The theme of isolation in Great Expectations through...

Question: How does Dickens in his portrayal of Miss Havisham explore the theme of isolation? The oldest of eight children, Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth in 1812. Dickens experienced a very traumatic childhood which included the ordeal of seeing two of his brother pass away. John Dickens, his father, worked as a clerk in the Navy Pay Office, due to his occupation, the Dickens family had to move a lot. Financial problems led to the imprisonment of John Dickens, who couldnt afford to look after all his family. The whole of Charles Dickens family soon followed in suite, except for Charles himself though. Instead Charles was taken out of school and made to work in a filthy warehouse, sticking labels on bottles of boot-black for long†¦show more content†¦Her shoes were white...she had a long white veil... here Dickens uses repetition to further strengthen his point, and effectively portray the theme of isolation. As already noted, Miss Havishams character is very melodramatic, and highly unrealistic, but her theatrical character is used as a weapon by Dickens to strongly emphasise his belief that the rich of the time were arrogant and selfish. The very fact that she took the decision to separate herself from the rest of society brings up two different points, the first is that she only had that option open because of her wealth, and it is because of her stubbornness and arrogance that she chooses this path. Here Dickens is trying to emphasise the point that the rich have an open door of choice, which the poor dont have, but their sheer arrogance and stubbornness makes them choose to ignore going through the hard way, and trying to piece back together their lives, rather they opt to take the easier way out and completely separate themselves from the rest of society. The second point that Dickens is trying to put across is that the women of the time were over-reliant on men, when Miss Havisham was jilted on her wedding day, she chose there and then, that she would no longer be able to go on, because of the need of a manly figure in her life.S how MoreRelatedGreat Expectations: Wealth as an Agent of Isolation1975 Words   |  8 PagesGreat Expectations: Wealth as an Agent of Isolation In Charles Dickens novel, Great Expectations, Dickens conveys the idea that wealth leads to isolation. The novel begins when Pip, a young orphan, encounters an escaped convict in a cemetery. Despite Pips efforts to help this terrifying personage, the convict is still captured and transported to Australia. 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