Significance of the novel "great expectations" by Charles Dickens to today.

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Significance of The Novel "Great Expectations" By Charles Dickens To Today
Gender is a common topic that arises in the novel Great Expectations By Charles Dickens. A common literary criticism regarding the novel is the rebellion of gender identity (Marcus 11). The story focuses on a young male growing up while trying to find his purpose and goal in the world. Published in 1861, the novel revolves around the life of the protagonist, Pip, who also acts as the narrator. He has recently lost his parents and siblings and stays with his adoptive father, Joe Gargery, and his sister, Mrs. Joe Gargery (Marcus 122). The author subverts stereotypical ideals that were common during the Victorian period, such as masculinity, femininity, and motherhood (Christiansen). This review will focus on how Dickens has often been criticized regarding how he depicts female characters while also looking at the roles of masculinity, feminist, and performing gender roles and their significance in the novel.
Most of the women in Great Expectations are presented as victims of the gendered constraints that arise due to society. In the novel, each character has a role. Clara Picket is depicted as following the society’s stereotype of being patient with men around her life, and also being a loyal housewife. On the other hand, Biddy, who is Pip’s childhood friend, does not conform to the norms (Brunt). She quickly tells Pip about his selfishness, and she is also pragmatic. Miss Havisham, an aristocrat, goes mad when her fiancé leaves her. For example, Dickens writes, “When she recovered from a bad illness that she had, she laid the whole place waste, as you have seen it, and she has never since looked upon the light of day” (Dickens 255). She had all her hopes on the marriage, and her anger influences her to use Estella as a means of breaking men’s hearts (Dickens 247). However, Estella does not support Havisham’s plans, especially when she is sent to London to be shown off as a trophy. On the one hand, the characters in Great Expectations still maintain the gendered identities and they follow the required social rules that apply to each sex (Brunt). The females are confined to the home as wives. Miss Havisham is an example of this ideal since she has not left her home after being abandoned by her fiancé. Additionally, Biddy’s persona is also confined to her role as a domestic servant, and she spends most of her life at home. An exception is Estella, who has traveled more in comparison to the other women. In contrast, the males are free to move around and are not confined to the home. Even though Joe Gargery had to get permission from his wife to travel; he still had the freedom to attend errands or also go to the Three Jolly Bargemen (Dickens 103). This makes Great Expectations significant today since women are often used as trophies, especially those in the higher class. The social class or wealth has commonly been used as a tool against women, which also occurs in the novel (Christiansen). Women tend to undergo a wide array of difficulties, making it harder for them to cope with societal needs.
Since Great Expectations is written based on a male’s perspective, Pip's, it is often criticized regarding how the female perspective is presented. The novel was written during the nineteenth century England where ethical values were based on the church (Marcus 34). The construction of femininity and masculinity, as well as the women's position, is based on the biological differences and religious values, or even the changing economic conditions of the country. The Victorian society is patriarchal, and that women were not expected to seek for employment unless it is an extreme requirement (Nayder 75). Ioannou suggests that "masculinity is not threatened or made indignant by female sexual power; it thrives because of it and feels the absence of it” (Ioannou 143). All the women in the novel undergo many issues under the hands of men, and this is a frequent literary critic regarding how these women are portrayed. Violence is used as a tool to tame women. Moreover, Great Expectations also reveals that male violence against women is also a crime. For instance, the death of Ms. Havisham’s half brother and Drummle arose due to how they mistreated women. Joe does not agree to become a wife-beater, as is the ca...