Charles Dickens Research Paper

Dickens’ works proves his abilities as a master at using the power of the literary pen to foster discussion of the ills that plague the society of his times and drive reform. His personal experiences as a child greatly shaped the focus of his writing in adult years. Born in England on February 7, 1812, Dickens experienced first-hand many of the social problems that existed during the industrial revolution (“Charles” 1). His childhood ended early, because his father was imprisoned while he was only eleven for failing to pay his debts (Collins 1). Dickens was forced to begin working at a blacking factory to sustain a living, which he later described as being one of his worst experiences (Collins 1). As a child he had no opportunity to receive

In one of his best works, Great Expectations, Dickens seamlessly weaves his social commentary through his protagonist, Pip’s, transformation from an immature boy to a caring adult. He accomplishes this by employing his voice in order to drive change in Victorian England. As a young boy, Pip faces many horrors at the hands of those close to him. Dickens uses these incidents to draw attention to the inhumane treatment of children. For example, Pip lives under the demanding and abusive reign of his older sister, Mrs. Joe, and her husband, Joe Gargery. He faces her constant beatings and notes how he was literally “brought up by hand” because she did not want to raise him. She utilizes the “Tickler” which actually serves as a torture tool to intimidate the boy. Her rough treatment of Pip appears evident from the way she gives him a bath to prepare him for a visit to the wealthy house of Miss Havisham. Instead of gently washing him, Mrs. Joe “pounce[s] on me [Pip] like an eagle on a lamb, and my face was squeezed...and my head was put under taps of water-butts, and I was...kneaded,...and harrowed, and rasped” (Dickens 49). Mrs. Joe’s uncle, Mr.

During the industrial revolution the rich became richer while the poor continued to become poorer - the so-called Matthew effect (Merton 3). This empowered an already-rich class to flagrantly trample upon the rights of the lower class. We first encounter an example of this when Pip begins to visit Satis House in order to keep Miss Havisham’s daughter, Estella, company. Estella, similar in age to Pip, also had no parents to care for her like the boy, but she has all the opportunities available to her. Instead of using these opportunities to better herself or aid the less-advantaged Pip, she cruelly mocks Pip for his” coarse boots and...common hands” (Dickens 56). Miss Havisham’s lawyer Mr Jaggers also demonstrates his complete disdain for his poorer clients in several incidents. In one instance he physically throws the client “off with supreme indifference, and leaves him dancing on the pavement as if it were red-hot” (Dickens 156). Through the episode on the trial of Magwitch, a former convict and Pip’s benefactor, Dickens show how deeply this attitude has penetrated into the social fabric. Magwitch explains how in the past, he became involved with another man named Compeyson in counterfeiting currency. Compeyson was the main conspirator, so after the two were arrested, Magwitch assumed that Compeyson would receive the harsher punishment. However, Compeyson pinned the blame for