What's the story?

I believe Dickens wrote Great Expectations for a variety of reasons. On a surface level we could say Dickens wanted to entertain his audience, to engage society. However, if we look a bit deeper there are themes and literary techniques used that suggest that Dickens was trying to make a statement about social class and society. Dickens juxtaposes the rich and the poor frequently throughout the novel. An example of this is when a very poor Pip falls in love with high class Estella. The majority of the novel’s plot revolves around Pip trying to better and improve himself so he will fit in with the rich. Irony is used in the novel because Pip has such great expectations for when he is older and richer, however as time passes he learns that life is not that much better. Pip learns the important lesson that money does not always guarantee happiness. Lastly, imagery is used excessively throughout the novel to detail and exaggerate the setting as well as different character’s qualities.