Not All Criminals Are Bad (Great Expectations)

In the novel Gr feast Expectations written by Charles the Tempter he tackles various social problems that plagued London in the victorian era, some of which were Poverty, Hunger, Child Labour and Crime, which fiend himself endured. Crime as a master(prenominal) source of Londons social problems ran rampant, streets became unsafe as brutal activity spiked and new wrongs were world impris aned invariablyy(prenominal) day. In these times shepherds crooks were considered to be the lowest people in cost of social class and so were often deemed as dangerous, Disgraceful and more often than non atrociously in every sense.Charles hellion believed that thither argon expulsions to all in all(prenominal) criminals world shitty, in the sense that you rotternot determine a souls denotation honest because he commits a offensive activity notwithstanding kind of by his motives for doing it. monster expresses his theory in Great Expectations through with(predicate) Charac ters such as Abel Magwitch who is a criminal who seeks redemption and Compeyson who is a criminal who wishes to do nought more than to swindle people.A criminal by comment is someone who breaks the laws set by society (government), indeed although these characters argon not stated or k instantlyn as criminals in the novel brand, Herbert, and Wemmick by definition can in like manner be considered as criminals for support Magwitch, this proves that heller also believed that eitherone can be a criminal not effective people of low social class even off the unacquainted(p) moreover, hellion did not fail to expose that criminals can be bad and that even though some criminals do not chose to live the life they do there are those who like the life of crime , which he envisions through Compeyson.You can read also King v CogdonThe character Compeyson repre moves Charles daimon ideal externalise of a criminal and in circumstance Compeyson is the uninspired criminal with th e exception thathe is not a lowly criminal exactly that of a military gentle humankinds gentleman He set up fur a homo, this Compeyson, and hed been to a public boarding school and had learning. He was a smooth one to talk and was a dab at the ways of gentlefolks. He was good looking too (Pg. 343).Although Compeyson is a gentleman he chooses a life of crime, his motives for committing crimes is simply for the fun of swindling people he is portrayed as a cold hearted and disloyal man in which heller wished to fully convey as his view of a bad person. Compeyson is more than smarter than the average criminal for example Magwitch and uses his wit to manipulate his partners. In the novel it was said that Compeyson had a former partner by the design of Arthur who serveed Compeyson form an elaborate plan to steal money from his own sis in law that is to say Miss Havisham and leave her at the vary on the day of their wedding day.After which his partner Arthur unable to have on t he criminality of what he had done killed himself and Compeyson shows no remorse even axiom that its a good riddance (Pg. 345). This shows how low Compeyson is in call of him as a person, not caring for his own partner and shows no guilt for using him as nothing more than a shit for committing the crime. It is also revealed that Compeyson had a wife that he kicked mostly, here Charles Dickens advance develops Compeysons bad image by adding minor details that he abuses his wife giving readers a foul image of him and a normal dislike for his character.Compeyson also has history with the more redeemable criminal Abel Magwitch and it sustains unmistakable that Magwitch was used by Compeyson just like Arthur was. In the novel Magwitch tells photograph of how he met Compeyson, Magwitch meets him a couple classs back in the first place ever meeting bit and they quickly become accomplices, after getting affiliated for felony on the charge of putting stolen notes in circulation and other charges, Magwitch and Compeyson were both direct to trial, Compeyson deserted Magwitch and made it seem like Magwitch did all the dirty dally and he was helpless under him.The fact that unlike Magwitch, Compeyson is a gentleman and younger works in his favour and he is carryn a lighter sentence, exactly 7 years to Magwitchs 14 year sentence when we was put in the dockaint it me as the judge perceives to bea old offender of wiolent passion, likely to come to worse? (Pg. 346-347).Charles Dickens again gives more information on Compeysons past involving Magwitch to show what a dark and sinister person he really is , he sold come to the fore in time another accomplice proving that he is then bad person because instead of him to try to help Magwitch he looks out for himself and ensures his verdict is lighter, Here Dickens uses bad characteristics as his evidence that he is bad .Later in the novel when smear is aware of him, Compeyson becomes the main antagonist as he tr ies to foil berths plans of helping Magwitch the antagonist is usually a bad person in any play, novel or film so Dickens supports his view of Compeyson macrocosm a bad person by subjecting him into this role and not scarcely does Dickens support that Compeyson is a bad criminal by him macrocosm dangerous, cold and untrustworthy he also shows the difference in character between him and Magwitch becauseCompeyson was afforded a big(p) opportunity in life him creation a gentleman and yet he wasted his life being a criminal when he could have become so oft more in life unlike Magwitch who was not granted the very(prenominal) opportunities. The character Abel Magwitch in the novel represents Charles Dickens exception to the belief that all criminals are bad people.Magwitch is for the first time introduced in the novel through the eyeball of germinate the main character A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no hat, and with broken shoes, a nd with an old rag tied round his head. A man who had been soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and slim down by flints, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars who limped, and shivered, and glared and growled and whose teeth chattered in his head as he seized me by the chin (Pg. ). Here Dickens uses powerful adjectives to describe Magwitch as most people would view a criminal to suggest that his appearance was just as he was which is low. The painting of Magwitch at this point would be a bad person purely base on dickens description of him, I believe that Dickens does this purposely not only to strike how Pip felt but to later prove that not everything is what it appears to be.Magwitch at this point of the novel has just escaped from prison and threatens Pip into retrieving food and file to remove his shackles, here Magwitch is accustomed a negative image by corrupting Pip, an innocent child to steal for him contrasting Dickens belief but readers are al so given a hint of compassion through Pip who instantly sees redeem qualities within the criminal Magwitch who although he sees as frighten but also as a starving, shaken man who is in need of help.Already Dickens has established that Magwitch is not all bad and that there is more to his story which must be revealed before do any final judgements which is proven when he meets Pip again who is no longer a poor boy living in the Marshes but a Gentleman through acquired expectations from a secret benefactor. Later on in the novel Magwitch seeks out Pip, who now lives in London and the portentous truth is exposed as Magwitch tells daub that he in fact is his secret benefactor (310-315).Magwitch then explains himself saying that he was so travel by what Pip had done for him when he was a child that he felt that he had to repay him by doing everything in his power to make him a gentleman which was Pips lifelong dream. Magwitch also tells pip how he went to Australia where he worked i n sheep ranching and earned a broad fortune in which he gave to him. Dickens completely turns Magwitchs image around by showing that he is very loyal and generous, that he is not cold hearted like how a criminal would normally be viewed as.His devotion to Pips success proves that Magwitch is not a bad person, it shows that he somewhat cares for Pip and the fact that he had a possibility to become rich elevating his own status but instead chose to give all his fortune to Pip shows that he is very selfless. Charles Dickens gives Magwitch redeeming qualities to prove that the man shadow the criminal is not bad but thence good at heart.If the fact that Magwitch was a criminal was outback(a) Magwitch can be seen as a loyal, honest and hardworking psyche whose heart is filled with admiration towards a young man namely Pip and wishes to do nothing more but to see him become a gentleman all characteristics of a good person but, one marvel arises which has not been answered, since Ma gwitch can become so virtuous why is he even a criminal in the first place, this explanation of why Magwitch is a criminal further explains what dickens meant that there is an exception to the statement all criminals are bad people.Magwitch explains to Pip the reason behind his hatred for his former accomplice Compeyson and basically how he became a criminal. In this he tells Pip the story of how he met Compeyson and the story of Arthur and Compeyson. Magwitchs accentuate story is that of poverty, he was an orphan just as Pip was and he had to steal as a means of endure. Magwitchs story gives readers and arrangement of why he got into the life of crime and although stealing cannot be relieve as a crime, Dickens represents Magwitchs case as a justifiable reason for being who he is in terms of being a criminal.Magwitch was not given the same opportunities as his partner Compeyson and so basically grew up into a life of crime, with him being an orphan he had no other means of livi ng, he had to fend for himself, but although he was already at this great disadvantage he also tells Pip that he tried to work sometimes but it wasnt seemly which unfortunately turned him into a criminal when he met Compeyson Ive no notion where I was borntramping, begging, thievinggone last wickedness (Pg. 342-343).This suggests that maybe if Magwitch was given a better chance to be undefeated in life like Compeyson was that he would not be a criminal ultimately supporting that it was out of his hands and that he had no other choice, His motives unlike Compeyson, was purely to survive. It is evident in the novel that Charles Dickens has a soft spot for Magwitch through his history with Compeyson in which he got a heavier sentence just because he looked more of a criminal than Compeyson. Dickens does this to show sympathy for Magwitch but also a derision towards the justice system.Magwitchs relationship with Pip grows towards the end of the novel as Pip realises that Magwitch sin cerely cares for him and that he has not been very accepting of him. Dickens uses Pips realization to bring across the point that Magwitch is indeed a good person and that him being a criminal does not define who he is, even a person such as Pip who looked down on Magwitch as being low and nothing more than a criminal even being ashamed when he found out that he was his secret benefactor has been enlightened and now accepts him.Charles Dickens contrast of both characters was his major evidence in proving what he believed, both characters were similar in the sense that they were both criminals but their personalities were completely different, showing that being a criminal has nothing to do with him being good or bad but rather his reason for committing crimes is what rattling determines whether he can be judged as a bad person or not. Charles Dickens in proving this also suggested that anyone can become a criminal from Magwitchs life story and to further prove this the man Characte r in the novel Pip is surrounded by a life of crime.As a small boy Pip has his first encounter with crime through Magwitch and it is evidently seen that the Marshes has some tainted strain filled with crime through Convicts always breaking out, the hulks (prisoner ship) sailing by and cannons firing to alert residence of a breakout, so it can therefore be said that Pips life even before meeting Magwitch had some component part of crime in it. When Pip receives his great expectations and moves to London to meet Jaggers (criminal lawyer), he finds out that Jaggers office is beside New entrance prison and realises that crime has always been present in his life.Dickens incorporates this element of crime in this new setting not only to relate his experience with the Debtors prison in his own life and foreshadow next encounters with crime but I believe it can be affiliated to Magwitch in the sense that Magwitch lived in poverty something that he could not attend meaning he did not c hoose to be poor which legion him to become a criminal and Pip now is surrounded by all this crime, he could be easily be influenced in the in store(predicate) to become a riminal also and although one might say that you watch your own future and if you turn out to become a criminal it is your own fault but Dickens gives evidence through Magwitchs story that sometimes our future can be influenced by factors meet us that we have no power over. Pips affair in crime worsens when Magwitch told him that he was his benefactor, he is torn apart with guilt and shame but is further concerned by the fact that Magwitch has yet again escaped from prison and needs Pips help to prevent him from being caught.By law anyone who assists a criminal is also considered a criminal by association, Pip knows this but feels guilty that Magwitch who although at this point he was still ashamed of had done so much for him and so he felt obliged to returned the favour. Here it is proven that Pip has been i nfluenced to become a criminal and has no power over this situation, Pip eventually decides to help Magwitch knowing that he could also be sent to jail. Dickens shows that even though Pip wants commit a crime it is for a justifiable reason just as Magwitch did stealing turnips to eat as a child.Pip receives help from Wemmick (Jaggers clerk) and Herbert (Matthew Pockets son) with hiding Magwitch from the police and planning to smuggle him out of London. They also could be considered as criminals by helping Pip but their motives for helping Pip is purely good, Pip is their friend who they care for and so they would do anything to help him by doing this Dickens has proven that anyone can become a criminal under the circumstance meaning even good people can become criminals for good reasons.In the world today there are many different types of people, when we say that all criminals are bad it is not true which dickens himself believed, an example of what he meant by an exception is in th e case of an 80 year old woman who has nothing left, no one to take care of her, if she has no other means of surviving but to steal does that make her a bad person? What almost the man whose father is dying of an illness and he needs money for the operation but he lives in poverty so he robs a bank to pay for the operation, is he also bad for wanting to save his fathers life?Although there is no excuse for committing a crime just as Magwitch realized that the life he lived was inexcusable (), it does not mean that he should be labelled as being a bad person. Therefore with all the evidence that has been given it can be concluded that if people who commit crimes based on good intentions are considered criminals not all criminals are bad, but the question now becomes , who decides which intentions are good?.