An individual’s exterior and outward demeanor often hides his or her true being. The classic novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens reflects this theme several times as the protagonist, Pip, an ambitious but lowborn boy, receives money from an unknown benefactor and travels to London to become a gentleman. He goes through many trials on his journey for success, and it is while on this odyssey that he meets many people who tend to hide their true selves, sometimes to escape trouble. The world is full of sneaky persons and it is hard to know who to trust when there are so many pretending to be someone they are not. One of the disguised people in this novel is Mr. Jaggers’ housekeeper, Molly. Pip finds out that “Mr. Jaggers was for her...and worked the case in a way quite astonishing...this woman was so artfully …show more content…
During her trial, Molly’s jealous nature is hidden by delicate clothing, making her appear helpless; one wouldn’t expect she is capable of murder until they see her scarred arms, the marks of her fight with the woman she killed. In Victorian-era England, women were generally thought of as obedient and gentle, so this fact adds to Molly’s false innocence. Molly, overlooked and ignored, is safe pretending to be a harmless woman. Another character who conceals his personality is Magwitch, the convict from Pip’s past. When Pip saw him for the first time in many years, “[he] made out that...he had long iron-grey hair. That his age was about sixty. That he was a muscular man...When at last I put the glass to him, I saw with amazement that his eyes were full of tears” (247, 249).
Pip is later told by the well-known lawyer Mr. Jaggers that he is to join him in London to receive the education needed to become a gentleman. Pip’s opportunity is set up by a mysterious unknown benefactor, who Pip believes to be Miss Havisham.
Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations chronicles Pip’s struggle to improve his status in English society. He is originally taught that his happiness directly correlates to the amount of wealth he accumulates. Two characters he encounters—Joe Gargery and Miss Havisham—help him realize that this notion is an unfortunate misconception, and their experiences show Pip that he not live his life by such norms.
Charles Dickens uses his own opinions to develop the larger-than-life characters in Great Expectations. The novel is written from the point of view of the protagonist, Pip. Pip guides the reader through his life, describing the different stages from childhood to manhood. Many judgments are made regarding the other characters, and Pip's views of them are constantly changing according to his place in the social hierarchy. For instance, Pip feels total admiration that, later, turns to total shame for the man who raised him, Joe Gargery. The primary theme in this novel questions whether being in a higher social and economic class helps a person to achieve true happiness. This idea is shown through Pip's innocence at the forge, visits
The first character to play a big part in shaping Pip’s personality is his sister, Mrs. Joe Gargery. His sister’s vicious attitude and harsh punishments force Pip to have an unfriendly childhood. This bringing up “by hand” has caused him to be a “sensitive” boy. The constant threat of being beaten with the Tickler has also instilled the fear of speaking out against adult’s treatment of him because it would send his sister into a “terrible Rage.” However, her brutality has also made Pip able to feel when something was a “keen injustice” because he himself feels so about her actions and words towards himself.
Charles Dickens’ aptly titled novel Great Expectations focuses on the journey of the stories chief protagonist, Pip, to fulfill the expectations of his life that have been set for him by external forces. The fusing of the seemingly unattainable aspects of high society and upper class, coupled with Pip’s insatiable desire to reach such status, drives him to realize these expectations that have been prescribed for him. The encompassing desire that he feels stems from his experiences with Mrs. Havisham and the unbridled passion that he feels for Estella. Pip realizes that due to the society-imposed caste system that he is trapped in, he will never be able to acquire
She plays a great part in the rearing of Pip as she was a very close
Great Expectations tells the ultimate rags to riches story of the Orphan Pip. Dickens takes his readers through life changing events that ultimately mold the identity of the main character. Dividing these events into sections will provide the basis for interpreting which events had the most profound effect on Pip’s identity towards the end of the novel. These life-changing events provide the catalyst for the development of Pip’s character from childhood, his adolescence, maturing into a social gentleman, and finally becoming a self-aware man of society.
Throughout Dickens’ novel Great Expectations, the character, personality, and social beliefs of Pip undergo complete transformations as he interacts with an ever-changing pool of characters presented in the book. Pip’s moral values remain more or less constant at the beginning and the end; however, it is evident that in the time between, the years of his maturation and coming of adulthood, he is fledgling to find his place in society. Although Pip is influenced by many characters throughout the novel, his two most influential role models are: Estella, the object of Miss Havisham’s revenge against men, and Magwitch, the benevolent convict. Exposing himself to such diverse characters Pip has to learn to discern right from wrong and chose
Charles Dickens, author of Great Expectations, provides a perfect example of the hope of class mobility. The novel portrays very diverse and varied social classes which spread from a diligent, hardworking peasant (Joe) to a good-natured middle class man (Mr. Wemmick) to a rich, beautiful young girl (Estella). Pip, in particular, elevates in the social pyramid from a common boy to a gentleman with great expectations. With his rise in society, he also alters his attitude, from being a caring child to an apathetic gentleman. During this process, Pip learns how he should act and how to become a real gentleman. Social mobility and wealth, furthermore, carves a disposition and how a character is looked upon.
As a minor character Molly’s secret plays a big role in Pip’s life. The first confrontation of Molly takes place at Jagger’s house when Pip is invited over for dinner. Upon laying eyes upon her, Pip gives us a brief description of her dark faded appearance. “Her face looked to me as if it were all disturbed by fiery air,” (Dickens 166) the face of someone who has
‘Great Expectations’ is a highly acclaimed novel written by Charles Dickens first published in 1861, which follows the journey of a young boy commonly known as Pip (his Christian name being Phillip Pirrip) who is born into a middle-class family but goes on to receive riches from a mysterious benefactor in order to pursue his childhood dream in becoming a gentleman. The story is written in first person with Charles Dickens writing back about the experiences of Pip. Although it isn’t his autobiography the events in the book do, in many ways, mirror the events of his childhood. This allows him to reflect on Pip’s actions, which helps in the readers understanding of the Novel.
After being released from Ms. Havishams service, Pip becomes Joe’s apprentice. Four years into his apprenticeship, Pip is approached by a man who he vaguely remembers meeting once at the Satis House. This man is Jaggers, a lawyer, who proceeds to tell Pip that an anonymous benefactor has made Pip
One of the most important and common tools that authors use to illustrate the themes of their works is a character that undergoes several major changes throughout the story. In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens introduces the reader to many intriguing and memorable characters, including the eccentric recluse, Miss Havisham, the shrewd and careful lawyer, Mr. Jaggers, and the benevolent convict, Abel Magwitch. However, Great Expectations is the story of Pip and his initial dreams and resulting disappointments that eventually lead to him becoming a genuinely good person. The significant changes in Pip's character are very important to one of the novel's many themes. Dickens uses Pip's
Ambiguity draws across anyone; when they are seeking a coherent meaning in their life. The fabric that weaves together existence can be baffling when one seeks to analyze it. The search for self, as well as knowing and trusting one’s self is echoed through out literature in humanity; it could be haunting and cause great trepidation, to hold on to a vision that could alter their judgement, as well can cause a fierce storm in the supreme realm that is objective truth. Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, is a coming to age story of a young man named Pip, seeking to establish stability, as well find meaning in his life through love and self identification. The purpose of this assignment is to propose that Pip was personally reflecting upon
Lies and deceit are major components in the development of the plot of Charles Dickens’s nineteenth-century novel, Great Expectations. Deceit, the action or practice of deceiving someone by concealing or misrepresenting the truth, coupled with lying tend to be the prevailing character trait of many of the characters in the novel. As a matter of fact, Dickens not only inaugurates the story with a lie, but the deception continues to shape the plot until the end.