Dickens's Treatment of Education and Social Mobility Essay

Dickens's Treatment of Education and Social Mobility - Essay Example onal system as it existed for the children of the working class, but also to highlight some of the major problems inherent in the education of young gentlemen and even girls in terms of preparing them for the new economy that was emerging. Recognizing the societal shifts that were occurring, he also attempted to call attention to the crass tendencies of the newly rich or at least comfortable middle class, the overbearing and mostly ridiculous preening of the aristocracy and the desperate and uncontrollable situation of the poor. Limited in his scope for possible solutions, Dickens nevertheless included suggestions for reformation in his emphasis upon morality and nobility of spirit rather than the focus upon material wealth as a measure of means. Throughout his novels, Dickens criticized a society that could produce and hold in esteem any establishment that treated children with the cruelty of Dotheby’s Hall or Dr. Blimber. Yet he also criticized the useless education provided to the aristocracy as is illustrated in Pip’s gentlemanly tutoring. This would seem to suggest a general disdain for education altogether. However, through the gentle Fanny, who begs her father for an education and then educates herself further to help little Paul, to the finally repentant and thoroughly educated Pip, Dickens continues to underscore the need and importance of a true education. Dickens’ portrayal of the educational systems available for the poor, as well as the style of many of the private schools offering limited enrollment but similar systems of learning by rote, was highly critical and aimed at bringing the realities of education in England to the attention of the public. That he was successful in portraying an accurate representation can be seen in the fact that schoolmasters of England were frequently identified as the model of Mr. Squeers in Nicholas Nickleby: â€Å"While the Author cannot but feel the full force of the compliment thus conveyed to him, he ventures