The Rehabilitated Magwitch in Great Expectations Essay

The Rehabilitated Magwitch in Great Expectations A warmint, dear boy is the answer that Magwitch gives Pip when asked what he was brought up to be (305; ch. 40). This is what any person would expect from a man who has lived a life of crime. With further exploration, however, one will see that it is deeper than petty theft and prison. By using a character such as Magwitch, Dickens suggests the implications of using the Australian penal colonies as a way of rehabilitation for criminals. It is quite possible that Dickens has portrayed a view of penal colonies in a very positive way. After all, Magwitch is a successful, even famous, ex-convict who is responsible for Pips wealth. By exploring the character Magwitch, one†¦show more content†¦The irony in Dickens portrayal of the criminal is that he was rehabilitated and he did return. It is obvious that Magwitchs crime was deemed bad enough to be sent to Australia, however, not bad enough to have served the toughest form of servitude in the chain gangs. Magwitch was given the sentence of a laborer on a sheep farm. This is where he eventually gains his wealth. Dickens, however, created quite an irony in the fact that the master of Magwitch was an ex-convict himself. In fact, Magwitch gains his freedom at the death of his master. Not only is Magwitch left with freedom but also a large sum of money and land. This gain of money and land is the source of Pips expectations: It was the money left me, and the gains of the first few year wot I sent home to Mr. Jaggers (299; ch. 39). Obviously, Magwitchs master was a successful ex-convict which reappears with Magwitch. The theme of successful convicts illuminates Dickens view of the penal system. By having a convict work for an ex-convict, the reader is under the impression that life in the penal colonies was n ot so bad, therefore portraying the colonies in a positive light. Australia, during the reign of the penal colonies, was known to have an overabundance of convicts and ex-convicts as members of the society. Those that were not forced immigrants, such as Magwitch, did not like their fellow society members. Magwitch remembered being