The Poor Labyrinth The Theme of Social Injustice in...

Victorian England was notorious for, along with top hats, its outdated â€Å"justice† system. Fraught with corruption, expired methods, and disorganization, the Victorian judiciary system was a severe flaw in the royal kingdom that was partially fed by the crime-fearing public and indifferent servants of the law. Growing up in an oppressive environment reminiscent of Victorian England’s own corrupt justice system, Pip’s journey from childhood to adulthood illustrates a gradual realization of the willful blindness of his fellow man to the injustice served to the convicted criminal, and indicates the cyclical nature of how poverty and fear feed the public consensus on crime. As explored by John H. Hagan Jr.’s article entitled â€Å"The Poor Labyrinth: The Theme of Social Injustice in Dickenss â€Å"Great Expectations†, in which Pip’s own life, as well as the lives of those around him illustrate how socioeconomic differences played a significan t role in how individuals perceived the law and one another. Harshly administered punishment and conformity to order was emphasized from an early age, as indicated in Pip’s conflicted conscience in his choice for the lesser of two evils; robbing and lying to his sister, or risking potential bodily harm from an escaped convict. The dilemma renders Pip distressed, as if he â€Å" had to make up [his] mind to leap from the top of a high house, or plunge into a great depth of water† (16). His perpetual guilt is attributed to his sister’s deontologicalShow MoreRelatedA Social Morality Of The Victorian Age1355 Words   |  6 PagesStephen Mendonca English 2323 2 August 2015 A Social Morality The Victorian age ranged from 1830 to 1901, during this time England reached its highest point as a world imperial power. Industrialization and the reign of Queen Victoria (1837 to 1901) played a major role in England’s success. The overwhelming industrialization caused a population boom that changed England’s population from two million to six million people. The abundance of people created new social problems that the leading writers and thinkers