To what extent are the main themes of Great Expectations

established in the first pages of the novel?

The aim of this essay is to analyse the way in which the main themes of the novel are
presented in the beggining of the story, and the degree in which they influence and connect
with the rest of the book. According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a
theme is ”the main subject or idea in a piece of writing, speech, film etc”, and we find in
“Great Expectations” an abundance of themes. These themes can be inferred from the text, by
closely and attentively reading it, and by paying special attention to the dialogues, the
characters’ behaviour or even their thoughts, if the author chooses to reveal these. In the
following essay I will try to establish what themes (choosing from those of identity, society
and class, wealth, friendship, love, innocence, time, criminality, lies and deceit, setting,
dreams, hopes and plans1) appear in the first chapter of the book and whether they have a
connection with the rest of the novel. There are some passages in the beginning of the story
that do not reveal anything about the actual themes, found later on, but there are also lines that
give a glimpse of what is going to happen in the rest of the book. In the paragraphs that follow
I will be dealing especially with themes that can be reasoned from the first chapter of the book
(like that of identity, society and class, wealth, setting, innocence, criminality), and I will also
try to tackle some of the themes that appear only by further reading the book (such as
friendship, love, time, dreams, hopes and plans).
To begin with, if we look at the first paragraph of the book we will also uncover the
first theme of “Great Expectations”, the theme of identity. The main character presents
himself by stating his father’s family name and also the way in which he became to be known
as Pip. This is a restrained attempt that Pip does in order to find out where he stands in his
family’s scheme and, to a lesser extent, to try and place himself in the society’s structure. This
urge to solve the problem of his place in society and in his family haunts Pip all the way
throughout the book.
Furthermore, the next themes that appear in Dickens’ book are those of social status
and wealth, themes that seem to prevail in the novel. The second paragraph of the first chapter
is narrated by Pip, the main character of the book, by looking back into his childhood. As
readers, we find out that Pip is an orphan, who never got to know his parents and also lost his
five siblings. His father, mother and brothers are only presented from Pip’s point of view and
by his using of his power of imagination. Still, we can assume from his description that his
family had not been a very wealthy one (e.g.: “my mother was freckled and sickly”, “brothers
of mine – who gave up trying to get a living exceedingly early in that universal struggle” 2).
This actually draws the reader’s attention towards the fact that this subject will be a discussion
point throughout the book. And this turns out to be true, since the entire story is built upon the
main character’s struggle to earn a position in the upper social class and, with it, a wealthier
status.
In addition to this, from the third paragraph, the author moves on to the theme of
setting, by presenting the environment that surrounds the main character in the beginning,
leading to the idea that the space in which the action takes place is quite important throughout
the novel. “The story starts in the misty marshes which is a significant setting in the novel. It
creates a sinister atmosphere and tends to indicate some form of foreseeable danger and
uncertainty. It is where he meets the escaped convict at the start, and later, is where he is
kidnapped and nearly killed by Orlick. Symbolically, he passes the marshes on his way to

1
”Great Expectations Themes”, Shmoop: Study Guides & Teacher Resources, 27 Jan. 2011,
http://www.shmoop.com/great-expectations/themes.html;
2
Charles Dickens, Great Expectations. Edition published in 2010. London: Harper Collins Publishers, 2010, p.1;
London, a seemingly positive and exciting phase in his life. However this setting indicates
that perhaps this experience will be a dangerous one.”3
The next themes that appear are those of criminality and innocence. These two themes
appear in ‘Great Expectations’ to such an extent that it seems that the entire story is built upon
them, therefore, in my opinion, the author’s choice to reveal these themes since the beginning
of the book is fairly explicable. “The theme of crime, guilt, and innocence is explored
throughout the novel largely through the characters of the convicts and the criminal lawyer
Jaggers. From the handcuffs Joe mends at the smithy to the gallows at the prison in London,
the imagery of crime and criminal justice pervades the book, becoming an important symbol
of Pip’s inner struggle to reconcile his own inner moral conscience with the institutional
justice system. In general, just as social class becomes a superficial standard of value that Pip
must learn to look beyond in finding a better way to live his life, the external trappings of the
criminal justice system (police, courts, jails, etc.) become a superficial standard of morality
that Pip must learn to look beyond to trust his inner conscience. Magwitch, for instance,
frightens Pip at first simply because he is a convict, and Pip feels guilty for helping him
because he is afraid of the police. By the end of the book, however, Pip has discovered
Magwitch’s inner nobility, and is able to disregard his external status as a criminal. Prompted
by his conscience, he helps Magwitch to evade the law and the police. As Pip has learned to
trust his conscience and to value Magwitch’s inner character, he has replaced an external
standard of value with an internal one.”4 It seems obvious that the reader is to be acquainted
with these themes from the first pages of the book.
However, themes such as those of friendship, love, time, dreams, hopes and plans do
not appear from the beginning, but are to be discovered by the reader by further reading the
book. The first chapter revolves only around the themes mentioned in the paragraphs above,
and does not offer any other information. We do not find out about other characters (such as
Miss Havisham, Estella or Biddy) or the relationships that develop between them, or about the
main character’s inner feelings or wishes. There is no evidence in the lines of the first chapter
that could show the reader the events that follow in the book or the entire set of actions in
which the characters engage.
To conclude, I would say that the author has chosen a balanced way of revealing the
themes of his book to the readers, by gradually introducing them into Pip’s world. Only a part
of the themes tackled by Dickens in “Great Expectations” are presented in the first pages of
the book, and even these have to be read between the lines. This method gives the novel a
tinge of ambiguity and peculiarity, which are exactly the characteristics that a novel needed in
the Victorian Era to keep the readers interested.

3
Sumantha Dutta. ”Literary analysis: The importance of setting in Dickens’ Great Expectations”. Helium –
Where Knowledge Rules. 27 Jan. 2011. http://www.helium.com/items/1096396-setting-in-great-expectations;
4
”Great Expectations: Themes, Motifs & Symbols”, Sparknotes: Today’s Most Popular Study Guides, 30 Jan.
2011, http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/greatex/themes.html.
 Bibliography

• Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. Edition published in 2010. London: Harper

Collins Publishers, 2010, p.1;
• Dutta, Sumantha. ”Literary analysis: The importance of setting in Dickens’ Great
Expectations”. Helium – Where Knowledge Rules. 27 Jan. 2011.
http://www.helium.com/items/1096396-setting-in-great-expectations;
• http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/theme;
• ”Great Expectations: Themes, Motifs & Symbols”, Sparknotes: Today’s Most Popular
Study Guides, 30 Jan. 2011, http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/greatex/themes.html;
• „Great Expectations Themes”, Shmoop: Study Guides & Teacher Resources, 27 Jan.
2011, http://www.shmoop.com/great-expectations/themes.html.