Theme Of Satire In Great Expectations

Great Expectations serves as a cautionary tale to a Victorian society. Pip’s transformation serves a huge purpose contributing to this with the way he acts and feels when becoming a gentleman. Dickens portrays the novel as a cautionary tale by using satire, themes, and Pip’s mood with his transformation from a forge boy to a gentleman.
Dickens uses satire in his great novel to warn readers of the Victorian society. Satire in this novel is expressed through social criticism as Pip becomes a gentleman. For example, as Pip attains his fortunes he would go off and “spend as much money as [he] could” (215). As Pip keeps growing and becoming a young gentleman he becomes more and more unintelligent with his money. This is very ironic, on account of that as a person ages they become wiser; whereas Pip does the opposite. Another occasion of social criticism in the novel is when Pip sees Trabb’s boy. For instance, when Pip sees him across the street he treats Pip with “disgrace” (193) just like he did in chapter nineteen when he swept over Pip like he was dirt. The irony in this circumstance is that usually when a person of money comes into contact with another of lower class, the person with lower class usually treats the person with money with utmost respect. However, Trabb’s boy does not do that, he in fact does the complete opposite. Another piece of satire in the novel is the lifestyle of the Pockets. For example, Mr. and Mrs. Pocket are high in society yet they have no money.