The Theme Of Coming Of Age In Great Expectations By Charles Dickens

Throughout the bildungsroman by Charles Dickens, “Great Expectations,” the theme of coming of age is quite apparent. Dickens creates this theme specifically through the nature of maturation. The protagonist, Pip, is the largest contributor to understanding the importance of maturity and unselfishness. Pip is impacted by the whirlwind of opportunity that he was exposed to as a young boy. He was overwhelmed and quick to make most decisions early on in his life. Pip became obsessed with wealth, social status, and possession. Pip was transforming into a materialistic young man because of the exposure he had to the higher class when he began to visit the Satis house, the home of Miss Havisham, and Pip’s love, Estella. External influences such as …show more content…
Pip is about seven years old at this time and he has a personality of innate kindness and innocent ignorance. The novel builds the process of his maturity until he becomes a gentleman, a true gentleman. Dickens’ use of Pip the character, who is responsible for the actions taking place, and Pip the narrator, the voice of the novel, creates the relationship between the mature Pip and his judgements on the actions of his past and what he was thinking at the time of his actions or mistakes. Pip the narrator is a mature gentleman telling his story from his childhood. The story of Pip’s coming of age. The narrator Pip reflects on his past and harshly judges the decisions he had made, such as leaving his loved ones for a selfish life of guilt and loneliness. Pip realizes that he had become negatively affected by external forces. His obsession for a higher status grew over the early years of his life. Pip was consumed in a plethora of wealth and opportunity and he, at the time, believed it was in his best fortune to leave his sister, Joe, and Biddy for an independent life of …show more content…
The structure of the novel involving Pip as the narrator, as well as Pip as the character, displayed the different thought processes between a young boy who becomes engulfed in a world of wealth and class that he has never been exposed to and a grown gentleman who can reflect on his decisions because he once was that young, confused boy. One cannot allow the obsessions for wealth, power, and status to obscure the view of the important people in one’s life. Through the coming of age and maturation, the lesson of self-improvement and loyalty to loved ones is