Charles Dickens frequently explored socioeconomic themes of rich vs poor in his novels. He often portrayed the poor characters as humble and virtuous, while the wealthy were depicted as selfish and cold-hearted. Some examples include the loyal Joe Gargery in Great Expectations and the kind Rachael in Hard Times. However, Dickens also showed that stereotypes could be subverted, as in A Tale of Two Cities where both aristocrats and peasants demonstrated virtue as well as cruelty. Many of Dickens' rich characters underwent redemptions over the course of the stories, such as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. Overall, Dickens used his works to shed light on the unfairness of society

1. fromoldbooks.org
The Struggle Between the Rich and The Poor
in the Writing of Charles Dickens

2. ―There is nothing on which [the world] is so hard as
poverty; and there is nothing it professes to condemn
with such severity as the pursuit of wealth.‖
-Scrooge to The Ghost of Christmas Past
A Christmas Carol

3. Many of Charles Dickens novels have a
theme with a definite contrast between
rich and poor. Those include:
•A Tale of Two Cities
•Hard Times
•A Christmas Carol
•Great Expectations
•David Copperfield
and more…

4. Most of Dickens’ poor characters are portrayed as humble and
angelic, while the Rich are usually selfish and cold-hearted.
One example of a humble and benevolent poor person was Joe Gargery
in ―Great Expectations‖, who was always a loyal and true friend to
Pip, even after Pip was embarrassed to be seen with him.
―But this may be said of him [Joe Gargery] that he
stands for a certain long-suffering in the English
poor, a certain weary patience and politeness
which almost breaks the heart.‖ (Chesterton)

5. Another poor character that was angelic was Rachael from ―Hard Times‖.
The man she loved, Stephen Blackpool, was married to her sister. Her
sister was a drunken bum, so Rachael cared for her sister and
Stephen, even though she could not be married to him.
―’Thou changest me from bad to good. Thou
mak’st me humbly wishfo’ to be more like
thee, and fearfo’ to lose thee when this life is
ower, an’ a’ the muddle cleared awa’. Thou’rt
an Angel; it may be, thou hast saved my soul
alive!’‖
-Stephen Blackpool to Rachel
Hard Times

6. Other Angels include:
• Ham in David Copperfield – gives his own life
saving the man who took his betrothed and
then abandoned her.
• The Cratchit Family – sweet and humble family
from ―The Christmas Carol‖.
― Dickens sympathizes with the poor and
implies that their woes result from society’s
unfairness, not their own failings.‖
(SparkNotes)

7. Many of the rich characters in Dickens’ books start out as heartless, but
change over time through various circumstances they are forced to deal
with. Perhaps the most famous example of this is Ebeneezer Scrooge from
―A Christmas Carol‖
―The ethics of Ebeneezer
Scrooge are finally redeemed by
a heavy dose of Christian love
and charity.‖ (SUU Faculty)

8. Dickens reversed these stereotypes in ―A Tale
of Two Cities‖ with the characters of Charles
Darnay and Madame Defarge, Dickens reveals
his non-stereotypical portrayal of nobility and
peasants. He brings to light that not all
aristocrats are cruel. Some aristocrats like
Darnay do not want oppression nor possess a
lust for money and power. Some peasants, on
the other hand, can be more cruel than the
aristocrats as what was exhibited by the
character of the blood-lust Madame Defarge.
(Raval)

9. Chesterton, Gilbert Keith. Chapter 20: Great Expectations. 27 September 2010 <http://www.online-
literature.com/chesterton/dickensworks/20/>.
Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Company, 2009.
—. Great Expectations. London, England: Penguin Group, 1996.
Dickens, Charles. "Hard Times." Dickens, Charles. Charles Dickens. New York, NY: Chatham River
Press, 1988. 848.
goneaway. Hard Times. 30 September 2010 <http://everything2.com/title/Hard+Times>.
PinkMonkey.com. Chapter Seven: The Marquis in Paris . 28 September 2010
<http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmTale2Cities23.asp>.
Raval, Stephanie R. Tracing the Interwoven Threads of History in Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two
Cities . 16 March 2009. 24 September 2010 <http://www.scribd.com/doc/17675263/A-Tale-of-Two-
Cities-Historical-Approach>.
SparkNotes. David Copperfield. 27 September 2010
<http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/copperfield/themes.html>.
SUU Faculty. Charles Dickens and the Social Novel. 29 September 2010
<http://www.suu.edu/faculty/ping/pdf/DickensandtheSocialNovel.pdf>.