Great Expectations Illustrates the danger of seeing status and money as the most worthwhile aims in life

Charles devil Great Expectations is not so uncomplicated as to suggest that wealth is a destructive force. Instead it attempts to highlight the sheer dangers associated with go preoccupied with silver and social status. In Pip, the harbours chief protagonist, Dickens presents us with a character that misguidedly follows these ideals in a journey of egotism delusion. The abandonment of his childhood father figure -Joe and his earlier virtues of decency and compassion atomic number 18 the consequences of his misconception that with wealth will come reproduction. Dickens underlying message is that wealth and branch are superficial, failing to give any indication of a persons case or genuine gentility.This being said, it must be understood that Dickens orient is not to condemn wealth and social niceties such as straightforward manners and a formal education, instead it is those who worship these false ideals and give-up the ghost preoccupied with them that are criticized . In characters such as Herbert and Mathew Pocket and, to an extent, Wemmick and Jaggers, we are presented with benevolent and harmless forms of class and privilege. Yet juxtaposed against this we have Pumblechook, Magwitch and Pip. weakness to realize what truly counts, these characters delude themselves into believing that by assuming the outer trappings of gentility they will become gentlemen. How constantly, by making wealth and status their most worthwhile aims, they succeed only in becoming grotesque and quite incongruous.The dangers involved with such illusions include pretentiousness, uneconomic lifestyles and an softness to appreciate true and noble gentility. These become most apparent in Pip as his wealth gives him the illusion of greatness without the substance. He changes from the absolved blacksmiths assistant to the humbug gentleman to be. At times his pretentiousness is unbearable, its fatuousness highlighted in the quote The (servant) was ordered to be on du ty at eight on Tuesday morning in the hall (it was two feet square).He is so lose in his fixation with wealth and class that he treats Joe and Biddy his childhood mentors patronizingly and with contempt If I could have unploughed (Joe) away by paying him money I certainly would have. This leads him to round of golf his back on these noble characters, removing their wisdom and decency from his life, leaving him only with his wasteful and highly pretentious lifestyle. At one stage Pip himself admits (the kernel of my expectations) influenced my own character, I disguised from my recognition as much as possible, but I knew very well that it was not all hot.In highlighting these dangers, Dickens preaches that social status and external appearances are in question(p) measures of a persons true quality. Pips journey clearly exemplifies this message, being most repugnant at the hight of his expectations yet being most worthy when he has lost everything. Supposed gentlemen such as P umblechook, Drummle and Compeyson who mock the false surface of gentility but are really hideous and unworthy characters are kick upstairs variations on this theme.However, it is Estella, Miss Havisham and the world of Satis theater that are best utilize in the attack against the simple-minded notion that money and status are a guide to quality. The get it only Estella charms Pip with her beauty, yet as she herself admits I have no heart and is incapable of love. Miss Havisham and her attractive Satis house have the showings of happiness and glamour. The truth is, however, that she has been eaten away by bitterness in a house that is strange and does not permit love. Therefore, Dickens strongly argues that external appearances fail to count for what lies beneath.Instead Dickens holds up truly noble characters such as Joe, Biddy, Wemmick and Clara, who clear the importance of compassion and boyfriend feeling, for our admiration. He attempts to show the reader that these are th e set that should be make the most worthwhile aims of life. His protagonist finally comes to this realization at the resultant of the novel, as he appreciates the true gentility of Joe as a good Christian man. By making these characters the moral centre of the book Dickens is able to highlight the greater importance of such values over wealth in determining the quality of a person. tied(p) the darker characters of the book such as Miss Havisham and Mrs Joe are able to understand this (though it comes far too late), with Miss Havisham asking for Pips forgiveness Prey if you could ever right under my name I forgive her prey do it. and Mrs Joes final words JoePardonPip. Clearly the moral of the novel is base on the importance of love and compassion over wealth and class.Dickens, therefore, argues that money and social status fail to act as indicators of a persons true worth. Instead it is values such as compassion and the ability to love that define their gentility. Although Pip in his journey misguidedly believes that his re-invention would lead to bettering himself, he is finally able to realize what truly counts are the virtues of love, compassion and decency.