For thousands of years, families put their children to work in whatever labor was necessary for survival; only wealthy and powerful children were able to avoid this fate. In 19th Century England, children of lower class were to work long hours in factories, warehouses, and coal mines for low wages and little food. They also were considered by most societies to be property of their parents. Children had little protection from governments who viewed them as having little to no civil rights outside of their parents’ wishes, and Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations helps bring some of these conditions to light.
The times of the Industrial Revolution were the root of child labor issues. Laborers were in greater demand than ever, and not enough men or women could fill their needs; children were cheaper and easier to control. At that time, the government didn’t establish a minimum age, wage, or working hours. Children of all ages were forced to work up to sixteen hours a day for low wages and little food. Children were beaten if they were late to work, worked too slowly, or fell asleep at the machines. They tried to run away, but were often caught, and if they were caught then they were whipped. Long work hours for these children resulted in them having terrible health conditions. Children that worked in the coal mines had to travel through them without any light and often had to carry tons of coal while walking in water that was up to their calves. If a child was not “fortunate” enough to be employed in these manners, they had the unpleasant alternative of living on the streets, with its raw sewage, rotting food, rats, and diseases. They also had to find food and shelter in order to avoid the rain and cold. As the years progressed, laws were passed that outlawed child labor and failure to provide shelter, clothing, food, and medical care by parents or guardians. In 1884, national laws in Britain protected children in their own homes. In addition, the Parliament regulated working conditions, minimum age for working, and the length of the workday for children. Laws for mandatory schooling, however, did not come until the twentieth century.
The Industrial Revolution, which took place in England and America in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, was a period of technological development. The invention and implementation of steam power, especially in steamboats and railroads, revolutionized transportation. Steamboats began running on the Thames River in 1815, and passenger railroads spread all over England in the late 1830s and early 1840s. Such technologies were just being introduced in Great Expectations. We see Pip in London in the 1820s, and though steamboats figure among his adventures, he leaves England years before the railroads were to enter the city. Most of the action of Great Expectations occurs before 1830. Although these significant innovations occurred during the period in which the novel is set, they are not necessarily described in it. The novel ends with Pip’s return to England in 1840, and though he makes no detailed reference to the way the country has changed while he was gone, it is important to realize how much it would have changed. The 1830s had been not only a period of growing industrialization, but a period of social and political agitation. The first Reform Bill was passed in 1832, which had extended suffrage, initiating progressive manners, and Queen Victoria was crowned in 1837. Pip returns, in 1840, to a new England. The new England could be described thoroughly industrialized, socially progressive, and Victorian. Great Expectations looks back upon a period of pre-Victorian development that had become, by 1860, historical. However, as a Victorian novel, Great Expectations has emphasized one of the most dynamic moments in history.
Charles Dickens, who readers know as one of the greatest novelists in history, happened to be one those working children living their lives with despair. Starting at just twelve years old, he would sit for hours at a warehouse endlessly wrapping, tying, and pasting labels on jars of shoe polish. He had to walk five miles to get to work and then had to walk back after working a ten hour shift. Dickens was also forced to support himself at such a young age; he only saw his family only on Sundays, when he visited where they had been imprisoned. However, Dickens’ unpleasant childhood memories had a positive influence on Great Expectations, particularly on the development of Pip. Pip did not grow up with any parents, nor was his childhood a memorable one. He did have parent figures, but one of them was his sister who happened to be abusive and negligent to Pip’s presence. Dickens and Pip both had no choice but to work in a factory for long hours. However, it resulted in them becoming mature, knowledgeable human beings. Dickens often likes to teach valuable lessons to his readers, as he has learned them the hard way growing up; Pip after a while came to the realization that you do not need money to have worth. Nevertheless, Dickens, like Pip, was a sensitive boy who aspired to a world outside his reach, and soon made something of himself. Not only is Charles Dickens a great novelist, but he could also be considered a New Historicist.
New Historicism is is a form of literary theory whose goal is to understand intellectual history through literature. In Great Expectations, Dickens aims to help the reader understand the history in nineteenth century England, particularly history involving children and the working class. Dickens was heavily influenced by the Industrial Revolution and its impacts on society. The tedious and dangerous factory work had negative effects on the health of children.During the industrial revolution, many were concerned solely with socioeconomic status and how others perceived them. This fact emphasizes the New Historicists’ view that most of Great Expectations revolves around the social class system during the Industrial Revolution. Dickens came to view the rich as, for the most part, ignoble and self-righteous. Many of the characters in Great Expectations that were of higher class acted this way, including Pip, while his fortune lasted. As for the lower class, Dickens viewed them as more superior to the higher class from a moral standpoint.
Great Expectations, a Victorian novel, was written and published around 1860. The story, however, takes us back to the beginning of the 19th century. Many of the nostalgic references in the novel distinguish the period in which the story occurs from the period of the text. England at that time was thoroughly Victorian. Queen Victoria had been on the throne since 1837, and planned to reign for another forty years. England was a productive nation that led the Industrial Revolution. Early nineteenth century was also a time of cultural fluctuation. In America, the Civil War began; and Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species introduced a new topic of discussion–evolution. Pip’s adventures in Great Expectations occur between Christmas Eve, 1812, and the winter of 1840. In 1812, King George III was still England’s monarch, but his madness had hastened a transfer of power to the Prince Regent. The ñRegency Periodî lasted from 1810 until George III’s death in 1820; afterwards, the Regent became George IV. George IV died in 1830, and was succeeded by King William, who was in turn succeeded by Queen Victoria in 1837. The action of Great Expectations thus occurs against the backdrop of rapid political change — four monarchs in as many decades. At the same time, England was undergoing major social and cultural changes as a result of the Industrial Revolution.
In conclusion, Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations helps bring the conditions regarding children having little to no civil rights outside of their parents’ wishes to light. In Great Expectations, he uses New Historicism to help the reader understand the history in 19th century England, particularly history involving children and the working class. Dickens grew up during the time of the Industrial Revolution, regarding a time when children of any age were forced to work up to sixteen hours a day for slave wages and little food, and were beaten if they were late to work, worked too slowly, or fell asleep at the machines. Most of Great Expectations revolves around the social class system during the industrial revolution, in which Dickens came to view the rich as, for the most part, ignoble and self-serving; he viewed the poor as superior to the higher class from a moral standpoint. Dickens’ childhood had an influence on Great Expectations, particularly on the development of Pip, who easily represented Dickens because they both had no choice but to work in a factory for long hours, which resulted in them becoming responsible human beings. 19th century England had been not only a period of growing industrialization, but a period of social and political agitation. The first Reform Bill (1832) extended suffrage, initiating progressive social measures; and Queen Victoria was crowned in 1837. Pip returns, in 1840, to a new England — thoroughly industrialized, socially progressive, and Victorian. Great Expectations looks back upon a period of pre-Victorian development that had become, by 1860, thoroughly historical.