor and leaves behind his whole life as he had known previously, and starts anew. Pip abandons his family and friends and only comes back to visit them when it benefits him, or whenever Estella wishes for his assistance. Things go great for Pip until near the end of the story, when his money is lost and he now must depend on his friends and family. Through Charles Dicken’s Great Expectations and research on the Victorian era, one sees Pip’s mistreatment of his family and the lower class, through the distancing of his relationship with Joe; his priority of money and wealth, through his frivolous …show more content…
Many men who belonged to gentlemen’s clubs spent most of their time at these clubs, contradicting society’s standards (“Gentlemen’s Club.”). One reason for this contradiction could be that in this time period, society believed that a man’s home should satisfy most of his needs (“Gentlemen’s Club.”). This was not always true for the upper class during the Victorian Era. The upper class homes were not always a place of privacy and comfort because most upper class families had many guests occupying their homes because of hosting dinners, formal teas, entertainment, and parties (“Gentlemen’s Club.”). Many upper class families’ lives’ were often reported in local newspapers and put on display for everyone to see (“Gentlemen’s Club.”). Another reason for this contradiction could be that men were brought up in all male environments in both school and sports and when they now had to share their lives with women, they became uncomfortable (“Gentlemen’s Club.”). Regardless of the reasons, gentlemen’s clubs acted as an escape for Victorian men (“Gentlemen’s Club.”). This shows Pip’s abandonment of his family. Clubs caused many Victorian males to abandon their families for long periods of time in exchange for luxury and relaxation. This is representative of Pip abandoning his family when he inherits the fortune in exchange for the same. Gentlemen’s clubs were the …show more content…
In Victorian England, the lower class consisted of chimney sweeps, rat-catchers, factory workers, etc. (Angel). Members of Victorian England believed that the poor had no place in society, especially the upper class (Angel). Pip mentions in the novel that Joe does not belong in the upper class, as well. The members of Victorian England contradicted their beliefs when they occasionally required the lower class to perform duties for them (Angel). This is portrayed by Pip in the novel through his used of the Avenged Phantom. Many Victorians believed that the poor deserved to live the way they did and were “burdens on the public”(Angel). They believed that if the poor made proper choices, they would not be living a life of poverty and misery (Angel). Victorian society believed the best way to deal with the poor was to ignore them (Angel). This is portrayed by Pip through his treatment and ignorance of his family. Pip’s treatment of his family is unjust and again relates back to his obsession with self-image. He wants to be associated with the wealthy and elegant members of society in order to impress Estella, but in doing so, inversely does not want to be associated with his family who is on the other side of the spectrum. Eventually, Pip becomes seriously ill (Hader). Joe shows compassion towards Pip and takes him in