Toxicity

There are many aspects in both Charles Dickens’ Great Expectationsand Mike Leigh’s cinematic work High Hopes that perpetuate a constant comparison. Leigh and Dickens focus on contemporary society and use their mode of work to comment on the faults. Dickens explores social mobility with Pip, superficially leading the reader to believe that one can move up within the social strata. However, a more poignant aspect of Pip is how he loses himself and his kindness because of his lust for money and acceptance. Joe, who serves as his foil, remains true to Pip and the friendship they cultivated. Pip, on the other hand, abandons Joe in his pursuit of money and Estella thus introducing the idea of money as a poison to society. Similarly, Leigh plays with this idea in the film. He uses siblings Cyril and Valerie to highlight the toxicity of money. Two people with the same upbringing yet only one ends up a vile human. We see this through the treatment of their mother as well as how they handle their day to day. The details of how they achieve meaning are very different in the film and novel, however, both advise the audience against the over consumption of money.