London’s Classism
~Blog Post 4~
Topic D
May 8, 2015
by Henry Sledz
In Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, classism is the central motif of the book. Pip goes from a peasant of humble birth, to a young aristocrat high up on the social ladder. This gives us a very complete glimpse into the different classes in this time because as the reader, we see what Pip does.
We first meet Pip as a poor orphan boy living with his sister and her husband. It is here where we learn about what the average life of a poor person is like in this setting. Joe is illiterate, Mrs. Joe abuses Joe and Pip, they live in a small house next to a gloomy marsh, and life is just all around terrible. Pip ends up getting to move up in life and experiences the upper class and their way of life. This new lifestyle is lavish but is filled with skeevy and slimy characters. These unsavory people show how the upper class isn’t really much better than the lower class. Despite this, Pip is drawn into this lifestyle and even goes as far as to treat Joe as his inferior. He becomes the ideal, wealthy, young man, but that isn’t necessarily a good thing. As much as they say otherwise, they are all equal.
All of Pip’s unique experiences in London with both the lower and upper classes give us a better insight into the classism of England at the time than any other perspective could.
I agree with you Henry, different classes in our society are very well represented in the novel by Dickens. The lower class may be viewed with the least respect but morally they are above the money chasing, greedy and slimy upper class people. Pip goes on to represent the typical upper classman by looking down on his illiterate friend, Joe, and believing he is not worthy of living the lavish lifestyle Pip lives. It is a great observation that it also shows the classicism of London at the time this story takes place. This was a very insightful and analytical blog Henry.
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