Great Expectations Social Commentary
“Great Expectations” is set in Victorian England, a time when the manners of the upper class were strict and conservative. Through Estella’s parentage, Dickens is making the social commentary that society judges a person not by their character, but by their social rank and background. ... She was taught that she only deserved a gentleman – someone rich and of high social status, when she herself is from lowly origins and does not know it. ... Dickens believed in social equality. ... Dickens’ dark childhood, along with themes of alienation and betrayal, emerged in “Great Expectations”.