Dickens' Childhood
Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 in Portsmouth, UK, just about an hour and forty-five minutes outside of London. Dickens’ childhood wasn’t full of fun and games. It was filled with loneliness, despair, and abandonment. When Dickens’ family moved to London when he was still very young, his father ended up in prison due to debt. Pip was separated from his family and was sent to work in a factory in order to provide income for the Dickens’. Charles has a special interest in orphans, so that interest could possibly come from his abandonment during his childhood. His interest in orphans is showed in Great Expectations when he has two big characters be orphans, Pip and Estella. Charles always wanted to be better during his childhood. He wanted to be better educated, be a better social class, etc. The fact that Dickens wanted to move up in social class relates to the book by Pip wanting to become a better social class. Sometime in his life, Dickens probably thought that he wanted to be unique and uncommon just as Pip did. Their motives for moving up in social class might vary but they both wanted to be in a high social class. Money also is a theme in Great Expectations that was a theme in Charles' life. Dickens' family's constant need for money relates to Pip and his family's need for money. Dickens' family's debt and money problems relate to Pip's family's problems with by them both sharing a social class and they are battling to even get food.