1. Pip’s struggle to discover “Great Expectation”
The 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 role models who are worthy of
the title.
At the start of the novel, Pip is a poor uneducated orphan boy unaware of social classes, or even
the existence of such things. As a result, he is content with what he has and who he knows.
Moving on in life, he comes across new people from all spectrums of social classes, and his
content turns to shame and greed, as he longs to be better. All of a sudden Pip becomes ashamed
of both his family and his social class. As Pip begins to understand the true meaning of life, his
childish attitude does however change. Pip learns as he grows older, however, that having money
and power and being of a higher social class is not necessarily better than having true friends that
care about him, even if they are of a lower social class. As the aforementioned quote suggests, in
the final stages of the story Pip’s mindset changes for the better and Pip is able to give up having
the money and the power.
Pip and Miss Havisham have a complicated relationship. She relies on him because she needs
someone for Estella to practice on. Although she hates all men, and presumably boys, she does
seem to take a subtle interest in his life.
Miss Havisham is a bitter recluse who has shut herself away since being jilted on her wedding
day. She never leaves the house and has stopped all the clocks so that she is unaware of time
passing. She always wears her wedding clothes and has left the prepared wedding feast to decay
in one of her rooms. As a result of her experiences, Miss Havisham hates humanity, particularly,
men. She has adopted a young girl, Estella, and is training her to be cold and cruel so that she
will break men’s hearts. Miss Havisham invites the young Pip to the house so that Estella can
practice on him. He mistakenly believes that Miss Havisham wishes them to have a future
together and he also thinks she is his mystery benefactor.
Although she eventually regrets what she has done and her character starts to change, it is too
late. In a tragic accident, Miss Havisham is horribly burned when her wedding dress catches fire
and she dies shortly afterwards. Miss Havisham is clearly suffering from psychological damage
so the reader does not condemn her completely. She is one of the mother figures in the novel.
2. The first meeting of Pip with Estella, Pip falls victim to believing in appearances. The beautiful,
haughty girl whose name means "star" is elevated in Pip's esteem simply because she lives with
the rich Miss Havisham and is dressed in lovely clothes and speaks in a deprecating way to him,
calling him "common." Immediately, because this vision of superior loveliness who speaks
properly has termed him "common," Pip experiences a humiliation. But, despite her cruel ways,
Pip falls hopelessly in love with the beautiful Estella, perhaps even because she is unattainable.
He perpetuates his delusions by hoping that if he becomes a gentleman, Estella will accept him
as an equal and requite his love. The truth is that from the beginning, Pip's birth has more
legitimacy than that of Estella's. For, his parents were married and, albeit poor, they were
certainly not criminals as are the parents of Estella, whose birth came out of the streets of
London.
In addition to the theme of Appearance vs. Reality, the relationship of Pip and Estella also points
to a salient theme in the works of Dickens: Class Stratification. The theme of social class is
central to Great Expectations as it acts as extends into the other themes such as the Appearance
theme. Pip's angst over being "common," as Estella has labeled him, is his driving force to
become a gentleman and entertain the "great expectations" of having bettered
himself sufficiently so that he will become worthy of Estella. But of course, the class structure is
a false one in Great Expectations. As Pip later learns, it is what one is as a person that is truly of
value. Estella, for all her beauty and daintiness is but common in her heart; she is incapable of
noble thoughts and acts while Joe, the humble blacksmith is truly a good and noble man.
Reference:
https://schoolworkhelper.net/great-expectations-pips-character-development-analysis/
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/novel_19c/dickens/love.html
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