Miss Havisham As Example Of Upper Social Class

 Literature often uses social status as a tool to inform the reader about the human capacity to feel superior or worthless. Great Expectations, published in 1843 by perhaps the greatest author during Victorian England, Charles Dickens, is a cherished classic of literature, which unravels the compelling tale of the protagonist, Pips, life journey, in the notable setting of England. The extract of Pip visiting the Satis House for the first time, is an essential part of the novel, in which an insight into the social hierarchy during the nineteenth century is explored, to comment on the division between the rich and the poor, along with reflecting on the ungrateful attitudes of the upper class individuals, through the use of lexical choice, metaphors and characterisation.

Through Pip’s first person narrative voice and, the reader is positioned to gain an insight into the world of the upper class, when Pip visits the Satis House for the first time. The word ‘Satis’ originates from the Latin word for ‘enough’, which therefore makes it a suitable name, as the inhabitants have more than ‘enough’ at their disposal. Pip’s first impression of the Satis House states, ‘Miss Havisham’s house…had many iron bars to it. Some of the windows had been walled up…all the lower were rustily barred’. This description of one of the key settings in the novel, employs alliteration, and lexical choice in ‘iron’ and ‘rustily barred’, in order to suggest that it is old, decaying and similar to a prison, which builds the mood with intrigue and wonder, as this extravagant, gothic setting may be a melancholy home. The visual imagery in the quote enhances the magnificence of the house, and displays the wealth that the upper class had as a whole and highlights their regal way of life. In comparison, Pip leads a simplistic and relatively poor lifestyle and is towards the lower end of the social hierarchy. Furthermore, Miss Havisham is quick to judge Pip and spitefully denounces him ‘…for a stupid, clumsy labouring-boy’. This derogatory language and hostile tone towards a young, innocent orphan, indicates that she judges him only on the basis of his social class, not his attitude or morals. This implies that social status was of huge importance during Victorian England, and impacted everyday experiences. Pip’s perception of the upper class through the lavish setting of Satis House, highlights the tremendous gap between the rich and poor in England at the time, a trend that still continues to this date, as well as diverting attention to the unfair division in class, that hence lead to a low standard of living for the commoners.

This extract also focuses on the protagonists, Pip’s characterisation and development as a character, as he expresses his own emotions, through the genre of Bildungsroman. After spending some time with Miss Havisham, Pip asserts himself as being a ‘common labouring-boy’, whose ‘hands were coarse’ and ‘boots were thick’. He begins to see himself in a negative and demoralising manner, despite the fact that ‘they had never troubled…’ him before. His latest exposure to the elite class, has in turn provoked him to feel insecure about himself, which links to bildungsroman, as he is learning more about the world each day. Additionally, he ‘…wished Joe had been rather more genteelly brought up, and then I should have been so too’. This quote recognises the internal conflict that Pip is battling with, and brings in his personal voice, as he longs to become a fine gentleman with class and riches, but feels worthless. This evokes a sympathetic response in the reader, as Pip is an orphan and has been through many hardships in life at such a young age. The exaggeration and shift in personality, which is a generic convention of bildungsroman in the quote ‘…I had fallen into a despicable habit of calling knaves Jacks’ also troubles helpless Pip, as he wanted to establish a worthy impression at Satis House, however was unsuccessful. This difference in language between the social classes, further signifies their contrasting ways of living, through Pip’s own experience of visiting Satis House.

The intriguing characterisation of Miss Havisham, reveals the attitude of those part of the upper class. Miss Havisham, is an eccentric and spiteful character, who has inevitably lost her heart, after her alleged husband jilted her on her wedding day. The quote, ‘a skeleton in the ashes of a rich dress’, is a metaphor that reflects on Miss Havisham’s misfortune and crushed dreams. The symbolism of the wedding dress is ironic, as a wedding day is one of the happiest days of a person’s life, but on the contrary she wears it on her ‘corpse-like’ body as a symbol of decay and a reminder of the day her life changed forever. All the clocks and watches in the Satis House have also been stopped at the exact time of the incident, which again reminds her of her unfortunate past. Miss Havisham knowing ‘…nothing of days of the week…nothing of weeks of the year’, symbolise her attempt to freeze time and accept that nothing has happened, to avoid facing the situation and moving on. She is portrayed as a rather cold and bitter person, who is ignorant of reality and fails to accept the truth. This is shown as ‘her contempt...was so strong, that it became infectious…’ and Pip ‘caught it’. The use of a metaphor and personification in the quote, allows the reader to understand her character more deeply, as she is scarred from her experience in the past. Thus, Miss Havisham’s inability to be grateful for what she has and her inability to adapt according to the situation, depicts the upper class as being thankless individuals, who support the unequal treatment of the poor, as they are only concerned for their own gain.

Charles Dickens, 1843, penultimate and immensely popular masterpiece, Great Expectations, evocatively captivates the reader with such a fascinating plot line, but also sheds light on the difference in social class and hierarchy in Victorian England in the nineteenth century. The use of a variety of techniques including lexical choice, characterisation and setting in the extract, reinforces unequal division in class, difference in the standard of living and the flawed attitudes of the upper class, with their inability to be thankful for what they do have in life, a quality that those living in poverty always exhibit.