What's The Story?

Why did Charles Dickens write the novel you're reading/reviewing? What in your analysis of literary techniques led you to this conclusion? (Make sure to include textual support illustrating Dickens' use of at least three techniques we've studied/discussed this year.)
I believe Dickens wrote Great Expectations, to portray or to express, the differences of idealism and reality. Often times, people are so caught up with the thoughts of "wanting" something, but in reality, these things are hard to obtain. Pip is always looking for who he really is, he knows his life and his thought processes are not normal, but then again, what is normal? Growing up, he did not have that permanent figure of a father, which he spends his life pondering, testing the male characters in his life and portraying to his ideal or fantasy charateristics of a father. He also protrays the men in his life, such as Joe, Jaggers, Magwitch, and possibly even the female characters as his own mirror image or maybe even his future self. All most people want is happiness for themselves, having people they love around them and having to make no sacrifices, but in reality, we have to make several sacrifices to obtain one thing, not necessarily what we may want, but more so of what we need. The novel is quite dark, gloomy and negative, the characters are distressed, confused, unsure, unclear, unhappy, unemotional and so on. Not very many of them are happy with who or what they are and are illustrated as the negative aspects of human nature.