Introduction
Charles Dickens’s classic novel Great Expectations is a rich tapestry of association links woven through the intricate relationships between characters and their underlying motives and desires. The book highlights the story of the protagonist Pip from his early childhood to adulthood, where he strives to find relevance and stability.In his journey in life, Pip meets people from diverse social and economic backgrounds, and they form connections that help steer him to success.For instance, Pip’s life is directly impacted by other characters, such as Compeyson and Magwitch, who establish a path to success by showing kindness and generosity. The associational links, including social class, guilt, and redemption, create a complex and engaging narrative while highlighting how the present accomplishment is a product of past struggles through characters such as Pip, who strive for success.
Social Class
The intricate relationship between social status and class in Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations is a central theme throughout the novel, influencing the development of one of the integral associational links. At the novel’s beginning, social class is used as a unifying factor between the rich and the Poor (Dickens 3). The novel highlights that Pip lives in Kent, an evocative residence.
Pip lives with his sister in such an environment and is caught in various unfortunate instances, including the escaping convict who requests food and a file to uncuff his chain (Dickens 12). This neighborhood represents poverty, which can be a unifying factor for people of lower socioeconomic status. The reason is that an impoverished neighborhood is where a convict can hide and manual laborers, such as blacksmiths, live. This background is an associational link between people and represents the various activities and lifestyles within that area.
The poverty-stricken community must look for alternatives to achieve self-actualization, which also makes the people from the lower economic class depend on the rich for survival. This dependence creates a relational link between the poor and the rich, serving as an integral point of interaction between people from different economic backgrounds (Gupta 39). In the novel, Pip has to find an economic activity to enhance his social class. Through this need, he meets with Miss Havisham, who employs him as a blacksmith alongside Joe (Dickens 48). Dickens uses social class to illustrate the power dynamics between characters in the novel, which creates a dependence chain, enhancing interactions.Most characters depicted must engage in some economic activity to gain a livelihood, and this creates a significant source of interaction among the different characters.
The apprenticeship is significant, as it enables two characters to relate throughout the novel, enhancing the flow and relevance of the tapestry. For instance, the newly formed relationship between master servants between Miss Havisham and Pip allows them to share their experiences, which helps establish their interaction and association (Dickens 52). Miss Havisham opens up to Pip about her sick fancy for men, encouraging Pip to confide in her concerning his intentions with Estella. Miss Havisham tricks Pip into believing she will allow him to marry Estella, which motivates Pip to maintain their association in the hope of getting a wife (Dickens 89). The association is the foundation of a lasting friendship that helps establish the characters’ lives.
The interdependence within the lower social class establishes a point for interaction or association for the characters. Pip’s brother-in-law, Mr. Joe, helps establish a balanced lifestyle amidst the crisis. He lives with Pip’s sister, who is violent but offers stability to Pip by guiding him as his child (Dickens 102). Through this interaction, Pip loves Joe like a father and considers him a great friend and fellow sufferer. Their interaction is meaningful since it helps Pip develop habits such as integrity, which are essential for survival. This interaction helps establish their interaction in the novel, creating a significant interaction point.
Another example of social status and class links in Great Expectations is the relationship between Pip, Estella, and Miss Havisham. This twisted trio’s dynamic is built on manipulation, unrequited love, and the quest for personal growth (Dickens 12). Miss Havisham, a wealthy and jilted bride who has raised Estella to be cold-hearted and vengeful towards men, entangles Pip in her schemes by encouraging his infatuation with Estella (Dickens 48). This aspect sets off a chain of events that eventually leads Pip to abandon his humble roots and pursue greatness to win Estella’s heart and achieve self-actualization (Dickens 12). However, this pursuit of social status and unattainable love ultimately leads to Pip’s disillusionment, as he realizes wealth and prestige do not guarantee happiness or moral superiority.
The novel also explores how low social status can limit a person’s potential. Pip is constantly reminded of his lack of status and wealth at his workplace, which prevents him from achieving his aspirations of becoming a gentleman. This aspect is reflected in how the other characters treat him, particularly Miss Havisham and Estella (Dickens 52). However, the mockery from the two characters enables Pip to form new associations in pursuit of economic freedom.
Pip receives a mysterious and generous benefaction from an anonymous sponsor, believed to be Miss Havisham’s relative, who gives him enough money to become a gentleman (Dickens 195). The benefactor is unknown to him, making Pip want to meet the generous person who decided to elevate his lifestyle. When he finally meets Magwitch, the secret benefactor, the two form a great relationship after amending issues (Dickens 207). This reunion creates a significant friendship between the characters, making them bound by love.
The novel also shows how social class can create unity between people. Pip is soon sent away to London to become a gentleman, but his journey is less successful than he had hoped. He struggles to make ends meet and is often taken advantage of by others due to his social status. For instance, he has no choice but to agree to stay with Herbert Pocket in the same house to learn how to become a gentleman (Dickens 196).
He lacks social skills such as table manners, but is focused on learning the lifestyle (Kho 225). This motivation helps establish an associational link between Pip and Herbert, who are from different social classes, strengthening their friendship. Therefore, the social class between the rich and the economically disadvantaged has been used to link different characters and establish meaningful connections.
Guilt and Redemption
Guilt in the book gives rise to redemption as many characters seek reconciliation with the past, and this serves as an associational link or connecting factor. One virtual instance of guilt being used as an associational link is through the character Compeyson (Dickens 49). Miss Havisham’s ex-lover was so overwhelmed with guilt over his actions towards fraud that he tried to make amends by providing financial assistance. He anonymously sent money to Miss Havisham to help her with her bills and support her lifestyle (Gupta 40). He also anonymously donated money to the church Miss Havisham attended, hoping to alleviate some of her sufferings after developing an intellectual disability.
The presence of guilt is also felt in the character of Joe Gargery, Pip’s adopted father. Joe is guilty of being unable to give Pip the life he deserves. He is also guilty of being unable to provide Pip with an education, as he is illiterate (Dickens 75).
Joe’s guilt is so intense that he cannot confront his failings, so he remains in denial. However, he strives to establish a better connection with Pip by redirecting him on the path of honesty. Just like Jaggers and Magwitch, Joe becomes Pip’s father figure by instilling morals that enable Pip to become a better person and respect him as an instrumental figure (Dickens 115). This love and respect establish a significant relationship between the two characters, leading to long-lasting engagement.
The novel Great Expectations is a narrative that also builds upon the ideas of guilt and redemption to show associational links. After Pip learns that there is a new way of life as a gentleman, he decides to pursue this lifestyle, which makes him detach from her poor economic background (Dickens 45).Pip travels to London, where he becomes a gentleman, but the newfound money does not bring joy as he is consumed by the guilt of leaving his sister behind and being unable to rescue her from suffering.
Through this effect, he learns wealth is nothing compared to peace and family (Dickens 207). Therefore, he makes arrangements to come back home to his people, giving his sister a befitting sendoff and reuniting with Estella, who is widowed. The pursuit of redemption helps different characters reunite and establish lasting relationships.
The quest for redemption due to errors that brought guilt into the characters’ lives pushes them to renew their ways and become better people, which promotes association. For instance, Compeyson wanted to ensure that Miss Havisham was taken care of and did it without her knowing it was him (Dickens 72). The reason is that he had left Miss Havisham at the altar, causing her great suffering and despair in the past. To amend his mistakes, he resolved to try to establish their relations by making life better for them.
Compeyson also wanted to ensure that Miss Havisham’s daughter, Estella, was cared for (Dickens 105). Therefore, he anonymously sent a large sum of money to Estella when she was of age, and he had been told she needed financial assistance. In his last act of penance, Compeyson made an anonymous donation to the hospital to help fund the care for the geriatric population (Dickens 273). He wanted to ensure that Miss Havisham and other older adults would be cared for in their old age. This gesture was significant to Miss Havisham, as it indicates a connection and a point of indirect association between the characters.
After Estella is revealed to be Magwitch’s daughter, the ex-convict is vindicated from a lifetime of regret for being out of touch with the family. Additionally, through his education and wealth, Pip is redeemed from poverty and can now impact society and even have a relationship with Estella (Nur 10). Moreover, Magwitch is freed from the guilt of his previous petty crimes, such as stealing food by doing good to a child who, without his support, would end up in poverty and crime (Dickens 153).All these redemptions from past mistakes and guilt strengthen relationships among different characters in the novel, indicating significant associations due to the transformation that occurs afterward.
The character of Estella also serves as an example of how guilt can shape a person’s life. Estella is consumed by guilt for her cold treatment of Pip and her inability to love anyone. The tool raised for vengeance becomes a source of unity by seeking redemption from past mistakes and learning to establish new connections (Purba and Arindah 310). Although the two characters do not end up marrying, they meet at the end of the novel to reminisce about their past as forgiveness prevails (Dickens 82). Estella asks for forgiveness, and Pip agrees, helping them establish a new friendship by leaving their negative experiences behind and focusing on establishing new interactions.
Guilt is also a significant theme in the character of Miss Havisham, which prompts her to seek redemption, establishing her relationship with Pip. She is guilty of manipulating Estella and using her as a tool for revenge against men (Dickens 98). The eccentric character is also haunted by her decision to make Pip suffer by interfering with his relationship with Estella in the past. The existence of remorse in the characters’ lives is a constant reminder of the consequences of wrongdoings (Dickens 312).This guilt makes the characters make amends through reconciliation, establishing their interactions and association.
The novel addresses how guilt can be a significant force in molding a person’s life and how it can result in seclusion and conscience. Through investigating guilt, Dickens can highlight the human ability for redemption, forgiveness, and new interactions (Nur 15). At the novel’s end, Miss Havisham clings to Pip, asking for forgiveness for all the trouble she had caused her, which is a linking factor (Dickens 272). The reason is that Pip forgives Miss Havisham, considering that he understands what it means to lose a loved one. Their reconciliation helps establish new connections between many other characters, which is an integral step in promoting engagement.
Conclusion
The connections between characters, including their social class, weave a rich and compelling story, showing how current achievements stem from past challenges, as seen through characters like Pip, who pursue success. The author highlights various themes of social class, guilt, and redemption, which serve as interaction links. From the beginning, the novel is filled with associations, as Pip’s life is interconnected with the lives of others around him, such as Joe and Miss Havisham.
The novel’s associational links emphasize that each character’s life is intertwined with the lives of others and that no life is entirely separate or independent. Each character’s experiences and decisions affect the lives of those around them, creating a complex web of connections that evolve and develop. All these relations enhance interactions between the various characters and reconciliation, which helps establish their connection.
Works Cited
Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. Edited by Douglas-Fairhust, Robertt, and Cadwell Margaret. Oxford World Classics, 2008.
Gupta, Ashish. “Probing Great Expectations: A Re-analysis.” The Creative launcher, vol. 6, no. 5, 2021, pp. 38-43. Web.
Kho, Younghee. “Representations of Criminality in the Opening Mise-En-Scenes of Great Expectations: Its’ Novel and Films.” Nineteenth Century Literature in English, vol. 23, no. 1, 2019, pp. 229–248, Web.
Nur, Askar. “The Culture Reproduction in the Charles Dickens’ Novel ‘Great Expectations’ (Pierre-Felix Bourdieu Theory).” International Journal of Cultural and Art Studies, vol. 5, no. 1, 2021, pp. 10–20, Web.
Purba, Desmalia, and Arindah, Sarumaha. “Personality of the Main Character in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectation.” Jurnal Darma Agung, vol. 30, no. 2, 2022, p. 309, Web.