Is There Some Good In The Worst Of Men In Great Expectations

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.

He never would have been embarrassed about Joe if he did not expect to live a better life than him. When Dickens gives Pip the possibility of happiness with Estella in the revised ending, he completely undermines the lesson he was teaching Pip and the reader.

No novel is complete without a good ending. Although the introductory and middle portions are important as well, the conclusion is what the reader tends to remember most. When Charles Dickens wrote Great Expectations, he crafted a work that is truly excellent the whole way through. From the moment Pip is introduced until he and Estella walk out of the garden in the final chapter, this book exhibits an uncanny ability to keep the reader wanting more. There is, however, some debate regarding the final portion of the novel. The ending that Dickens originally wrote for Great Expectations is noticeably different than the one that was subsequently published. It seems

Joe’s personality is the opposite of his wife’s, including the presence of a moral code which is in turn passed on to Pip. When Joe learned Pip had told everyone lies about what he saw at Miss Havisham’s home, instead of yelling at him he told him that he’d never get to be a gentleman by “going crooked” and simply advised him to never do so again. Pip was also influenced by listening to Joe talk about the good in people, including how he was married to Mrs. Joe because he saw the good in Pip as a baby, and this makes Pip “look up to Joe in his heart.” Even though Joe was Pip’s brother-in-law he was more like a father figure/friend who taught Pip almost all of his admirable

Joe armed with wrath and “Tickler” (Dickens 7). Joe wishes that Pip would not have to bear the brunt of “Tickler”; he wishes that he could “‘take it all’” himself (Dickens 51). Joe takes a kindly, brotherly interest in Pip; he and Pip share a “good-natured companionship” (Dickens 9). When Pip refrains from eating his bread and butter, which he intends to save for the convict, Joe believes that Pip has lost his appetite. Joe becomes “uncomfortable” and does not “enjoy” his food (Dickens 9). Joe often encourages and motivates Pip. When Pip presents Joe with his first specimen of writing, Joe declares that Pip is a “‘scholar’” (Dickens 73). When Pip complains about his commonness, Joe says that Pip is “‘oncommon’”. He wisely observes that “‘you must be a common scholar afore you can be a oncommon one’” (Dickens 73). Joe’s kindness and generosity also extends beyond his family. When the convict confesses that he stole some food from the blacksmith, Joe says that he is “‘welcome to it’”; he would not want even a convict to be “‘starved to death’” (Dickens 40).

2. Briefly describe the convict. What evidence is there that the convict has "human" qualities and is not merely a criminal? The convict is a fearful man all in coarse gray, with a great iron on his leg, no hat, with

Around 60 BCE, the ancient Greek writer Diodorus wrote the story of Icarus, in which the son of Daedalus ignored his father’s warnings, and after flying too close to the sun plunged to his death as the wax holding his wings together melted. While the story incorporates themes of human nature and curiosity, it more importantly conveys a lesson of unchecked ambition. Whether it is for wealth or a better future, humans tend to strive for what is best for themselves in life. Unfortunately, unchecked ambition often ends with poor results, as seen in the story of Icarus. Centuries later, ambition remains a prominent theme in literature, and authors have utilized this natural human trait in countless stories and novels. Two authors who do so are Charles Dickens in his book Great Expectations, and M.L. Stedman in The Light Between Oceans. In both novels, unchecked ambition affects different characters negatively.

The beginning of the video started off by introducing a man named John Dickens, who worked at a naval pay office on the docks of Portsmouth, and lived in a small house at 387 Mile End Terrace. His wife was Elizabeth Barrow who he met at his office, and who he also had a kid with named, Charles Dickens. But within 7 months of Charles being born everything seemed to go wrong for them, from running into financial problems to being forced to move to several different locations, until they settled in a house up the hill from the docks of Chatham, London. This is where Charles had his happiest memories of his childhood.

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.

Mrs. Joe and Joe show the tug-of-war home life Pip has, going between being treated like a pain from his sister and treated kindly by Joe. Joe is the first real friend Pip is shown to have, and we see Pip change through his treatment of Joe. When Pip is a child, he looks up to Joe, but later looks down upon him, although he generally keeps his thoughts to himself. This reveals just how much Pip would like a new life, and a higher social standing. He does not want to be Joe’s apprentice, as he sees it as embarrassing and low. Mrs. Joe is also a huge influence on Pip’s character. She is cruel and abusive, and Pip grows up not thinking he is anything important. Once he meets Miss Havisham, however, he realizes that she has the potential to turn him into something great or powerful. Miss Havisham represents a sort of savior-figure to Pip, as she is the one who makes him realize his potential and starts off his expectations. Although Miss Havisham is extremely dramatic and a little frightening to Pip, he ultimately wants part of the life she lives. Estella also drastically affects Pip. He immediately falls in love with her but learns that he can’t be with her due to her wealth and status. When he is working in the forge, he is “haunted by the fear that she would...find [him] out...and despise [him]” (Dickens 87) His desire to impress her and be with her is what drives him to what he

Joe has no blood relation with Pip, Joe sees the loneliness of Pip. Joe’s humane nature allows him to understand what the death of Pip’s parents can do to Pip emotionally. Joe recognizes this and recalls on this moment, as he tells Pip, “When I offered to you sister to keep company and to be asked in church, at such times as she was willing and ready to come to the forge. I said to her, and bring the poor little child. God bless the poor little child. I said to your sister there’s room for him at the forge”(65). This quote highlights Joe’s kindness and his welcoming nature. Firstly, the fact that Joe can talk to Pip about this, is very important because it shows that Joe wants to be honest about everything, even though Pip isn’t grown up yet. Also, this quote reveals that Joe wants to be a father figure for Pip. Since Pip’s parents died when he was young, he will never get the moral support of a parent. By staying honest, Joe indicates that he is going to be the moral support for Pip. Most

Pip finds consolation from Joe after Pip angers Mrs.Joe. On page 36, “But I wish it was only me that had to take it Pip. I wish there was no Tickler for you, old chap. I wish I could take it all on myself.” It explains how Joe cares about Pip and feels sorrow when Pip gets hurt by Mrs.Joe. Joe advices Pip in some of the chapters, on page 49, Joe tells Pip “There’s one thing you may be sure of, Pip, namely that lies is lies. Don’t you tell no more of them. That ain’t the way to get over being common, Old chap. As Pip; if you can’t get there by going straight, you’ll never get there by going crooked. So don’t lie any more, Pip, and you’ll live well and die

They both felt the wrath of Mrs. Joe; she frequently “knocked his (Joe) head…against the wall” or the Tickler for Pip. Knowledgeable critics have referred to Pip’s experience as that of a "Dickensian childhood - stripped of his rights, found guilty of being himself, and rendered invisible by all those around.

One stormy night, Pip is home alone and is visited by a man who seems

In direct response to this incident, Joe, the only man Pip has looked up to throughout his life responds, “‘...you and me is always friends, and I’d be the last to tell upon you’” (Dickens 12). These reactions, which portray the personalities of these two pivotal characters in Pip’s life, are in direct conflict to what was the accepted gender norms of the period. In this way, Mrs.Joe and Joe are not only foils to each other, but also to what was thought to be normal of the time -the society itself-. The actions taken by both characters brings light into how they had been acting throughout Pip’s life, with Mrs.Joe being the cold and stirn figure, while on the other hand, Joe had been more gentle and understanding. Although these characteristics were not shown in the traditional sense, they do in fact influence the company that Pip chooses to keep in the future, in terms of his love interest and close companions in which he seeks almost a replica to the way his household had been run in this