The early years of post-industrial Britain were tumultuous, as were the beginnings of all eras that dismantle centuries-old beliefs and traditions. It was the advent of capitalism, synonymous with endless opportunities for wealth through industry and commerce. However, this new system also made immorality a common stepping stone to success; crime, exploitation and dishonesty have become the tools of national commerce. The absence of government regulation and therefore the absence of limits has brought prosperity to new heights and suffering to new depths. If capitalism, glorified by philosophers like Adam Smith, was in theory a quasi-utopian structure, the reality, particularly in London, was far from perfect. In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens critiques the ideals of capitalism by describing its evils, concretely and symbolically, in the lives of his characters. Through their fate and motivations, the afflictions of the new socio-economic order become clear: class segregation, erosion of morals and alienation of feelings. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay One of the most fundamental and often praised principles of capitalism is that it provides everyone with an equal opportunity to achieve wealth. This principle is fully embodied in the Great Expectations; not a single character's wealth comes from aristocratic ancestry. In fact, many of the richest characters come from the dregs of society: Magwitch is an escaped convict, Estella is the daughter of a gypsy murderess, and Pip is a simple blacksmith's apprentice. However, inequality is as pervasive as it was when descent determined rank – it is simply more random. Segregation between classes has by no means been abolished. There is still a majority of poor people and they are treated as such. The reason is simply that capitalism relies on the permanent existence of a class of poor people that the rich can exploit. In Great Expectations, the poor are subjected to the contempt and manipulation of their financial superiors, even though these elitists come from the same level. For example, Estella, despite being an orphan herself (or presumed to be so at this point in the novel), despises Pip: "'He calls the servants, Jacks, that boy!' " said Estella with disdain... "And what rough hands he has! And what thick boots! » » (Dickens, 64) Indeed, most of Dickens's characters are guilty of forgetting their roots, ignoring the shame of having been poor inflicting this on them. shame on the less fortunate. Even Pip, the self-aware narrator, considers Joe to be beneath him after his taste of wealth: "I wanted to make Joe less ignorant and less common, so that he would be more worthy of my society and less open to Estella's reproaches." (Dickens, 108) Magwitch is also unfairly treated based on his class when he and Compeyson are found guilty; because of his rudeness, he is sentenced to fourteen years, while the gentleman Compeyson is sentenced to only seven. Through such discriminatory behavior, Dickens illustrates not only inequality, but also the hypocrisy of capitalist wealth. In Great Expectations, morality is often sacrificed in the quest for capital. In the old patriarchal model, religion reigned supreme; morality has won its reward in Heaven. In post-industrial Britain, with a population of profiteers competing with each other, morality seems to get in the way of getting rewardsterrestrial. Dickens shows Pip's own moral struggle as he finds maturity in a town of crooks and swindlers. "'You may be deceived, robbed, and murdered in London. But there are many people everywhere who will do that for you... They will, if there is anything to be gained from it.'" (Dickens, 164 -165) The theme of crime for profit is prevalent throughout Great Expectations and embodied by two characters; Mr. Jaggers, and Compeyson. Mr. Jaggers, the shrewd, business-minded lawyer, represents the distortion of justice caused by capitalism. For the right price, it can dissuade a murderer from being sentenced to death, thus conveying the idea that justice can be bought. Although Jaggers embodies the loss of conscience in a profit society, Compeyson represents its true corruption. Although he is the man who sets the entire story in motion, shaping the lives of several characters, he is essentially faceless. Pip does not directly encounter him once throughout his narration, which gives him more symbolic value than character status. His greed and immorality ruin some, like Mrs. Havisham, and bestow fortune on others (albeit indirectly), like Estella. In some ways, it is like a variation of the “invisible hand” that Adam Smith theorized about, an invisible force that directs the economy. Another character who represents the connection between morality and money is Herbert. He is portrayed as a true gentleman, with no ill will towards anyone and high moral standards. His marriage to Clara, despite his class, shows that he is impartial and honorable. However, his qualities are also his hindrance, financially, as Pip notes: "I had great ideas of the wealth and importance of the ship insurers in the town, and I began to think with admiration of the idea of ​​having put a young insurer at his service. back, blackened his enterprising eye and opened his responsible head. But, again, I came...this strange feeling that Herbert Pocket would never be very successful or very rich. "(Dickens, 175) Thus, it is shown that a moral (self-dependent) capitalist is rarely successful. However, it should be noted that at the end of the novel, each character receives what he deserves for his morality, or his lack of morality It seems that immoral characters die, while moralists find happiness, showing that justice is ultimately meted out in the hands of providence. While immorality arises from a lack of conscience, the lack of. Consciousness arises from an alienation from emotion Throughout Great Expectations, there are conflicts between feelings and business, because while humans are intrinsically motivated by emotion, money is certainly not. The two characters who best embody this conflict are Wemmick and Estella. They both subscribe to the belief that emotion makes one vulnerable to predators, but they express it in different ways. feelings; he leads a double life. On the one hand, he is Mr. Jaggers' cold drone in the office, hollow but focused on profit, logic and business. On the other hand, he is Pip's affable friend, a man who enjoys the leisure of life at home with his father. Pip notices this split personality when he and Mr. Wemmick dine with Jaggers: "He turned his eyes on Mr. Jaggers every time he raised them from the table, and he was as dry and distant with me as if there were Wemmick twins and he was the bad one." (Dickens, 363) Wemmick lives in Walworth, which he built to look like a castle, with his father. His father is also an important symbol. The "old people" represent the old patriarchal model of governance of the.