“...my notions of the theological positions to which my Catechism bound me...” (Page 47)
A catechism is a manual giving the basic principles of Christianity. In the nineteenth century, organized religion was very important; in fact, following a decline, it was during this time period that the Church of England regained its energy. Religion essentially provided structure for British society. Dickens includes religion in many of his stories mostly because of its cultural significance. Dickens, who was baptized under the Church of England but later became a Unitarian, was religious in the sense that he believed in treating others with kindness and generosity. Dickens clearly influences his character, Pip, with a similar belief seeing as how Pip has a genuine soul. Aside from this quote suggesting the slight religious undertone of the novel, it, among several other instances, demonstrates how binding certain issues including religion and work were during this time period.
"Catechism - definition of catechism by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia." Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary. Web. 02 Jan. 2010. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/catechism.
"A History of Christianity in England." World History Encyclopedia. Web. 02 Jan. 2010. http://www.localhistories.org/christian.html.
"Charles Dickens." UUA Server for Other Organizations' Web Sites. Web. 02 Jan. 2010. http://www25.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/charlesdickens.html.
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I like the relationship you build between Pip and Dickens .. you don't make them as one.. but you note that Dickens has imbued Pip with some of his own life/experiences/perspectives
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