Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, deals with the issue of social injustice in a class driven society during the Victorian Era. Our protagonist, Pip, strives to break the barrier and escape his social class. He strives to become a “gentleman”, despite lacking the wealth, education and birth right associated with one of this time. But following his eventual attainment of these things, he discovers perhaps his climb of the social ladder, wasn’t really worth it in the end.
Robert G. Strange suggests Pip’s lower class circumstance has repressed him in an established society (Strange). Pip cannot change the family he was born into and so he must find his own way into high society. Throughout his young life, Pip was regarded as an inconvenience by his sister, Mrs. Gargery. Only experiencing kindness from his Uncle Joe. He is surrounded by poverty and any luxury is scarce. It is not until he is called to Satis House, he is given a chance to alter his fate. Unlike Pip, Estella has grown up with wealth but she has received little to no kindness and has endured a cold world of decay and dust with Ms. Havisham. On first meeting Pip, Estella scolds him for being “coarse and thick”, this leads to Pip becoming ashamed of his social background. Alfred Adler claims that this interaction gives Pip a feeling of inferiority thus allowing him to adopt a submissive role towards Estella (Adler), their conversation also fuels Pip’s desire to establish social class even greater.
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