In the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, how is satire used in the first 10 chapters? What are some humorous instances that say something about society? I would love to hear what you guys have to say.
I think Dickens satirizes the upper class with their frivolous aristocracy and demeaning attitude towards the lower classes. Consider the characters of Uncle Pumblechook and Mrs. Havisham. Uncle Pumbechook is Joe's uncle, a well-to-do corn-chandler in the village. He considers himself upper-class and is actually a bombastic fool. He believes himself to be part of the elite but is really rather a fool with some money. Mrs. Havisham, with all her money is just a lonely old lady who is stuck in the past. There is nothing elite about her museum-like home and her disappointed disposition.
