Jose de las Luz y Caballero once said "As fruit ripens, so man ripens, after many rains, suns and blows." In the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, the protagonist Philip Pirrip, also known as Pip, goes through many changes from when he is 6 years old and living with his older sister, Mrs. Joe, to when he is 23 years old and living in the city of London as a rich gentleman receiving money from an unknown benefactor. His different opinions on people, ideas and places change substantially due to a multitude of factors that influence his daily life. Thus, Dickens creates Pip's life as a coming-of-age journey using themes that accompany his growth and learning. These three themes are social status, guilt and friendship. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayFirst, the theme of social status is recurring in the plot of the main characters. As he grows up and learns what effect money has on people, Pip realizes that social status and wealth are not as important as love, generosity, and inner worth. In chapter 34, Pip realizes that he would have had a better life without coming into money. "I thought, with some weariness in my spirits, that I should be happier and better if I had never seen Miss Havisham's face, and grown to manhood content to be Joe's partner in the honest old forge." With his wealth, spending was easy and Pip and Herbert accumulated many debts. With this, Pip feels that he would have preferred not to receive money from his benefactor in the first place. Additionally, Pip learns the difference between the “great expectations” of the poor versus the lives of the upper classes and learns how the rich treat the poor. Thanks to the wealth accumulated by his benefactor, Pip has achieved a higher social status and treats Joe and Biddy badly because he tries to distance himself from them. For this he feels remorse. Furthermore, Dickens uses guilt as one of the main themes of the novel which gives us insight into Pip's emotions and thoughts. From an early age at the beginning of the novel, Pip is taught right versus wrong and experiences feelings of guilt. “I was haunted by the fear that, when I least expected it, the file would reappear. I persuaded myself to fall asleep thinking of Miss Havisham's next Wednesday; and in my sleep I saw the folder come at me from a door, without seeing who was holding it, and I woke up with a scream. After stealing food and a file from Joe and giving them to an inmate named Magwitch, Pip's guilt over his actions would haunt his thoughts and dreams and he was afraid of what might happen if anyone found out. Since this incident, he has learned to be more cautious in his life decisions. Furthermore, since Joe was always good to him, Pip had more pronounced feelings of guilt which resulted in a negative effect on his relationship with Joe. Please note: this is just an example. Get a customized document from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Finally, the theme of friendship is prevalent throughout the book as Pip is friends with Joe, Herbert, Wemmick, and Magwitch, although most of them are father figures. Joe, being his brother-in-law, is a genuine, very loving and kind-hearted man. As a result, he teaches Pip about integrity and true love. At first, Joe encourages Pip to be humble, honest, and true to himself; “…lies are lies. However they come, they should not have come, and they come to the father of lies, and they turn to the same. Don't say anything more about it, Pip. This is not the way to stop being"..