Donovan Dicks

English 9 GT Pd. 6

6/7/2013

The Injustice of Justice

The novel Great Expectations, written by Charles Dickens, tells the tale of a young boy

Pips rise and fall through the social pyramid. Along the way, he meets an escaped convict named

Magwitch who has run into some trouble of his own with another convict named Compeyson.

Through the conflict of these two characters, Dickens illustrates the harsh reality of crime and

punishment.

Magwitch and Compeyson had once been partners in crime, but when they are caught,

Magwitch is the one to take the heavier punishment.

When we was put in the dock, I noticed first of all what a gentleman Compeyson looked,

wi' his curly hair and his black clothes and his white pocket-handkercher, and what a

common sort of a wretch I looked. When the prosecution opened and the evidence was

put short, aforehand, I noticed how heavy it all bore on me, and how light on him

(Chapter 42).

This is the first example of crime and punishment running into Magwitch, and how Compeyson

got the better side of the deal. Compeyson appeared like a gentleman; he seemed to fit a higher

class which earned him more respect in the court and thus he seemed more credible to the law.

On the other hand, Magwitch seemed of a lower class, appearing like a low-life criminal, giving

him a disadvantage. This disadvantage caused Magwitch to receive a longer sentence and also

began his resentment of the upper class. The injustice of the law at certain times comes through

here, showing how easily bias can arise and how it can affect and court decision. The harshness
of punishment makes an appearance, as Magwitch is sentenced for twice the time Compeyson

was. From this point, Magwitch holds a grudge against his former partner, but they do not meet

again until much later in the novel. Compeysons double crossing of Magwitch displays the

harsh reality of crime and punishment.

When Compeyson returns, Magwitch and Pip are on the road to escaping London when

they are stopped by him and the police. Magwitch and Compeyson go at it for a final

confrontation, and only Magwitch comes out of the scuffle. He claims he did not kill

Compeyson, but it is impossible to prove after what the police witnessed. Jaggers, his lawyer and

symbol of the law throughout the novel, believes without a doubt that Magwitch will be

convicted. He says that the case must be over in five minutes when the witness was there, and

that no power on earth could prevent its going against [them] (Chapter 55). This is an example

of how the law will go against Magwitch as he is a criminal, but also in a sense how it will favor

Compeyson who appeared to be the better man. Pip is more supportive, and the reader may

believe that Compeyson deserved his death. However, justice overrules emotions and

sympathies, and the law takes a strong arm to crime, despite the motive. Magwitch is convicted

and sentenced to death, displaying the harsh reality of the law. The law was carried out without

mercy and gave punishment for crimes committed by Magwitch. The punishment is also severe

for a crime with a motive many could understand, but the law delivers justice to all criminals.

The final success of Magwitch over Compeyson turns out to be a success of the law and the

system of crime and punishment.

Throughout the novel there are many displays of crime and punishment, and one of the

most prominent examples is of the conflict between Magwitch and Compeyson. Their conflicts

bring out the harsh realities of the law as well as its injustice and flaws.