Charles Dickens Great Expectations - 1320 Words

What It Means to be a True Gentleman In the 19th century England, the country was divided into two classes: the rich and the poor; the rich had the luxury to live prosperous lives and not have to lift a finger to do so, while the poor had dreamed to be in their shoes as they worked constantly to make a living off of the little income they received. This essay will include the work of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, and the novel tells the story of Pip, a young orphan boy who lives with his sister and her husband who is a blacksmith, one day he is requested to play at Miss Havisham’s Manor and he falls in love with her daughter, Estella, who gives him the aspiration to become a gentleman to win her love. He then receives his great†¦show more content†¦In the novel, Great Expectations, when the Gargerys found out Pip was asked to come to Miss Havisham’s Manor - a rich old lady - to play, Mrs. Joe made him go to Miss Havisham’s Manor: â€Å"â⠂¬ She wants this boy to go and play there. And of course he’s going. And he better play there,† said my sister, shaking her head at me as an encouragement to be extremely light and supportive, â€Å"or i’ll work him.†Ã¢â‚¬  (Dickens 50). This quote fits in with the conventional description, because although not voiced, Mrs. Joe was very assertive on sending Pip to Miss Havisham’s Manor, because she is thinking that he’ll get paid great amounts of money for his services, and the family will become wealthy, which is a trait of a true gentleman for the conventional description. Another reason would be that Mrs. Joe, along with Miss Pumblechook believe that they will have great patronage with having Miss Havisham in their group of friends. Another tie-in from Great Expectations would be when Compeyson and Magwitch were in court and Compeyson got a reduced sentence due to being well brought up and having a better speech, other than Magwitch who had bad speech and wasn’t well brought up, â€Å"‘But, when the defence come on, then I see the plain plainer; for, says the counsellor for Compeyson, ‘ My lord and gentlemen, here you has afore you, side by side, two persons as your eyes can separate wide; one, the younger, well brought up, who will be spoke