Irony As a Main Stylistic Device in Great Expectations

The Shackles of Injustice

In the third part of Great Expectations, Charles Dickens uses irony to communicate the following about injustice; it constrains the people that are experiencing it, whether it be physically, mentally, or emotionally. There are many examples throughout the third part, most of which I found to be a little sad. Dickens uses irony as a very powerful tool to display the theme of injustice and what it does to the characters in the book. The extent to which he uses irony to prove injustice is very miniscule, and the irony was incredibly subtle and usually splayed across a few pages.

Even though it was very minimal it gave you a strong visualization of what was happening. In part three of Great Expectations, Dickens uses it as a powerful weapon to convey injustice and the effects of it on the characters.

Pip is a dynamic character, and Magwitch isn’t. Pip is the kind of kid who could fit into any clique of kids at school easily, due to his natural intelligence and personality while Magwitch would be the kid that stayed at one table.

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Therefore, Magwitch gave the money to Pip to live his dream of becoming a gentleman through him. An analogy of this could be that Janis from the movie Mean Girls lived the life of high school popularity through Cady, and had Cady tell her everything she did at the end of the day. This represents injustice because Magwitch can’t be who he wants to be because of the social constraints around him.

He has money, like rich people, but he lacks the speech, manners, and social status. Sure, he could buy fancy things and live the facade of an uncommon person but he had picked up all of these habits that made him this savage-like convict on the inside.

An injustice done to Estella was how she was taught to be hard-hearted. It limited her relationships with everyone she knew. Ms. Havisham had her heart broken by Compeyson, and therefore taught Estella not to love anyone or let anyone get close to her. Anyone who did would surely get burned, and a metaphor for this is Estella’s bright beauty and personality was the flame and the men that flocked to her are the moths. Ms. Havisham even asks for her love, and Estella says “All that you have given me is at command to have again. Beyond that I have nothing. And if you ask me to give you what you never gave me, my gratitude and duty cannot do impossibilities.” (Page 337) The irony in this is very obvious, because Ms. Havisham asks for love, even though she hadn’t even given it to Estella. Estella not only doesn’t let men get close to her, she doesn’t even know how to love them. Or anyone, for that matter.

Lastly, there is nothing more sad and ironic than Pip wanting to marry Biddy, and then coming to see that Joe and her were already getting married. Pip had “lost all [he] had hoped for” (Page 510) and realized he wanted her to “go through the world with [him]” (Page 511) He was referring to how Estella wouldn’t love him ever and basically he was saying he wanted Biddy, since she was the next best option. Honestly I feel bad for Pip he now can’t have option two, but from Biddy’s point of view she probably was heartbroken by Pip’s departure in the beginning to become a gentleman and settled with Joe instead. This is a natural injustice in itself; Pip is now alone for the rest of his life as far as we know, and he has no one to share his life with.

Irony is what Dickens used to show that the theme of injustice limited the characters in Great Expectations in many ways. Whether it was moving up the social ladder, the the inability to love, or be loved, their actions were hindered. I guess you could say it is ironic that I am poking around at the injustice and irony in the lives of these characters when there are the very same things happening in this world. If an uncultured homeless man was to suddenly win the lottery, he would carry the same habits he learned on the streets, even though now he is a rich man. It is quite odd because what the people of Great Expectations and people in this world have in common is that we are too ignorant to correct this injustice, and to be accepting of everyone. It’s a big idea, and even though the story of Great Expectations is over, maybe someday we can adapt and learn it.