Great Expectations, David Copperfield, and Oliver Twist are three popular novels written by Charles Dickens that follow the journeys of Pip, David, and Oliver respectively. At the beginning of Pip, David, and Oliver’s story, each of them are in a situation where they are forced to work under terrible living conditions. Despite the subpar living conditions, each of them manage to get their lives in order after countless hardships. In Great Expectations, Pip’s guardian, his sister, frequently bullied both her husband and Pip. Alongside the abuse from Pip’s sister, he frequently visited Estella, the daughter of a rich woman. In his hopes to impress her, his desire to become uncommon strengthened. David Copperfield however was born into a rich family, but his father passed away at an early age and his stepfather constantly abused him. Unable to take the abuse of his stepfather, David Copperfield ran away to his aunt, Betsy Trotwood who took care of him. In Oliver Twist, Oliver was adopted and forced to work in a workhouse with harsh living conditions. Many times he was not able to get enough to eat or a proper place to sleep. In all three novels, each of the boys have a different childhood, background, and hardships, despite that each child was able to gain a successful adult life.
Pip’s youth in Great Expectations centers on his desire to impress Estella by becoming “uncommon”. This desire leads him to try and become a gentleman in order to impress Estella. His desire to impress Estella likely stems from the constant abuse he faced from his sister, one of his major parental figures. The constant abuse has led him to be conditioned to the abuse and expect others to treat him in a similar way to his sister. On top of that, he realizes that Estella is sought after in the community, only adding another reason to be impressive to Estella. Once he realizes that being a blacksmith is not a job that those in high society look up to like Pip formerly looked up to blacksmithing before meeting Estella, his passion to work in Joe’s blacksmith slowly dwindles. His passion for blacksmithing not only shrinks but his former respect for Joe also declines and Pip slowly starts turning snobbish like many of those in high society. This is shown through his actions towards Joe, especially when he is in front of Miss Havisham and Estella, his desire to impress both Miss Havisham and Estella, Pip gets embarrassed of Joe, who is not highly educated or wealthy.
Unlike Pip, David is originally born into a higher class family. However, like Pip, David still faced many hardships, especially during his childhood. Pip’s mother Clara is a gentle soul and gave David a happy childhood, before she married Mr. Murdstone. Mr. Murdstone not only abused Clara, but also abused David. This left David with a bleak youth, unlike his childhood from before. On top of the new torment from his stepfather, Mr. Murdstone discouraged Clara from giving any affection to David, leaving him with little to no one to turn to. After a couple years, David’s mother died, forcing him to live with the Murdstones constant verbal and physical abuse towards him. On top of the abuse from the Murdstones, he was forced to work at one of Mr. Murdstones friend’s shop, leaving David subjected to more torment. In his adult life, it is known that he gravitates towards women that mirror his mother more than anything. This could be the effect of Clara being one of the major parental figures in his life before Mr. Murdstone and a person who had a lot of affection to be given out, especially because he did not get much affection in his youth.
Oliver Twist’s childhood differs from both David Copperfield and Pip because he was orphaned from a young age, leaving him with almost zero parental figures throughout his childhood. Unfortunately, because Oliver Twist is an orphan, he was sold to a workhouse, where he was forced to do tiresome labor as a child, and was not provided adequate meals or bedding. On top of that, Oliver was isolated from many of the other kids at the workhouse because of his unlucky draw, forcing him to ask for more food. This isolation most likely caused him to get attached easily to those that gave him affection, as he was only subjected to bullying while working in a workhouse and living in unfavorable conditions. This is proven directly when he meets Mr. Brownlow, the first parental figure he has and the only person that takes care of him properly. When he gets kidnapped by Fagin’s gang and is rescued again by the Maylies, Oliver is appreciative of them, but would rather be with Mr. Brownlow rather than the Maylies because of his connection with Mr. Brownlow as the first that rescues him. Oliver’s desperateness to see Mr. Brownlow rather than to stay put at the Maylies just goes to show how deep Oliver’s connection with Mr. Brownlow is, despite the minimal time they spent together.
In conclusion, the stories of Pip, David Copperfield, and Oliver Twist, written by Charles Dickens, reveal the resilience of the human spirit in the face of hardship. Despite their vastly different backgrounds and the specific hardships they endure, each character navigates an intense period of time toward a future of stability and success. Pip's journey in "Great Expectations'' underscores the dangers of forsaking one's roots in the pursuit of societal approval. His transformation from a humble blacksmith's apprentice to a gentleman proves the superficiality of social status and the enduring value of genuine human connections, such as his bond with Joe. David Copperfield's tale is one of endurance and the search for a familial love that mirrors the affection he once received from his mother. Despite the abuse from Mr. Murdstone and the challenges of child labor, David's inherent goodness and the support from benevolent figures like his aunt Betsy Trotwood guide him towards a fulfilling life. Oliver Twist's story, marked by the extreme outcome of an orphan's life, shows the cruelty inflicted upon society's most vulnerable group, children. Yet, Oliver's innate innocence and capacity for love help him find a family and a place of belonging. His unwavering attachment to Mr. Brownlow, the first person to show him true kindness, emphasizes the deep human need for care and protection. Thus, proving how well Dickens portrays each story of Pip, David, and Oliver.
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