Themes — Class, Ambition & Social Mobility

Class is the central preoccupation of Great Expectations. Dickens uses Pip's journey from the marshes to London and back to interrogate the Victorian class system, the nature of ambition, and what it truly means to be a "gentleman." This lesson explores these interlocking themes with key quotes and analysis.

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Class and the Victorian Hierarchy

The class system in the novel

Class	Characters	How Dickens presents them
Upper class	Miss Havisham, Estella, Bentley Drummle	Wealthy but morally bankrupt or damaged
Middle class	Jaggers, Wemmick, Pumblechook	Professional, sometimes hypocritical
Working class	Joe, Biddy, the forge community	Honest, kind, morally superior
Criminal class	Magwitch, Compeyson	Judged by appearance, not character

Dickens's argument

Dickens systematically inverts the expected moral hierarchy:

• The upper class (Miss Havisham) is trapped, bitter, and destructive.
• The middle class (Pumblechook) is sycophantic and self-serving.
• The working class (Joe) is dignified, kind, and morally admirable.
• The criminal class (Magwitch) shows more love and generosity than anyone above him.