High Hopes and Great Expectations give insight on the relationships between the high-class and working-class. One similarity between the two works are the relationships between the characters. For example, the relationship between the widow’s children, Cyril and Valerie is very poor. They constantly argue on what’s best for their mother and clash on social issues. They live completely different lives as Cyril lives in a small flat, making it from paycheck to paycheck on his motorcycle messaging job. Valerie, on the other hand, lives in an upscale neighborhood, which isn’t enough. This relationship between these siblings can be compared to the relationship between Pip and his older sister, Joe. Pip is afraid of her and dislikes her abuse.
Pip and Cyril both serve as social outcasts. Pip, living in a unpleasant environment next to prison ships, forms his aggressive attitude towards society. Cyril is also an outcast because he and Shirley are old-style socialists. Throughout the novel, Pip tries to better himself and climb up the ladders of the society. In the beginning, he has nothing but remains positive because he wants to make the most of himself. He’s content with the life he lives. Pip can be compared to Cyril because Cyril is a part of the working-class but he isn’t unhappy with his life. He’s content with his motorcycle and small flat. It’s interesting because you’d think these characters would want more but they are content with what they have. Although Pip had a rough upcoming, he remains an honest personality while constantly trying to better himself. Cyril is constantly overcome high-class lifestyle when visiting his sister but doesn’t seem to want to change his current life. On the other hand, Valerie and his husband are yuppies from a nice, rich neighborhood. They live a comfortable lifestyle but it’s not enough for Valerie. When Valerie visits the neighbors of Mrs. Bender, she portrays the higher socioeconomic class of the snooty neighbors but the facade is easily seen through. Valerie and her husband are also unhappy with their marriage. Her husband turns to his girlfriend and alcohol for happiness while Valerie also finds alcohol to be very comforting. Alcohol tends to be the therapist for their relationship. The relationship between Valerie and her husband can be compared to Estella and Drummle. Estella said she married Drummle out of spite of her many suitors. It was the only way for her to get control of her life, even though it left her unhappy. The difference between these two works are the time periods. Great Expectations was set in the early nineteenth century and High Hopes was set in the 1980’s. The significance of the time period shows that socioeconomic issues exist in multiple decades.
