Capital Punishment

“...culprits came to be hanged; heightening the interest of that dreadful portal by giving me to understand that “four on 'em” would come out at that door the day after to-morrow at eight in the morning to be killed in a row.” (Page 181)

For hundreds of years, capital punishment was widespread in Great Britain. Before the twentieth century, which was when capital punishment was abolished, the most common form of the death penalty was being hanged. Up until the time period of Great Expectations, Great Britain had experienced a swell in capital offenses resulting with a large number of public executions. Although these executions were grotesque, they attracted large crowds and were considered to be a form of entertainment. Dickens includes this allusion not only because it held cultural importance, but because he was, at the time, an advocate against capital punishment. While he was alive, Dickens documented on multiple occasions that he disliked and took offense to public execution. Shortly following this passage, Pip remarks that this type of death penalty “was horrible, and gave [him] a sickening feeling of London” which reflects Dickens' own beliefs.

"History of British judicial hanging." Capital Punishment U. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/hanging1.html#intro.

"Dickens on Capital Punishment." CHARLES DICKENS - Earthlink.net. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://home.earthlink.net/~bsabatini/Inimitable-Boz/etexts/dickens_on_capital_punishment.html.

Public Execution. Digital image. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://www.executedtoday.com/images/William_Tyndale_execution.jpg.