Charles Dickens Research Paper

The Victorian population consisted of 85% of people being poor and about 1% of people wealthy (The Victorian). Charles Dickens, the greatest novelist of the Victorian Era, focused his works on the world and problems around him. He wasn’t afraid to write about the harsh aspects of life during this period, but many found his works unnecessary since no problems were solved. Though Dickens didn't fix anything in society, he brought the issues of the Victorian Era to the public’s attention through his works by writing about the divide in social class, the ongoing crimes committed due to poverty, and the idea that virtue is rewarded and the wicked are punished.

While many readers find Dickens’ way of writing to be appealing, some think otherwise.

During the Victorian Era, much of the population was poor. This led to crimes being committed to survive. “I’m sorry to say, I’ve eaten your pie” (Dickens 38). Magwitch, the criminal in Great Expectations, had stolen a file and some food from the Gargerys. He admits this to the officers as well as Mr. Joe Gargery, the owner of the stolen file. Magwitch only had the intention of survival when stealing these items from the Gargerys. “The working class were often desperate for money and food which saw them resort to opportunistic crimes like theft” (Victorian Crime). It was never the top 1% of people during the Victorian Era, but those with the short end of the stick, the lowest of the poor 85% of people. Dickens uses these statistics to his advantage and separates the poor class into different levels. During Pip’s childhood, he lived a poor life with hardly anything to eat; but as for Magwitch, “crime was a result of poverty” (What Was). Both these characters were poor at the beginning of the Great Expectations, but Dickens made sure to differentiate what level of poverty each was at. These different levels of poverty are what got the publics’ attention. Making up 85% of the population during the Victorian Era, these people lived in slums and had to resort to stealing to survive. Dickens is very adamant about this topic because he himself had to overcome poverty in his youth. So, he writes about it in the hope that the higher class becomes more