Charles Dickens 3
Charles Dickens criticizes his society and everything that he thinks is wrong about it. He expresses all his dislikes in the society of the Victorian Era. He expresses his feelings about the Victorian society in all his writings. He criticizes many things in each book he has written. Dickens traveled a lot and had seen "many little things and some great things, which, because they interested him, he thought may interest others"(Internet Site #3). His books all contain themes that show Dickens's dislike of the way his society is. He wrote primarily for the lower-middle class. He was not particularly fond of the aristocratic class, and how they treated the people of lower classes. His ideas and attitudes were typical to the people of the lower-middle class. His audience was people of the same class as him, so they could understand his feelings and beliefs. He displays his moral beliefs in every book that he has written. Dickens was a very big advocate in the "plea of Poor versus Rich"(Internet Site #1). Dickens gave plenty of aid to this plea by the works that he wrote, which provided progress to the battle for the poor. All of Dickens' novels show the battle between upper and lower classes. He portrays the lower cl
Dickens also criticizes his society on the issue of the death penalty. He was strongly opposed to this idea. "He believed that taking a person's life did nothing to prevent crime"(Internet Site #6). The most obvious incorporation of this belief into his books is in Great Expectations. In the beginning of the book, he shows the brutality of Magwitch, but he makes the reader recognize in the end that he is actually an honest and loving man. "He attempts to prove that not all criminals are innately bad, but that frequently society makes them that way"(Internet Site #6). Magwitch turns out to be a respectable man who proves his worthiness to society. If the society had given Magwitch the death penalty, he would not have been able to prove anything, and his life would have been made worthless because he was dead. Dickens' Christmas Carol presented many of Dickens' criticisms of his society. This book was supposed to be "a whimsical sort of masque intended to awaken loving and forbearing thoughts"(Internet Site #2). This book also shows the lower class versus the aristocracy. This is his running theme throughout all his books. This book conveys that wealth does not always mean happiness. Scrooge had all the wealth in the world, but he was not happy. Another theme in this book is greed, which is one of Scrooge's qualities. Dickens understands the evils that greed can cause, so he criticizes it in Christmas Carol. This book also contains the theme of alienation because Scrooge alienates himself from the rest of the world, including his family. This book clearly shows the reader that greed is wrong, and that wealth does not necessarily mean happiness. Some people because that Dickens' criticisms were largely negative, which is true, but not everything was negative. He showed many negative aspects of society because he wanted people to know that the society that they lived in could be improved upon. Harriet Martineau says it very clearly with; "It is scarcely conceivable that anyone should exert a stronger social influence than Mr. Dickens has in his power. His sympathies are on the side of the suffering and the frail;
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1451
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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