Great Expectations 3
In Dickens' novel, Great Expectations, the main theme running through the work deals with the maturing of individuals, and the question of what being a gentleman consists of. From his first encounter with Miss Havisham and more significantly, the young Estella, Pip's main focus and goal is on improving his simplistic and rustic lower class lifestyle, and his aims to become a gentleman. He sees many errors in his common working class ways, and is ashamed of them to the extent that he dreams to rid himself of his crude habits, and raise himself in social class. On the surface, the book deals with a young working class boy who has been exposed to a higher class of living, and strives to someday be as elegant and gentleman-like as people of that social class. Dickens includes in the story several characters such as Herbert Pocket, Mr. Jaggers, and Wemmick who Pip sees as true gentlemen, men with class and dignity, and a much better education background than himself. On the surface, Dickens is proposing to us
Dickens gives us the supporting evidence that goes to show that being a true gentleman doesn't have to do all with physical appearance and eloquence, but more so with what's in your heart, soul, and mind. True gentleman-like qualities are more moral values and courtesies, rather than apparent representations of social (class) status and wealth. Upon examining Dickens' writings a little closer, I found that the underlying theme to the story was that it you have to look deeper than just the surface to find what characteristics in a person are gentleman-like, and who a gentleman is. Dickens presents for us the realism that it isn't necessary to speak as an upper class person of the time did, to dress in expensive, elegant clothes, or to have a middle to upper class background to actually be a gentleman. Rather, Dickens also conveys this same point with the main character, Pip. Pip starts out as a common laboring boy with good senses to him, and through his good fortunes, learn supposed gentleman-like tra
Some common words found in the essay are:
Wemmick Pip, Pip Pip, Estella Pip's, Joe Gargery, , social class, Miss Havisham, upper class, middle upper, middle upper class, real gentleman, gentleman dickens,
Approximate Word count = 686
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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