How Is Pip Similar To Hamlet

In Great Expectations, the novel primarily revolves around the life of Philip Pirrip who is better known as Pip. Pip who is also the narrator reflects on his past as he changes throughout the novel which defines him as a dynamic character. Early in the novel Pip was quite oblivious to his “commonness” until several events such as working for Miss Havisham changed his perspective entirely. In the process of becoming a gentleman, Pip’s attitude and perspective on life were changed. Through Pip’s narration, he describes some of his unfavorable qualities as he changes throughout his life. Charles Dickens allows the readers to see Pip’s development and change of values as he shifts from social classes which reflects the negative consequences of pursuing wealth and social status.

Magwitch was the convict that Pip had met while in the graveyard one night. After being shown kindness from Pip, Magwitch does everything in his power to help Pip get into a higher social status. The catch is that Pip does not know that the convict is helping him in the beginning. Pip later finds out that he was also his secret benefactor. He had payed for his education and even payed for things to allow Pip to have an amazing lifestyle in London using the help of Lawyer Jaggers.

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.

“ The eye is the lamp of the body. You draw light into your body through your eyes, and light shines out to the world through your eyes.” Mathew 6:22 closely ties to temptations and goals Pip has as he progresses in the novel. In the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Pip learns the rigorousness of life and utilizes them to make him a true gentleman. At the start of the story Pip rebukes Magwitch for his appearance; his dirty rags, and how poverish he is. As the story progresses, he realizes Magwitch’s prodigious effect on his life and begins to transmute his views on him. Towards the conclusion of the novel, Magwitch has died and Pip has become an incipient person with a new flair of deference. As the story progresses, Pip finds his

Dickens emphasizes this with Magwitch's brutal behavior, his threats of death if Pip does not do his bidding, but, as is a recurring theme in the novel, we need only the proof of his appearance to pass judgment upon him. Pip in contrast is defenseless, for in the inverted position Magwitch holds him, Pip can be likened to a new-born; Pip is innocent, naked, and ignorant of the world. It is from this point Pip begins the long journey toward the "identity of things" (24; ch.1).

Through the period of Pip’s childhood, we discern a character who is very industrious in the pursuit of his goals, irrespective of the circumstances he faces. Pip views his initial goal as an “objective that is woefully and quixotically pursued,” but deems to find his path through methodically advancing through society (Hagan 35). At this stage, Pip clearly understands the economic disadvantages that he is placed in and the “price [he] had to pay” for losing his parents and living with his sister’s family, which is classified as a lower working class (Houston 121). The meeting of the prisoner we later recognize as Magwitch is an essential component for the advancement of the plot of the story and a point of comparison to the later actions

Pip's first encounter with Magwitch, an escaped convict, is down by the marshes where Pip is visiting his parents' graves. Magwitch asks Pip, "Where's your mother?" Pip points to the grave and says "There sir."5 Magwitch is startled and we can sense that he was a bit frightened also. From Magwitch's nervousness we see that he is just as scared and unhappy as Pip. Pip is very

Pips fear of Magwitch grows when Magwitch says 'I ain't alone, as you may think I am'. Dickens does this to intimidate Pip even more and to make Pips experience with Magwitch as fearful and as memorable as possible. Magwitch then starts to go into great detail about what the other man can supposedly do. The description of the man kind of sounds like a ghost or horror story and Magwitch refers to himself as an 'Angel' compared to the other man. '

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

To start, he becomes more adventurous. He shows this when he and Herbert decide to take Magwitch out of the country. Herbert brings this up by saying, “Then you must get him out of England before you stir a finger.” (Dickens 318) This shows that Pip is willing to take a risk to help Magwitch.

Dickens frequently mentions the motif of being low, showing readers how Pip is constantly reminded that he too must rise above his actions and be kind, instead of hostile, aggressive, and revengeful. Lastly, Magwitch shows Pip what it means to truly love Joe and how he should take care of him. After Magwitch dies and Pip becomes extremely upset he exclaims, “I only saw in him a much better man that I had been to Joe” (Dickens 399), demonstrating how Pip finally realizes what he has done to Joe and how he should be treating him; he should treat him with the same love he had for Magwitch. Magwitch has helped teach Pip that every father deserves respect, leading Pip to his redemption home with

Magwitch, Pip's benefactor, had risked his life trying to make Pip the gentleman he wanted to be so badly. Magwitch did everything for Pip not expecting anything back. Pip was turning into a young gentleman due to the money Magwitch allowed Pip to spend. Not only was Pip a wealthy man, he tried to be a upper class man by only hanging out with the people of high status. He only allowed the upper class citizens to be associated with him.

Pip’s illuminating moment occurred when he realized that his fortune did not come from Mrs. Havisham, it actually came from the convict, making Pip see the good in him; therefore, creating a theme of knowledge creates enlightenment. One night the convict from Pip’s childhood reappears to reveal himself as Pip’s secret benefactor. Magwitch stated it to Pip in these words,”Look’ee here, Pip. I’m your second father.

As Magwitch eats, Pip describes him as the following: “the man took strong sharp sudden bites, just like the dog. He swallowed… too fast; and he looked sideways… while he ate, as if he thought there was danger in every direction of somebody’s coming to take the pie away,” (Page 19). With the use of alliteration on the “S”s and the use of harsh assonance when it says that “[he] took strong sharp sudden bites”, Dickens proves that Magwitch has a very aggressive nature as well as being very strong and threatening. Describing him as looking around every time he ate does not only show that it is the behavior expected of a convict while on the run, but also to emphasize the distance Magwitch keeps from society because of his distrust in everyone and everything. However, as a result of the concerns Pip had for Magwitch, Magwitch becomes humanized. In court, where Magwitch is denoted as a desperate criminal, he looks at Pip “with a trustful look, as if he were confident that [Pip] had seen some small redeeming touch in him, even so long ago as when [Pip] was a little child. As to the rest, [Magwitch] was humble and contrite, and [Pip] never knew him to complain” (Page 486). Using diction found in “redeeming touch”, Dickens verifies that Magwitch is redeemed from all of his criminal acts by his inner dignity and love for Pip.

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