FREE Victorian Class Distictions - Great Expectations Essay (original) (raw)

In Victorian London, there were many prevalent faults in the culture. Perhaps the world's most recognizable depiction of Victorian London lies in the hands of the Disney film Mary Poppins. In this portrayal, characters rise above obstacles such as class distinction, and find their ways to happy endings. As in many cinematic reproductions, however, this is hardly an accurate representation. In fact, the class system was a facilitator of moral corruption. During the Victorian Era, the poor far outnumbered any other group of people. During this time, the poor were at a horrible disadvantage in that they could not climb out of their place in the system. The inequalities and corruption of the class system were pervasive during the Victorian age. It affected all features of Victorian England, especially the criminal justice system, where often, unfair penalties came to those of low class. It also created inequalities within the education, leading to the lower class being at a disadvantage on an intellectual level as well. The class system destroyed any hope of a better life, and forced the lower class to remain in the control of the upper class. Charles Dickens was forced to learn to live in this cruel society as a member of the lower class. .
The Victorian London of Dickens' was a dirty, corrupt place and a paradise for those who could bend the class system to their will. As a boy, Dickens was of low class. He rose through the class system, not unlike his character, Pip in Great Expectations. Dickens' poor childhood was because of the class system and its values. His family was unfairly forced to go to debtors' prison while he worked to save them. He was forced to do this because of the inequalities of the class system. After this experience and rising through the system, he recognized the inequalities in the society he lived in. He often used satire and irony to illustrate the problems with the class system was motivated to do this because of his own childhood.

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