“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts.” –from Great Expectations Great Expectations, a Bildungsroman, believed to represent Charles Dickens' peak and maturity as an author, written in 1861, is a classic work of the Victorian novel and depicts a vast range of subjects and incidents of the time, Dickens' concerns, and the relationship between society and man by describing the personal development and growth of an orphan named Pip. In Great Expectations, typical Dickensian themes like wealth, poverty, love, good and evil emerge which may have contributed to its popularity and regardless of its narrative technique, the novel is written in a completely balanced style that proves Charles Dickens’ being a master craftsman, let alone his illustrative gift for realistic and dramatic speech. It shall suffice to remember the appraisal that good George Bernard Shaw made about this classic novel: "All of one piece and consistently truthful."