The Childhood of Charles Dickens Essay - 1498 Words

The Childhood of Charles Dickens I do not write resentfully or angrily: for I know all these things have worked together to make me what I am - Charles Dickens Charles Dickenss tumultuous childhood did indeed shape the person he became, as well as have a definite impact on his literary career. There are shades of young Dickens in many of his most beloved characters, including David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, and of course, Great Expectations Pip. Like Dickens, all three of these characters came from humble beginnings and were able to rise above their respective circumstances to achieve success. Similarly, Dickens literary success is owed in large part to his unhappy†¦show more content†¦a son (Allen 19). This is a lofty pronouncement coming from a lowly government employee, with neither money nor title to lay claim to. Due to this, Charles considered Friday his lucky day, needing to believe he had been born with great expectations and the talent and will to realize them (Kaplan 19). In January of 1817, the Dickens family was transferred to Chatham, in the county of Kent. It was here that Dickens formed his earliest recollections, residing there from the ages four through ten. The formative years spent at this place would later have an impact on his literary career, resurfacing as the setting for Great Expectations. It was during this time, too, that he first saw Gads Hill Place, what would become his future home. He recalls his father telling him that if he were to be very persevering and were to work hard [he] might some day come to live in it (qtd. in Kaplan 23). He was unaware how prophetic those words would be. He began his education in Chatham, and soon was transferred to a local academy run by a clergyman. According to Kaplan, school fed his aspirations toward gentility . . . his sense that Gads Hill Place and what it represented could be his one day (31-32). Unfortunately for Charles, this peaceful and somewhatShow MoreRelatedPips Childhood in Charles Dickens Great Expectations Essay1120 Words   |  5 PagesPips Childhood in Charles Dickens Great Expectations In the first five chapters of Charles Dickens Great Expectations, we follow the life of a young boy, Phillip Pirrip - Pip for short, in early nineteenth century England. A time when England was in industrial revolution and when the rapid growth of cities brought social divisions between class - rich and poor. The British government fearing a revolution, maintained a harsh regime. In Great Expectations, DickensRead MoreEssay on Charles Dickens Picture Of Childhood in Victorian Times1117 Words   |  5 PagesCharles Dickens Picture Of Childhood in Victorian Times Great Expectations is set in early Victorian England, a time when great social changes were sweeping the nation. 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