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Great Expectations Moral extremes: good and evil It is rather hard to talk about morality in Great Expectations since

it is generally Pip who divides people into good and evil mainly according to their social status! "or instance Magwitch remains the evil character due to the #act that he is a convict a low$li#e with no education and with a dangerous background! In reality Magwitch is a kind$hearted person Pips bene#actor despite the #act that his appearance proves the exact contrary! %e could even oppose him to &ompeyson the true evil character o# the novel the reputed villain who seems to get away with the things he does 'ust because o# his social status! (uthorities and people such as Pip tend to be )uite 'udgemental towards those #rom low social classes and they generally side with those #rom the upper class regarding the latter as superior due to their education and #inancial power! *ut i# we are to talk about evil characters we cannot let out +rlick ,oes #rightening helper who ends up killing Mrs ,oe and getting away with it too! -e is dark and dangerous and his appearance and behavior prove this! .here are also other characters which are pretty di##icult to put in a certain category! "or instance we can say with certainty that Pip and ,oe are good #rom a moral point o# view but can we say the same thing about Mr ,aggers/ It is true that he does illegal things and that he helps criminals in order to obtain important sums o# money but he is more than kind to Pip and he even has a weird habit which proves the #act that in some way he is aware o# his wrong doings which he probably regrets! -e has this habit o# care#ully washing his hands a#ter dealing with his clients almost as i# he wants to get rid o# the moral uncleanliness that this interaction brings him! .he #act that he decides to take care o# Molly and her daughter 0 because it is he who puts her in the care o# Miss -avisham $ is also a sign o# his kind heart! It is also very di##icult to say whether Miss -avisham is good or evil! (t #irst she is described as a weird old lady who seems to take pleasure in mocking those around her her #riends and relatives who come to see her with a sole goal in mind which is to get their hands on her #ortune! *ut in the end we #eel pity towards her especially when we #ind out how much he had su##ered due to betrayal coming #rom the part o# those dear to her! .he 1ole o# Guilt

.he #eeling o# guilt is mainly associated with the main character Pip as he recounts throughout the novel things and events that he #eels ashamed o# or in which he wished he had acted otherwise! 2tarting #rom his early childhood Pip #eels )uite devastated at the idea that he has done wrong in helping the escaped prisoner and even more when he believes that the latter is the one who has killed his sister! Earlier on Pip #eels guilty towards ,oe because he is ashamed o# the person who lacks education and cannot be introduced to his gentleman #riends! ,oe acknowledges this situation and tries to remain distant but Pip soon reali3es that he had been pro#oundly mistaken and attempts to #ix things! .here#ore this guilt has an important role in Pips moral development! %hen experiencing this #eeling Pip attains a certain maturity #rom a psychological point o# view he succeeds to see things more clearly and to gain a whole new perspective on li#e! -e becomes aware o# the things that are really important such as being surrounded by those who really care about us those who are there #or us when we most need them 'ust like ,oe had been there to take care o# him during his illness and to pay his debts! Pip experiences a #eeling o# guilt towards his bene#actor Magwitch whom he despises at #irst due to the #act the he is an escaped convict the exact opposite o# his ideal in li#e! -owever he ends up #eeling pity #or the poor old man who had su##ered all his li#e mainly due to the pre'udices towards people like him and he even tries to help him escape! .hrough this #eeling o# guilt Pip arrives to the true idea o# what being a gentleman really means it is not money that matters not even a high position on the social ladder but what is in your heart! .hat is a true gentlemans greatest possession! In'ustice In this novel we can take about in'ustice #rom a social point o# view! .hose who come #rom lower classes or #rom a poor environment are automatically regarded as lesser persons in#erior to those coming #rom the upper class! Magwitch gets a heavier punishment than his partner in crime &ompeyson mainly because the latter is the image o# the gentleman there#ore authorities #eel entitled to go easier on him! %e can see that social standards determine the way the characters stand be#ore the law! In the end it is Magwitch who gets his revenge and does the things that the law had #ailed to do #or so many years! %e could say that characters are in a way tormented by the lack o 'ustice that they have to endure and by the #act that they are wrongly

accused and also by having no one to appeal to not having the law on their side! Mr ,aggers also represents a symbol o# in'ustice as he sides with criminals in order to obtain money! Even murderers are scared o# him because the #act that he should be a representative o# law he does things #or his own sake and to his own advantage!

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