Abstract: As one of the most important realistic writers in Victorian time, Charles Dickens has created lots of masterpieces. Analyzing his works is a good way to understand the author’s thoughts and feelings, especially his view about women at that time. The two important female images in Great Expectations are two typical examples of the women in Victorian times. They try to fight against the male-dominated world, and their complicated personalities are the result of the contradiction between the traditional morals and rebellion to the old world. Miss Havisham and Estella’s fight is a trial of finding a new life. It is also the pullulation of women’s revolution. In Dickens’s eye, marriage should not become the shackles to bondage the female, and women should walk out of the family and find their own values. This paper is aimed to analyze the two females’ characters and the cause of their formation, in the hope that readers will have a brief impression about the social status and life conditions of women in that time.
Key Words: Great expectations; female status; Charles Dickens; Morals in Victorian time
Introduction 1
1.The background of creation of Great Expectations 2
1.1 The Brief Overview of Dickens's Life 2
1.2 The Creation of Great Expectations 3
2.The Character and Personality of the Two Main Female Images in the Novel 5
2.1 The Analysis of Miss Havisham's Character 5
2.2 The Introduction of Estella's Personality 5
3. Reasons and Causes of Formation of Their Characters 6
3.1 Family Background 6
3.2 Life Experiences 7
3.3 The Era and Social Background 10
3.4 The Moral and Human Natures 11
4. Conclusion 14.
Bibliography 17
