Charles Dickens' Great Expectations is an elaborate retelling of the biblical parable of the Prodigal Son (Ryken 157). It follows Pip's life as he rises and falls from society. He begins his life as an orphaned boy in a blacksmith's house to become a young gentleman of "great expectations." Pip abandons the love and care of his guardian, Joe Gargery, for advancement in society. Misfortunes happen to him; he loses all his riches and is forced to return home. Pip is the prodigal son who leaves his home ungratefully and squanders all his wealth. Joe Gargery is the loving father who patiently endures and lovingly welcomes his boy. Pip's redemption is revealed in the novel. Great Expectations is a bildungsroman; is a novel that shows Pip's education. Pip learns about the corruption of society and the superficiality of social classes. In perfect Victorian style, Dickens' novel is a form of social criticism; attacks society's presumptuous notions. The allusion to the parable of the prodigal son is mentioned at the beginning of the novel. Mr. Pumblechook and Mr. Wopsle constantly admonish Pip to be "'grateful... to those who raised [him] with their own hands'" (Dickens 54). Mr. Wopsle states that “'pigs were the companions of the prodigal'” and an ungrateful child is worse than pigs (Dickens 26). Mrs. Joe often scolds Pip for being ungrateful. He resents having to raise Pip from his childhood. However, Mrs. Joe abuses Pip (Ryken 156). She whips him for unnecessary reasons and is annoyed by any questions he asks her. The person to whom Pip owes his gratitude is Joe. Joe had “sanctified” his home, making it a “pleasant place” (Dickens 112). Like the father in the parable, Joe loves Pip wholeheartedly and unconditionally....... middle of paper......or, his two fathers who dedicated their lives to his happiness. Pip's journey home shows that he has learned the important lesson of gratitude. Like other literature of the Victorian age, Great Expectations is a novel that provides entertainment, social criticism, and moral lessons. Bibliography Primary Source Dickens, Charles. Great expectations. New York: Bantam, 1986. Print.Secondary SourcesThe Bible: Authorized King James Version with Apocrypha. New York: Oxford UP, 1997.Kappel, Lawrence, ed. Readings on great expectations. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1999. Print.Ryken, Leland. Golden Kingdoms: The Classics in Christian Perspective. Wheaton, IL: H. Shaw, 1991. Print."Redemption and Love." Brooklyn College: Department of English. May 11, 2002. Web. December 10. 2010..