Marginalized People’s Struggle In Great Expectations

As one of the most prominent novelists in the19 th century, Charles Dickens enjoyed a highly international reputation. His works are rich in contents and profound in meanings. Among these works, Great Expectations is one of his later works, which shows his more mature conceptions towards the society. This thesis attempts to conduct an in-depth study of the marginalized people in Great Expectations by using Michel Foucault’s power and discourse theory. Through the textual analysis of the novel, this thesis reveals that the marginalized persons are forced to differently rebel against unfair treatments which are imposed on them in Victorian society. They belong to the disadvantaged minority and the lower class, being marginalized. They challenge secular ideas and authority, aiming to gain power and discourse. Although their final endings symbolize the failure of rebellion, the process of fighting is a progress.This thesis contains three parts. The first part is introduction, including introduction of Charles Dickens and Great Expectations, literature review about the text at home and abroad, and Foucault’s power and discourse theory. The second part is the body part which consists of three chapters. The first chapter comprehensively analyzes Miss Havisham, Mrs. Joe and Molly. They are in a terrible situation, from rebellion to silence. The second chapter analyzes Estella and Biddy, both of them from rebellion to discipline. The third chapter analyzes Magwith’s rebellion against class difference and the final failure, and Pip’s resistance to adults’ manipulation. The third part is conclusion. It exposes that the marginalized people not only include females in different classes but also males in lower class. The marginalized people reflect the power strategy and secular oppression in Victorian society, which reveals the miserable condition of the marginalized people and their rebellions.