Great Expectations is a novel written by Charles Dickens, which was first published in serial forms between the years 1860-1861. The novel illustrates the Victorian social class and the concept of a gentleman. The word gentleman can be defined in two ways, firstly a person with wealth according to society and secondly a person with moral qualities in which Dickens states the true definition of a gentleman is. Pip who is the main character in the novel, wants to become a gentleman in a sense of wealth. Throughout the novel he has to go through a series of trials, which at the end forces him to mature and suffer the consequences. Although Pip does not have biological parents Joe and Magwitch are seen to be father figures to him. They contribute to two aspects, whereby Pip becoming a gentleman as well as his development. Hence the novel is a bildungsroman. In this essay the above statement will be further elaborated on.
Pips first encounter with Magwitch is at the graveyard in chapter 1. Who is former criminal due to poverty and escaped the hulk prison. At first, he requests a file and wittles (Dickens [1861]n.d.:7), from Pip which the following day Pip brought for him. He sees this as a good deed and decides to do a good thing for Pip. Magwitch decides that when he earned a guinea, that guinea [would go to Pip] (569), the reason why Magwitch done this was to turn Pip into becoming a gentleman (569), by providing him with money. In the beginning Pip does not know that he will receive an expectation until he meets Jaggers a lawyer from London. Pip is told that [he should be] removed from his present sphere of life and from this place, and be brought up as a gentleman (245), implying that Pip should leave his hometown and family to start a new life and become a gentleman(245), which Magwitch wanted him to become. By providing Pip with the expectation (247), Magwitch wants to take revenge on society and show them that anyone can become a gentleman (245) in a sense of wealth and living a good life, as many of the upper-class people keep them better than the rest. As Pip receives his expectations (247), a sum of money amply sufficient for [his] suitable education and maintenance (248), from which Magwitch had given him but at the time did not know, he seen it as a way out of poverty. Pip coming from a poor background would see two pounds as a fat sweltering (78), to him this was a lot until he realised his expectation was more than that. As the novel proceeds, due to all the money that Pip received he become a different person and his life revolved around money. Attempting to act like a gentleman (569), he starts spending his money as being a member of the Finches of the Grove (484), this happens to be a club whereby men spend their money foolishly (485), as they got more and more into debt (488). As a result of Pip always wanting to fit into society, he hires the Avengers(488), which happens to be a servant and the reason why Pips hires a serv...
