Term Papers on Social Injustice And Great Expectations

Term Paper Title	Social Injustice And Great Expectations
# of Words	767
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	3.07

Social Injustice and Great Expectations

     Social standards of class and prudery dictated Victorian behavior.  Founded on the pretext of politeness, the practice of courteous conduct masked an often cruel and unjust society, in which acceptance and success were dependent more on caste, income, and appearance than character. Aware of this double standard, Victorian author Charles Dickens paints an insightful picture of social injustice in his novel Great Expectations.  Highlighting the hypocrisy of Victorian practices, Dickens constructs a complex and engaging cast.  It is through convincing characters that Dickens delivers his outcry against socially unjust laws and penal practices.
     Mr. Jaggers, a stereotypical attorney, is used by Dickens to embody a corrupt and cruel justice system.  A skilled and intelligent man, Mr. Jaggers is a highly esteemed, if not feared, London lawyer.  Described by Pip as a man who, ³seemed to bully his very sandwich as he ate it²(156), Jaggers has a  commanding and powerful persona. Jaggers treats his clients as inferiors who he will only meet with after they have paid their bill.  Jaggers¹ popularity clearly stems from ability and not compassion.  Indeed, the outcome of his clients¹ cases, in addition to the heinous acts they commit, are of little consequence to him.  In fact, Jaggers¹ office is adorned with two plaster replicas of former clients who were hanged.  Jaggers¹ warped sense of justice is further revealed as he exploits Molly, after gaining stardom off her murder trial, by indenturing her as a servant.  The former jury member Jaggers bribed, who prepares a special meal for the lawyer, provides another example of a!
corrupt judicial system.  The business-like manner in which Jaggers eliminates ethics and truth from the courtroom, prompts Pip to comment that, ³Which side he was on, I couldn¹t make out, for he seemed to be grinding the whole place in a mill²(323).
     The hypocrisy which plagued Victorian law and life also manifests itself through the character of John Wemmick.  Wemmick is a naturally kind and easygoing man.  At home he is a whimsical, free-spirit, spirited husband, and devoted son. However, Wemmick takes on a different demeanor at work.  As the chief clerk at Jaggers¹ law office, Wemmick assumes a curt, impersonal, and official disposition.  He continually emphasizes the importance of ³portable property,² goods to be liquidated.  The seemingly conscie...

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