Great Expectations and a Christmas Carol: a True Gentleman Essay

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.

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

In Charles Dicken’s Great Expectations Pip does not appreciate the surprise fulfillment of his dreams and only becomes selfish and condescending toward those not as fortunate as he. Pip’s character deration as a result of his inheritance is evidenced by his desire to serve “a gallon of condescension, upon everybody in the village” (Dickens 151). Dickens uses Pips ungrateful attitude toward his home town to illustrate the corruption of aspirations when one did not have to work for his success. Pips continued under appreciation of his success and subsequent failure allow Dickens to rebuild Pip through hard work to and achieve “happiness “and fulfill his dreams meaningfully (Dickens 487). Dickens informs the reader that meaningless wealth and success is worthless, and that true success comes from hard work and passion.

Robin Gilmore writes in his article “The Pursuit of Gentility” about Dickens’ writing skills and his way of describing the upperclass without really having been born into it. Dickens was able to incorporate his experience into his novel Great Expectations when he describes the character Pip and how he wants to become a gentleman (Gilmore 576-582). Furthermore, Gilmore adds an important argument when he talks about the Victorian age and how people may be able to work themselves up to higher classes but never manage to become equals to those who were born “a gentleman”. Classes of that time were slowly merging together and this is the real reason why Pip was able to reach his status of a “gentleman” in the end. However, people of that time were still aware of the discrepancy between classes and were afraid of losing their status as wealthy and understood people of upper class. Pip’s guardian Mr. Jaggers once claims that you have to have a certain education, knowledge and behavior in order to become accepted as a member of the upper class, “It is considered that you must be better educated in accordance with your altered position, and that you will be alive to the importance and necessity of at once entering on that advantage” (Dickens 110). This shows that education has a huge impact on what you become. However, more importantly, the family you are born into decides whether or not you will have the privilege of receiving this education of higher standards. Pip is surrounded by a multi-layered society that influences him throughout his life. All the circumstances of ongoing change in society as well as technology etc. have a huge

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.

Biddy and Pip are alike because they were both “brought up by hand”. Also, they are both from the same social class and have dreams of a better life.

The class system becomes a focal point in young Pip's life. Pip first began to think about his place in society when he was sent to visit the wealthy, old lady, Miss Havisham at her mansion. Through these visits Pip becomes socially conscious and begins to dislike his commonality. Almost instantly he wants to become uncommon. The adopted daughter of Miss Havisham, Estella, becomes a focal point and goal for Pip to obtain. Any morality Pip used to have slips away with each visit. Pip walks in circles in a barely lit room with Miss Havisam holding onto his shoulder and in doing so, Pip is somehow leaving behind all the values he was raised with. Miss Havisham and Estella end up corrupting Pip with the rich life. Greed, beauty and hubris are Pips downward spiral into an immoral life. Pip finds Estella very attractive, but Estella calls him common and this does not sit well with Pip. All of Pip's expectations of becoming a rich gentleman are due to this love of Estella.

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

In Great Expectations, Pip yearns to become a gentleman in order to win the affection of Estella, the daughter of a wealthy and influential woman. To become a gentleman worthy of Estella’s love, Pip works to improve his education and mannerisms. However, as Pip becomes more educated and knowledgeable about the world, he begins to find his closest friends and family embarrassing and inferior to him. Through the connections he builds during his journey of adopting the role of being a suitable suitor for Estella, he is blessed with the opportunity of becoming an apprentice for a famous lawyer in London which only allows this complex of his to grow. Growing to the point of where he is so embarrassed of his family that he doesn’t want them to be seen by his associates, and views their presence as a chore: “Not with pleasure, though I was bound to him by so many ties; no; with considerable disturbance, some mortification, and a keen sense of incongruity,” (Dickens.218). He is talking about his own

In addition, Pip’s improvement changes the outlook that is perceived by others of him. For example, after Pip learns how to be a gentleman, Biddy began to address Pip as “Mr. Pip”. Also, The Blue Boar, a local inn treats him differently by how when he was affluent, he was accommodated with the best room. On the other hand, when he had lost all his riches, the Blue Boar only provided him with an indifferent room among the pigeons.

The entire story is told through the eyes of an adult Pip, even though Pip is a small child during parts of it. In his early years, Pip was strongly influenced by his guardians, Joe Gargery and his wife, Mrs. Joe. Joe instills a sense of honesty, industry, and friendliness in Pip, while Mrs. Joe does a great deal to contribute to his desires and ambitions through her constant emphasis on pomp and property. Pip is generally good-natured and thoughtful, and very imaginative. His false values, which are bolstered by his love of Estella, decrease the amount of respect that he has for Joe. His alienation from Joe and Joe's values builds through the second part of the novel, as Pip becomes selfish, greedy, and foolish. During the period when his expectations are intact, his only morally positive act was to secretly help Herbert Pocket into a good position. Upon discovering that Magwitch is his benefactor, a new phase begins in Pip's moral evolution. At first, Pip no longer feels the same human compassion for Magwitch that he did the first time he saw him out on the marshes. Gradually, Pip changes his perception of Magwitch, unlearning what he has learned. Pip becomes concerned with the man, and not the expectations that he could provide. When Jaggers presents the thought that there may be a way for Pip to get his hands on Magwitch's property, the idea sounds hollow and utterly empty to Pip. Pip learns about Estella's parentage through

As a boy, Dickens himself grew up with a father who didn’t make a lot of money and lived a lower class lifestyle. When we was only 12 he was forced to work in a factory so he could make the money he needed to bail his dad out of jail. Therefore in Great Expectations, he shows how he sympathizes with the lower class. The main way Dickens shows how he feels about the classes is through pip. One example of Dickens's expressing his feelings towards the class differences is through Pip’s realizations towards the end of the book. “...pondering, as I went along, on all I had seen, and deeply revolving that I was a common labouring-boy; that my hands were coarse; that my boots were thick; that I had fallen into a despicable habit of calling knaves Jacks; that I was much more ignorant than I had considered myself last night, and generally that I was in a low-lived bad way.” (113). By Pip realizing that being accepted into the upper class depends on how he actually lives not just how he appears, Dickens shows his belief that class is determined by more than just surface qualities. Similarly, this shows how Dickens believes that the class status of a person doesn’t always show a person's true personality. To illustrate his view of class education differences Dickens uses Pip’s transition from a uneducated blacksmith to a gentleman. Dickens also shows how he feels about the class wealth difference through a difference between Miss Havisham, and Joe and Pip. Miss Havisham had plenty of money but didn’t live the happiest life. On the other hand, Pip and Joe were rather poor and didn’t have a lot of money, but always found a way to pay off debts and live a decently enjoyable life (36). This proves how Dickens thinks that, while the classes might be determined by things like money, wealth isn’t a necessity to having a good life. While some

Great Expectations’ main character, Phillip Pirrip- generally known as Pip- had a rough upbringing as a child. His sister, Mrs. Joe had “brought him up by hand”, after their parents and five brothers had all been laid to rest many years ago. Another character, Herbert Pocket experienced a bizarre childhood, though in a different manner. Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations develops through the novel following Pip, a young “common boy” who grew up in the countryside. As he matured so did his love for a girl of higher class, Estella. However, being a common boy, Pip was not good enough for his Estella, thus once he was given an opportunity to become a gentleman in London he seized it without much hesitation. Charles Dickens’ had his own

“I wanted to make Joe less ignorant and common, that he might be worthier of my society and less open to Estella’s reproach” (111). This quote shows how Pip’s need for Estella’s approval and affection outweighs his love for the man that raised him. The reader begins to understand from Pip’s statements that Pip has a skewed perception of which people are good to him and which are bad to him. Joe never hurts Pip in any way and Estella thrives on Pip’s pain. Yet, Pip chooses Estella over Joe. He does the same concerning Biddy. “Biddy was never insulting, or capricious, or Biddy to-day and somebody else to-morrow; she would have derived only pain, and no pleasure, from giving me pain; she would far rather have wounded her own breast than mine” (130). Even though Pip knows this about Biddy, he still yells at her, saying how envious she is of his fortune and rise in status (148). Biddy allows Pip to yell at her and even tells him that she will not let his hurtful words affect her view of him. Biddy really cares for Pip. Being away from Joe and Biddy just helped Pip forget about them more easily. The only time that the two of them even crossed his mind is when they would contact him. When Biddy writes a letter to Pip saying that Joe will be in town, she even reinforces how much she is sure that the gentleman Pip is not too prestigious for an old friend. Pip’s reaction says something else though. “Not with pleasure, though I was bound to him by so many

As many parents are, they want their children to follow in their footsteps. Even though Pip aspires to be a gentleman, Joe, his surrogate father, on the other hand hopes for him to be his