Theme

     Times may come and go, but meaningful messages about life will always remain engraved in our minds. In Great Expectations, the dominating theme that money doesn't buy happiness, or love, is intertwined in the morals of many people today, as it was when Dickens wrote this novel. While this ideal is known, it is clear that not everyone takes it into account as a part of their life, both in our times and those of Dickens' lifetime. Those of "gentlemanly" stature are sometimes likely to become swayed by their portable property, loosing sight of of the important things in life. The word 'gentleman' usually comes with a positive connotation, so the irony is the behaviors and morals of these "gentlemen" are not gentlemanly at all, but rather irresponsible and immature. While money may buy materialistic items that make one happy for a temporary amount of time, it cannot buy permanent happiness in the forms of love or other major emotions.