Great Expectations
Appearance vs. Reality in Great Expectations
In Great Expectations Pip is frequently affected, effected and influenced by appearances. The very nature of his life is dictated by his view of the appearance of others and his own self and outward appearances. The work itself demonstrates a major theme associated with not judging by appearance as it simultaneously demonstrates how much those very appearances actually mean to the individual characters and society in general. The tenor of the story is based around the concept of appearance making or breaking an individual while juxtaposing the dark concept of hidden faults and weaknesses that exploit all the characters, regardless of appearance. The juxtaposition of the appearance and power of wealth with the ideation that it represents all that is good and poor as all that is bad, specifically speaking of people and their appeared circumstances is a construct of social criticism on the part of Dickens that attempts to address the idea that appearances are deceptive and that all who hold the appearance of wealth and power are not as they seem. The result of this juxtaposition is the attempt to show Pip through experience that making decisions based on appearances is...
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