Crime And Criminality In Charles Dickenss Great Expectations

During the 19th century, crime and criminality was largely debated upon. Social reformists, poets and writers of this era wrote provocatively about this topic, and many considered crime to be an â€Å"inescapable social problem†. The surge of industrial development across Britain created new problems for Victorian society as the incline of wealth altered the structure of the class system. In addition to this, the lack of a welfare structure resulted in numerous men, women and children being exposed to a life of petty crime such as robbery and pick-pocketing in order to survive. The themes of crime and criminality are predominant in Charles Dickens bildungsroman novel ‘Great Expectations’ published in 1861, which depicts the growth of the†¦show more content†¦His sister Mrs Joe Gargery emotionally torments and beats Pip, and reprimands his curiosity by convincing him he will become a felon in later life as â€Å"they always begin by asking questions†. Her projection of guilt upon Pip makes him feel insignificant and he even equates himself to a criminal, â€Å"I think that my sister must have some general idea that I was a young offender† thus depicting how simple it could be to become a criminal in Victorian society. Moreover, Pip associates himself with criminals, and this can be seen in the opening chapter of the novel when Pip stands alone amidst the marshes besides his family tombstone, a â€Å"small bundle of shivers growing afraid of it all and beginning to cry†. A man, â€Å"all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg†then startles Pip with his â€Å"terrible voice†. His physical attributes and appearance are fundamental to the overall representation of his character, and his description from Pips view is rather distressing. The man, revealed to be an escaped convict called Magwitch is portrayed as being frantic and starving. He threatens Pip with another criminal who will eat his hear t out if Pip does not aid his escape, and here the reader can partially sympathise with Magwitch’s desperation for freedom. Although Magwitch’s external appearance is rather unpleasant- and adheres to the typical representation of criminals- Dickens pens this character with great respect. As the novel examines Magwitch’sShow MoreRelatedDickens Use of the Word Hand3157 Words   |  13 Pagesthat thing in the same way again. John Irving The King of the Novel Descriptive Dickens Use of the Word Hand Charles Dickens description in Great Expectations is a telling example of why people consider him one of the greatest and most successful novelists ever. Dickens uses his talent for descriptive writing throughout Great Expectations to develop his characters and themes. Many of these themes emerge from Dickens personal experiences, specifically his emphasis on the