An Insight to Idea of themes and metaphors in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

In the novel Great Expectations, Charles Dickens is able to draw the clear picture of
Victorian society representing the social reality. The story is considered to be
autobiographical in nature wherein the genre is bildungsroman. The life of Pip reflects the
life and development of humans in general. The choices, desires, expectations and dreams to
become successful reside within us and so were with Pip. Pip and Estelle, the young orphans
are the protagonists who play an important role in the development of the story. Right from
the beginning of the scene where Pip is a seven year old boy sitting on the tombstone trying
to recall his long lost parents on Christmas Eve. His reminiscence of losing the close ones is
contrasted with the celebration of Birth of Christ. Pip represents the poor class of the social
hierarchy; he seems to be pretty content and happy with the little education that he has gained
in the initial years. There is a sharp thematic contrast drawn between the rich and the poor,
the moral and the immoral, artificiality and humanism which together showcase class
consciousness. The motive of dickens was to breakdown the notions of moral corruption
which was persistent in Victorian era. The people who were following utilitarianism were
capable of realizing their flaws and helping each other. Dickens doesn’t attempt for
perfection but realism in his novels, the moral degradation in the society caused him various
troubles in his real life too, his father was under serious debts and he switched many
professions to sustain himself and his family, he also turned from rags to riches by selling his
writing and received acclaim just like the narrator of the novel Pip. Therefore, the novel gives
us a glimpse of Dickens’ life as well as an insight to the psyche of the characters of different
strata through the sub plots. His novels always give a sense of optimism and positive
approach to perceive world and people in a better way. Scope of redemption just like in
Christianity is there in most of his novels which verifies his religious belief system, values
and power of God to help humans to lead a better way of living.

The elite class represented by a rich widow, Miss Havisham, the antagonist and a round
character in the novel, who has adopted Estelle preaches her to be arrogant and rude to men
in order to become a well-established lady. Dickens criticizes the fallibility of humans and
gives ample examples to prove it. Pip and Havisham become the victims of vices. On one
hand where Havisham deliberately trains Estelle to wreck men’s heart, on the other hand Pip
is made aware about his coarse conditions as a destitute, a common and poor boy with "thick
boots". He is ill-treated and beaten up not only in his household but outside the premises of it.
Miss Havisham’s residence named Satis House develops class consciousness in the
characters in the novel. Dickens describes how Pip encounters multiple hardships not only as
an individual but as a part of the society and his horrifying experiences of childhood tinged
with the innocence plastered mischief creates his way towards a mysterious adulthood. The
house becomes the deciding factor wherein Pip falls in love with Estelle who tends to break
his heart as she condemns and uses him as an object. Both Estelle and Pip are being used as
puppets to Miss Havisham whose personal grudges and insecurities from the past made her
crude and diplomatic. She is unable to identify the difference between good and evil. Being a
victim, she seeks refuge in taking revenge from others. Pip on the other hand is being
embarrassed time and again as he is called by different names that make him conscious about
his looks and uncomfortable about his upbringing and physical appearance.

The idea is to erode the falsity and establish the simplicity of human heart filled with love
with artificial consciousness which creates stereotypical notions and brings in class difference
in the minds and hearts of the people. His family has hopes that he will eventually impart a
great fortune. The imagery in the background of the story builds up the tensions and adding
on to the impact of the situation. For instance, the graveyard scene, the horrifying scene
where a person comes in the dark night and scares Pip breaking his solitude where the convict
threatens him to bring something to eat otherwise he’ll eat his heart. The wind starts to blow,
the visibility is low and the weather is chilling cold. It adds on to the petrified feelings of Pip
who runs back to the strict sister who has a tickler to beat him. His first vice is committed
wherein he steals the food and brings him. The condition of the convict can be easily
identified as a person in desperate need of food has forgotten the basic ethics and morality.
He scars the child’s memory and creates a horrific memory in the beginning of the novel.
Dickens own life has been a series of harsh turmoil which can be very well witnessed in the
novel through the character of Pip where we get an insight about the issues and burden faced
by a young child devoid of materialistic pleasures yet trying to become a gentleman with self-
respect and pride. The Satis place unconsciously builds up the class consciousness in both Pip
and Estelle at an early age which invades their life decisions and choices in the novel later.
Dickens intention is to bring out the truth and reveal the hypocrisy of the elite class in
moulding the mind-set of the lower class mentality. The development of the story is as such
that Dickens constantly tries to correct the human vices and bring in the virtues through love
and compassion. The themes class consciousness with stereotypes, power and constructs
between good and bad, rich and poor, past and present, revenge and forgiveness, aambition
and Self Improvement, change and suffering, revenge and truth lies, criminality, betrayal.

The writing style of Dickens appeals the readers to stick to the story and relate with the
characters at a personal level. Throughout the novel, the suffering brings the inevitable
change in all the characters. Be it Pip who redeems himself only after he’s in severe debts,
Mrs. Joe once violent with the tickler is attacked, the Convict’s efforts to become better and
invest in Pip, Biddy and Joe’s companionship and inherent goodness, Estella’s arrogance
diminishes post marriage and Miss. Havisham’s realization and seeking forgiveness and so
on. All these characters tend to give the message of hope and optimism to get better in the
course of life.

Parenthood is an important relationship along with friendship which has been highlighted
over and over again. The guardian figure of Estella and Pip displays how they become in
their own life as orphans. On one hand Estella learns to become rude and rough, Pip learns to
be compassionate and friendly. His insecurities never stopped him from dreaming to become
a gentlemen and the Convict’s money helped him attain his dream unknowingly. Also, the
idea of love between Pip and Estelle at a subtle age draws how impressions and experiences
of past has a deep impact on the lives of the people. There is an attempt to redeem and correct
the human society through the stories of orphans in the novel who are left aloof with the
nature. Symbols are abundant in this novel, Satis House- the Latin word means enough but
ironically it becomes a rotting structure with cold heartedness of upper class. It also signifies
that materialism and wealth cannot compensate love and compassion. Inside the mansion, the
clock is struck at- 20 minutes to 9 by Miss Havisham reminding of past and refusal to change.
Estella acts as a statue or stone figure that tends to be the instrument of revenge- emotionless
in nature. Miss Havisham’s single shoe represents lack of readiness and the wedding dress
signs of pain, societal construct of marriage for females to be dependent on men and death.
The food like rotting cake is reminiscent of past whereas the spiders and beetles are filthy
beings like Compeyson who betrays, lies, deceives, and destroys the lives for selfish ulterior
motives. Cobwebs relate to the complexity of relationships which Dickens brings in the
novel. Garden is a metaphor used to show the dead and decaying plants which reflects the
lack of growth and love. Light and dark contrasts are made with the things like candles which
illuminate the house, Mr. Joe who is a light for Pip.

Leg-iron of the convict seeks justice whereas Mrs. Joe’s cane named tickler is basically
showing the violence and punishment and finally. The whole setting of nature relating with
the plot is visible in pictures like mist on the marshes which shows Pip’s uncertainty of
decision emotions of love for Estelle and his family, even his parents whom he misses on
Christmas, fear of the crude people who classify and categorize Pip by saying “course and
common” based on their classes, revenge, and anger, shame of not being able to fulfill the
wishes and be respectful of all that life had to offer and gratefulness for having the
conscience to retrieve past and learn from the experiences. “Suffering has been stronger than
all other teaching. . . . I have been bent and broken, but—I hope—into a better shape” the
concluding lines of Estella who meets meet towards the end. The open endedness also draws
the various possibilities that Dickens keeps for the readers to interpret freely. Also, the idea
that there is hope and inherent goodness in every being and learning in the journey of life.
The women characters especially hold a strong position in Dickens’ novels. In this novel as
well there was Miss. Havisham and Mrs. Joe holding strong position and controlling others,
though in negative light yet they were the ones who were wronged and who died in a
miserable manner after a lot of suffering. Estella and Biddy are the two young female
characters that have suffered and not received the due respect and dignity that they deserved
till the end. It describes that women in Victorian era were trying to emerge strong and trying
hard to create an identity of their own. Dickens was a keen observer of the society and the
way he perceived nature and society is very much realistic and practical. He lays down the
bare facts without any alterations, his narration is free from biases, though he poses strong
contrasts but he vindicates that man has the potential to learn from experiences and love
others which is the ultimate source of humanism.