Great Expectations Analyzed Through A Marxist Criticism

Marxism consists of the political and economic theories of Karl Marx, in which class struggle is a central element in the analysis of social change in Western societies. Marxism applies to the novel Great Expectations in many ways. Dickens uses Pip’s complex and altering relationships with Estella, Joe, and Magwitch to show the subjugation of the working-class from the privileged. Estella is raised in a prosperous household and is judgmental of Pip because he is from the working class. She insults his appearance when she says, But he is a common laboring boy. And look at his boots! (Dickens 45) because he is not of the upper class. She also criticizes the way he speaks when he calls one of the playing cards Jacks instead of Knaves†¦show more content†¦Pip’s relationship with Joe changes greatly through the novel. Pip loves Joe for the duration of the story, but his feelings for Joe change throughout Dickens’ interpretation of the social classes. Joe acts as a father figure for Pip at the beginning of Great Expectations, but transforms into a friend and equal when Pip discovers why Joe cannot read. When Pip becomes wealthy, his relationship with Joe becomes strained and awkward. This is Dickens’ way of exemplifying the differences between the social classes. Pip looks down on Joe and is embarrassed by his manners and inability to r ead. One of the ironies in the novel is that Pips financial augmentation and ascension in society, is complemented by moral deterioration. Dickens uses this to express his outlook on the upper-classes. I thought of Estella and how common she would consider Joe, a mere blacksmith (Dickens 55).† This shows how Pip is ashamed of his family and being â€Å"common,† while Joe remains a selfless and honest man throughout the entire story. Pip’s divergence with Joe in this sense is a mirror for Dickens’ beliefs about the differences between the lower and upper-classes. Dickens contrasts the traditional view of a gentleman as a man of moral integrity with his portrayal of a gentleman as a man of wealth, status, and leisure. When Pip leaves for London he recalls, â€Å"I told Joe I wished to walk away all alone (Dickens 123).† Pip didn’t want anybody to see that he had come fromShow MoreRelatedEssay on Like water for chocolate6961 Words   |  28 Pa gesThe realistic laws of cause and effect are suspended: whereas events in realistic novels occur for reasons that are eventually made clear and lead logically to the conclusion of the plot, in magical realism events don’t follow these â€Å"normal† expectations so we often see things happening without an explanation and or reasons we can’t or don’t expect—we are left to accept even the strange without surprise. In realistic novels, characters are given individualized names, personalities, and familyRead MoreHeart of Darkness in the Light of Psychoanalytic Theories.4599 Words   |  19 PagesPsychoanalytic Criticism Psychoanalytic criticism originated in the work of Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who pioneered the technique of psychoanalysis. Freud developed a language that described, a model that explained, and a theory that encompassed human psychology. His theories are directly and indirectly concerned with the nature of the unconscious mind. Through his multiple case studies, Freud managed to find convincing evidence that most of our actions are motivated by psychologicalRead MoreEssay about Heart of Darkness: Psychoanalytic Criticism4502 Words   |  19 PagesHeart of Darkness: Psychoanalytic Criticism Psychoanalytic criticism originated in the work of Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who pioneered the technique of psychoanalysis. Freud developed a language that described, a model that explained, and a theory that encompassed human psychology. His theories are directly and indirectly concerned with the nature of the unconscious mind. Through his multiple case studies, Freud managed to find convincing evidence that most of our actions are motivatedRead MoreLiterature Review on Consumer Behaviour16053 Words   |  65 Pagesconsumer, as a â€Å"black box† and thereby assume that consumer behaviour is a conditioned response to external events. The behavioural perspective therefore focuses on external environmental cues (such as advertising) that stimulate consumer response through learning. The strategic emphasis, of the behavioural modification theories, for example, are to devise a set of expanded behaviour modification techniques (e.g., respondent conditioning; operant conditioning; vicarious learning etc.) that can be usedRead MoreFamily Tree19118 Words   |  77 Pagesbehavior. The early generation of development communication studies was dominated by modernization theory. This theory suggested that cultural and information deficits lie underneath development problems, and therefore could not be resolved only through 2 economic assistance (a la Marshall Plan in post-war Europe). Instead, the difficulties in Third World countries were at least partially related to the existence of a traditional culture that inhibited development. Third World countries lackedRead MoreStatement of Purpose23848 Words   |  96 Pagesapplying to the Zoology and Botany graduate programs at the University of Florida asks—tells—applicants that the statement of purpose is very important and they should focus on future experiences, not on past experiences. As you develop topics one through six, also consider the bulleted list of additional suggestions below. 1. Illustrate and explain how and when you became interested in the field: Applicants often include an anecdotal and personal example from their formative years that illustratesRead MoreThe Stakeholder Theory11680 Words   |  47 Pageslocations or skills, will, of course, receive rents, but the rewards of the marginal contributors will only be normal. A s a result of competition throughout the system, the bulk of the benefits will go to the customers. (There is, of course, a Marxist-capitalist version of this model in which both the customer and the investor arrows are reversed, and the object of the game is merely to produce benefits for the investors. This interpretation now seems to be confined almost exclusively to the fieldRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagestraditions that contribute to our understanding of organizations. Professor Tomas Mà ¼llern, Jà ¶nkà ¶ping International Business School, Sweden . McAuley, Duberley and Johnson’s Organizational Theory takes you on a joyful ride through the developments of one of the great enigmas of our time – How should we understand the organization? Jan Ole Similà ¤, Assistant Professor, Nord-Trà ¸ndelag University College, Norway I really enjoyed this new text and I am sure my students will enjoy it, too. It combinesRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pagesto deny the African part of their heritage. And the truth is also that in Jamaica at that time the privileging of lighter-skinned people was standard practice. Rastas were confronting so many of these long-held notions and so were bound to face a great deal of resistance. What Edmonds manages to do here is offer us a way to appreciate the importance of Rastafarianism as a religious phenomenon that is consistent with much of what happens when religious groups and movements grow and develop. IndeedRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesand industrial depression from the late 1860s to the 1890s, as well as the social tensions and political rivalries that generated and were in turn fed by imperialist expansionism, one cannot begin to comprehend the causes and consequences of the Great War that began in 1914. That conflict determined the contours of the twentieth century in myriad ways. On the one hand, the war set in motion transformative processes that were clearly major departures from those that defined the nineteenth-century