The Life of Charles Dickens :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

The Life of Charles Dickens One of the most remarkable men was born on February 7, 1812: Charles Dickens. Charles Dickens had a talent in the field of writing that was unlike that of any other man in his time. He had a gift that he shared with the rest of the world, a gift that has survived for decades Charles Dickens was an extraordinary person with an extraordinary life. He was born to John and Elizabeth Dickens (www.perruweb.com/Dickens/second.html ). His child hood was not that of a fortunate child. His parents were not the best parents a child could have. They loved the extraordinary life and they loved to have fun. They put to much importance in their social life and neglected their children often. John and Elizabeth had eight children including Charles (Charles Dickens, p. 129). Because of their expensive social life and their eight children, John and Elizabeth were at the brink of financial bankruptcy. They were forced to move to a new house because they could no longer afford the house that they were living in. Their once glamorous and expensive life was gone. Now they were no more then common people. An education was provided for Charles, but his education never reached college. Charles’s parents never provided a college education for Charles. Because o f their financial issues, John and Elizabeth could only afford to send one of their children to college: They picked Fanny. Fanny had a gift for music and so her parent wanted her to expand on it (www.perruweb.com/Dickens/third.html). Charles only had one dream to begin with. He dreamed of becoming a gentleman, but unfortunately these dreams were killed when his father was arrested in 1824 for failure to pay his debts. John was sent to Marshalsea prison for this crime. Charles was now forced to work at a shoe-polish factory because of all of this. The next year his father was released from jail, but Charles’s dreams of becoming a gentleman were dead (Charles Dickens, p.128). On 1830 Charles met Maria Beadnell, but unfortunately this affair only lasted for three years. This was more of a sexual relationship then a romance. Maria was never serious about Charles. She â€Å"kept him for a while in suspense and then dismissed him with casual thoughtlessness†(A Pitkin Guide, p.