In great expectations Dickens judges his characters not on social position or upbringing but on their treatment of one another. Do you agree? Throughout his prosperous career as a writer, Charles Dickens took a literacy stance on the values and social status of society in London in the 19th century. Great expectations is of no exception. I agree completely with the statement, as Dickens portrays the characters we favor with sympathy (i.e. Joe, Magwitch …showed first 75 words of 1244 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1244 total…main great expectation in Pips life is to become a gentleman. Dickens poses question to the reader what does it mean to become a gentleman- possession, pride, reputation or to enlighten the idea of a true “gentile-man”- through the treatment of others. Therefore we can see how Dickens uses the treatment of characters on one another combined with sympathy and aversion to make the reader judge each character on their own merits and values.