Great Expectations, a novel written by Charles Dickens during the Victorian era. This novel is set in early Victorian England, a time when great social changes were taking place. In the late 18th and 19th centuries, the Industrial Revolution transformed the social landscape, allowing industrialists and manufacturers to accumulate enormous fortunes that would otherwise have been unattainable. In addition to the political and economic change that has occurred, a profound social change has occurred. The population, seeking to improve their lives, sought employment in the newly created industries. At that time, society was classified into three classes: upper class, middle class and lower class and this system was called social class system. In Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, the class system played an important role. These classes and the differences between them were clear in the character interaction and in the plot of the novel. Dickens had a negative view of this system, in which the upper class is all-powerful, the middle class is made up of those who envy the upper class, and the lower class is incapable of achieving success due to their birth status. Charles Dickens was part of this era, he came from the lower middle class and knew perfectly the life of the poor. Most of Dickens's novels were shaped by the events taking place at that time. Throughout his novel, Dickens emphasizes the difference between appearance and reality through Pip's expectations of something better, social status, and the parameters of the book. The consequences of Pip's actions shown in the novel allow us to gain insight into Dickens's social ideals - Pip's life as a gentleman is no more pleasant than his life in a country lab...... middle of paper ......these lessons and the differences between them were clear in the interaction of the characters and in the plot of the novel. Dickens had a negative view of this system, where the upper class is all-powerful; The middle class consists of those who envy the upper class and the lower class who are unable to succeed due to their birth status. People were classified into classes and this was essential throughout the story, as Pip realizes that wealth and class are less important than love, loyalty and inner worth. The social class system that existed during the Victorian era caused division between people. This difference in social class had caused a separation between the characters in the novel like Pip, Estella, Magwitch, Miss Havisham and Joe.BIBLIOGRAPHYDickens, Charles. Great expectations. New York: Signet Classics, 1998. Print.