Transformation from misanthropy to philanthropy in Charles Dickens's Hard Times and Great Expectations

Charles Dickens was one of the most prominent authors of Victorian England and his novels, short stories, essays, poems, and plays remain popular to this day. Although he wrote many other works throughout his literary career, Dickens is mostly known as a novelist. In his novels, Dickens describes many different aspects of Victorian society and he sometimes makes social criticisms in his works.This thesis studies two of Dickens?s novels, Hard Times and Great Expectations, which are generally believed to be different in terms of their themes and subjects. While Hard Times depicts the destructive power of the industrial revolution and its impact on the people, Great Expectations recounts the story of an orphan who develops morally through his mistakes as he climbs the social ladder and becomes a gentleman. This study demonstrates that the two novels show similarities in terms of the moral lessons that Dickens aims to give his readers. In both novels, Dickens depicts the oppression of the lower class by the upper class. He finds the solution to this oppression in the transformation of the evil characters from misanthropy to philanthropy. At the end of the both novels, villain characters feel regretful about their misdeeds and they start to feel empathy towards the lower class. This transformation of Dickens?s characters in both novels also carries a message to the reader. Dickens?s moral solution to social corruption also aims to educate his readers. Dickens?s villain characters and their transformation to philanthropy draw a clear distinction between goodness and villainy. In both novels, villainy fails and goodness wins over.