Theme Of Suffering In Great Expectations

“In jail and out of jail, in jail and out of jail, in jail and out of jail.” (258). These words spoken by Magwitch, in the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, represents the pain and suffering he has gone through in the novel and past life. The theme of suffering in Great Expectations has been shown by shaping Magwitch through what he has suffered, how he let the suffering affect him early in the novel, and how he let it affect him later in the novel. Starting off, Magwitch is who he is because of his experiences and how he suffered throughout the novel. He was exposed to many things unimaginable, and pain was inflicted on Magwitch emotionally and physically. Magwitch has suffered many ways, but as once stated by Magwitch, “In jail and out of jail, in jail and out of jail, in jail and out of jail . . . there you’ve got it. That’s my life pretty much.” (Dickens 258). This shows how Magwitch was unmasked from crime and the reality. It is obvious that jail is cruel and many people suffer in that condition. Not only did he have a life of crime, but he worked and worked. As Magwitch tells Pip about his experiences he mentions that he has been thrown in and out of many Jobs. Those jobs were not easy, some such as being a labourer, a waggoner, a haymaker, a hawker, and sometimes he even had to beg and steal. (Dickens 259). This exemplifies that not only did he have to deal with being on the run, but he had to work and work to get by and achieve just the standards of