The Prodigal Son in Great Expectations Essay -- Great Expectations Essa

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is an elaborate retelling of the Biblical parable of the rakehell son (Ryken 157). It follows the life of Pip as he rises through and falls from society. He begins his life as an orphaned boy in a blacksmiths home to become a young man of great expectations. Pip forsakes the love and care of his guardian, Joe Gargery, for advancement in society. Misfortunes befall him he loses all his wealth and he is forced to return to his home. Pip is the prodigal son who un refreshingly leaves his home and squanders all his wealth. Joe Gargery is the loving father who patiently forbears and lovingly welcomes his boy back. Pips redemption is revealed in the novel. Great Expectations is a bildungsroman it is a novel which shows the education of Pip. Pip learns about the corruptness of society and the shallowness of social class. In true prissy fashion, Dickens novel is a form of social criticism it attacks the conceited notions of society.The allusion to the parable prodigal son is hinted at early in the novel. Mr. Pumblechook and Mr. Wopsle constantly admonish Pip to be gratefulto them which brought him up by hand (Dickens 54). Mr. Wopsle declares that swine were the companions of the prodigal and an ungrateful child is worse than swine (Dickens 26). Mrs. Joe often reproaches Pip for being ungrateful. She resents having to raise Pip up since his infancy. However, Mrs. Joe abuses Pip (Ryken 156). She whips him for unessential reasons and is annoyed by any question he asks. The person to whom Pip owes his gratitude to is Joe. Joe had sanctified his home, making it a pleasant place (Dickens 112).Like the father in the parable, Joe loves Pip wholeheartedly and unconditionally.... ...oe, his two fathers who devoted their lives for his happiness. Pips journey home demonstrates that he has learned the important lesson of gratitude. Like other literature of the Victorian Age, Great Expectations is a novel which provides entertainment, socia l criticism, and moral lessons.BibliographyPrimary SourceDickens, Charles. Great Expectations. New York Bantam, 1986. Print.Secondary SourcesThe Bible Authorized King James rendering with Apocrypha. New York Oxford UP, 1997. Kappel, Lawrence, ed. Readings on Great Expectations. San Diego Greenhaven, 1999. Print.Ryken, Leland. Realms of Gold The Classics in Christian Perspective. Wheaton, IL H. Shaw, 1991. Print.Redemption and Love. Brooklyn College Department of English. 11 May 2002. Web. 10 Dec. 2010..