Dickens's Social Commentary in Great ExpectationsCharles Dickens's Great Expectations is one of the most revered works in all of English literature. The novel's enduring appeal lies in its insightful depictions of characters, its rich panoramas of the social milieu, and its implicit crusades against social ills.1 Dickens used the growth of his characters in Great Expectations, particularly Pip, in relation to others to write about social reform, and illustrates it most effectively using the first-person narrative style. In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens wrote a social commentary using the development of his characters to illustrate his message. In my article I will focus on three of the main characters, Magwitch, Miss Havisham, Estella and Joe Gargery. In the times he lived, Dickens recognized many evils in society. In Great Expectations he focused on the problem of the very idea of ​​class in society. It was a social commentary on society. His way of illustrating the solution to the class problem in society was to "create characters who could transcend the boundaries and divisions of class identifications and see themselves as responsible humans." »2 The people who read Dickens's works were often the kinds of people he attacked. Dickens lived during the Victorian era, known as the era of social criticism. Great Expectations was Dickens's first attack on social classes.3 Dickens did not directly preach social reform in his novels. He uses his rich characters to illustrate the values ​​and morals he is trying to convey. Great Expectations is a social criticism novel. According to Dickens, the two main social evils were selfishness and...... middle of paper ......ornback, 22.3. Hornback, 4-5.4. Hornback, 27-28.5. Charles Dickens, Great Expectations (New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1942), 3.6. Dickens, 395.7. Dickens, 68.8. Dickens, 71.9. Dickens, 72.10. Dickens, 72.11. Dickens, 598.12. Dickens, 57.13. Hornback, 25-26.14. Hornback, 60. Works Cited Chesterton, GK Charles Dickens: A Critical Study. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1906. Dickens, Charles. Great expectations. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1942. Hornback, Bert G. Great Expectations: A Novel of Friendship. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1987. Pearson, Hesketh. Dickens, his character, his comedy and his career. New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1949. Priestley, J. B. Charles Dickens and His World. New York: Charles Scribner's sons, 1961.