through commerce.
Even Miss Havisham’s family fortune was
Great Expectation Major THEMES
Ambition and Self-Improvement
The moral theme of Great Expectations is quite simple: affection,
loyalty, and conscience are more important than social
advancement, wealth, and class. Dickens establishes the theme and
shows Pip learning this lesson, largely by exploring ideas of
ambition and self-improvement—ideas that quickly become both
the thematic center of the novel and the psychological mechanism
that encourages much of Pip’s development. At heart, Pip is an
idealist; whenever he can conceive of something that is better than
what he already has, he immediately desires to obtain the
improvement. When he sees Satis House, he longs to be a wealthy
gentleman; when he thinks of his moral shortcomings, he longs to
be good; when he realizes that he cannot read, he longs to learn
how. Pip’s desire for self-improvement is the main source of the
novel’s title: because he believes in the possibility of advancement
in life, he has “great expectations” about his future.
Ambition and self-improvement take three forms in Great
Expectations—moral, social, and educational; these motivate Pip’s
best and his worst behavior throughout the novel. First, Pip desires
moral self-improvement. He is extremely hard on himself when he
acts immorally and feels powerful guilt that spurs him to act better
in the future. When he leaves for London, for instance, he torments
himself about having behaved so wretchedly toward Joe and Biddy.
Second, Pip desires social self-improvement. In love with Estella, he
longs to become a member of her social class, and, encouraged by
Mrs. Joe and Pumblechook, he entertains fantasies of becoming a
gentleman. The working out of this fantasy forms the basic plot of
the novel; it provides Dickens the opportunity to gently satirize the
class system of his era and to make a point about its capricious
nature. Significantly, Pip’s life as a gentleman is no more
satisfying—and certainly no more moral—than his previous life as
a blacksmith’s apprentice. Third, Pip desires educational
improvement. This desire is deeply connected to his social ambition
and longing to marry Estella: a full education is a requirement of
being a gentleman. As long as he is an ignorant country boy, he has
no hope of social advancement. Pip understands this fact as a child,
when he learns to read at Mr. Wopsle’s aunt’s school, and as a
young man, when he takes lessons from Matthew Pocket.
Ultimately, through the examples of Joe, Biddy, and Magwitch, Pip
learns that social and educational improvement are irrelevant to
one’s real worth and that conscience and affection are to be valued
above erudition and social standing.
Social Class
Throughout Great Expectations, Dickens explores the class system
of Victorian England, ranging from the most wretched criminals
(Magwitch) to the poor peasants of the marsh country (Joe and
Biddy) to the middle class (Pumblechook) to the very rich (Miss
Havisham). The theme of social class is central to the novel’s plot
and to the ultimate moral theme of the book—Pip’s realization that
wealth and class are less important than affection, loyalty, and
inner worth. Pip achieves this realization when he is finally able to
understand that, despite the esteem in which he holds Estella,
one’s social status is in no way connected to one’s real character.
Drummle, for instance, is an upper-class lout, while Magwitch, a
persecuted convict, has a deep inner worth.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember about the novel’s
treatment of social class is that the class system it portrays is based
on the post-Industrial Revolution model of Victorian England.
Dickens generally ignores the nobility and the hereditary
aristocracy in favor of characters whose fortunes have been earned
made through the brewery that is still connected to her manor. In
this way, by connecting the theme of social class to the idea of work
and self-advancement, Dickens subtly reinforces the novel’s
overarching theme of ambition and self-improvement.
Crime, Guilt, and Innocence
The theme of crime, guilt, and innocence is explored throughout
the novel largely through the characters of the convicts and the
criminal lawyer Jaggers. From the handcuffs Joe mends at the
smithy to the gallows at the prison in London, the imagery of crime
and criminal justice pervades the book, becoming an important
symbol of Pip’s inner struggle to reconcile his own inner moral
conscience with the institutional justice system. In general, just as
social class becomes a superficial standard of value that Pip must
learn to look beyond in finding a better way to live his life, the
external trappings of the criminal justice system (police, courts,
jails, etc.) become a superficial standard of morality that Pip must
learn to look beyond to trust his inner conscience. Magwitch, for
instance, frightens Pip at first simply because he is a convict, and
Pip feels guilty for helping him because he is afraid of the police. By
the end of the book, however, Pip has discovered Magwitch’s inner
nobility, and is able to disregard his external status as a criminal.
Prompted by his conscience, he helps Magwitch to evade the law
and the police. As Pip has learned to trust his conscience and to
value Magwitch’s inner character, he has replaced an external
standard of value with an internal one.
Character Skitch “ PIP “ (Philip Pirrip)
Philip Pirrip, Pip is by far the most important character in Great
Expectations: he is both the protagonist, and the narrator, whose
thoughts and attitudes shape the reader’s perception of the story.
Pip is narrating his story many years after the events of the novel
When the novel begins in the early 1800s, Philip is a seven-year-old
orphan raised by his cruel sister, Mrs. Joe, who beats him regularly,
and her husband Joe Gargery, a blacksmith and Pip's best friend.
Pip never saw either of his parents; he is more than twenty years
younger than his sister. Five brothers died in infancy between
them: Alexander, Bartholomew, Abraham, Tobias and Roger. He
says he was short for his age when he encountered the convicts at
age seven, but when is apprentice to Joe, he is taller and becomes
very strong to master the work of a blacksmith. He is known to
himself and to the world as Pip because his "infant tongue could
make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip".
He is destined for, and wants, a career as a blacksmith like his
brother-in-law, until an unexpected chain of events thrusts him into
a different social class. During the novel Pip goes through many
changes in his personality, as he is influenced by various people. As
a very young child he is a innocent young boy who does not mind
the fact he is relatively low ranking in society. At around the age of
eight, he meets a beautiful girl named Estella who is of the upper
class, Pip falls in love with her, and becomes ashamed of his
background and his relatives because he has such a different life to
her. When he is old enough he is bound apprentice to Joe. But he
longs to be a gentleman, in a social class very different from a
village blacksmith. He suffers guilt for his ungrateful feelings
toward Joe, who is a kind friend to him throughout his life.
When four years into his apprentice mysterious benefactor enables
him to escape the working class, Pip moves to London as a teenager
to become a gentleman. In his youth, he believes that his patron
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is Miss Havisham, Estella's adopted mother, who wants to make
him desirable for her daughter. Once he moves to London, though
his benefactor is not named, Pip is persuaded it is Miss Havisham,
who means him to marry Estella. He is not wise in spending the
money he gets before he comes of age at 21, running up debts. His
legal guardian is Mr. Jaggers, a lawyer, who points out the
difficulties Pip creates, but leaves it to Pip to guide his own life. He
does not entirely lose his good character, which is expressed mainly
in his relationship with his friend Herbert Pocket.
Two years after Pip comes of age his benefactor appears in person,
and it is the convict he met as a boy. Whose name he learns is Abel
Magwitch. This deflates his hope that he is meant for Estella and at
first disgusts him, as he knows nothing about what sort of criminal
the man is. Despite his disgust and disappointment, the sense of
duty that compels Pip to help the convict is a mark of his inner
goodness, just as it was when Pip first met him at age seven.
After Abel Magwitch, the convict, dies and the Crown confiscates
his fortune, Pip, aged 23,[4] understands that good clothes, well-
spoken English and a generous allowance do not make one a
gentleman. Pip falls ill for several weeks; Joe learns of this and
comes to care for him until he can walk on his own. A few days after
Joe leaves, Pip goes home, to find Biddy has married Joe that very
day. Without income or training for any profession, he is at loose
ends. Herbert Pocket suggests Pip join the firm where he works, in
an office in Cairo. Pip starts as a clerk. Herbert marries his fiancee
Clara, and Pip lives with them. There is irony in this, as Pip used his
gift at age 21 of 500 pounds to engage Herbert with the new firm.
When Pip lost his funds, he asked Miss Havisham to complete the
money owed, and she does.
Eleven years later, Pip returns to England to see Joe, Biddy and their
children. He walks to the land where Satis House once stood and
meets Estella there. Both have changed much from their
experience of life. After they reconcile, they hold hands, and Pip
sees no shadow to part them again.
Character of ESTELLA
Estella first convincing female character of Dickens’s novel is a
supremely ironic creation, one who darkly undermines the notion
of romantic love and serves as a bitter criticism against the class
system in which she is mired. Raised from the age of three by Miss
Havisham to torment men and “break their hearts,” Estella wins
Pip’s deepest love by practicing deliberate cruelty. Unlike the
warm, winsome, kind heroine of a traditional love story, Estella is
cold, cynical, and manipulative. Though she represents Pip’s first
longed-for ideal of life among the upper classes, Estella is actually
even lower-born than Pip; as Pip learns near the end of the novel,
she is the daughter of Magwitch, the coarse convict, and thus
springs from the very lowest level of society.
Ironically, life among the upper classes does not represent salvation
for Estella. Instead, she is victimized twice by her adopted class.
Rather than being raised by Magwitch, a man of great inner
nobility, she is raised by Miss Havisham, who destroys her ability to
express emotion and interact normally with the world. And rather
than marrying the kindhearted commoner Pip, Estella marries the
cruel nobleman Drummle, who treats her harshly and makes her
life miserable for many years. In this way, Dickens uses Estella’s life
to reinforce the idea that one’s happiness and well-being are not
deeply connected to one’s social position: had Estella been poor,
she might have been substantially better off.
Despite her cold behavior and the damaging influences in her life,
Dickens nevertheless ensures that Estella is still a sympathetic
character. By giving the reader a sense of her inner struggle to
discover and act on her own feelings rather than on the imposed
motives of her upbringing, Dickens gives the reader a glimpse of
Estella’s inner life, which helps to explain what Pip might love about
her. Estella does not seem able to stop herself from hurting Pip, but
she also seems not to want to hurt him; she repeatedly warns him
that she has “no heart” and seems to urge him as strongly as she
can to find happiness by leaving her behind. Finally, Estella’s long,
painful marriage to Drummle causes her to develop along the same
lines as Pip—that is, she learns, through experience, to rely on and
trust her inner feelings. In the final scene of the novel, she has
become her own woman for the first time in the book. As she says
to Pip, “Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching. . . . I
have been bent and broken, but—I hope—into a better shape.”
Character Miss Havisham
The mad, vengeful Miss Havisham, a wealthy dowager who lives in
a rotting mansion and wears an old wedding dress every day of her
life, is not exactly a believable character, but she is certainly one of
the most memorable creations in the book. Miss Havisham’s life is
defined by a single tragic event: her jilting by Compeyson on what
was to have been their wedding day. From that moment forth, Miss
Havisham is determined never to move beyond her heartbreak. She
stops all the clocks in Satis House at twenty minutes to nine, the
moment when she first learned that Compeyson was gone, and she
wears only one shoe, because when she learned of his betrayal, she
had not yet put on the other shoe. With a kind of manic, obsessive
cruelty, Miss Havisham adopts Estella and raises her as a weapon
to achieve her own revenge on men. Miss Havisham is an example
of single-minded vengeance pursued destructively: both Miss
Havisham and the people in her life suffer greatly because of her
quest for revenge. Miss Havisham is completely unable to see that
her actions are hurtful to Pip and Estella. She is redeemed at the
end of the novel when she realizes that she has caused Pip’s heart
to be broken in the same manner as her own; rather than achieving
any kind of personal revenge, she has only caused more pain. Miss
Havisham immediately begs Pip for forgiveness, reinforcing the
novel’s theme that bad behavior can be redeemed by contrition
and sympathy.
Great Expectations Plot Summary
On Christmas Eve, young Pip, an orphan being raised by his sister and her
husband, encounters a frightening man in the village churchyard. The man,
a convict who has escaped from a prison ship, scares Pip into stealing him
some food and a file to grind away his leg shackle. This incident is crucial:
firstly, it gives Pip, who must steal the goods from his sister's house, his first
taste of true guilt, and, secondly, Pip's kindness warms the convict's heart.
The convict, however, waits many years to truly show his gratitude.
At his sister's house, Pip is a boy without expectations. Mrs. Joe beats him
around and has nothing good to say about her little brother. Her husband
Joe is a kind man, although he is a blacksmith without much ambition, and
it's assumed that Pip will follow in his footsteps. Only when Pip gets invited
unexpectedly to the house of a rich old woman in the village named Miss
Havisham, does Mrs. Joe, or any of her dull acquaintances, hold out any
hope for Pip's success.
Indeed, Pip's visits to Miss Havisham change him. Miss Havisham is an old
woman who was abandoned on her wedding day and has, as a result, given
up on life. She wears a yellowed wedding gown and haunts around her
decrepit house, her only companion being Estella, her adopted daughter.
Estella is beautiful, and Pip develops a strong crush on her, a crush that turns
into love as he grows older. But it is unrequited love, as Miss Havisham has
made it her dark life's project to raise Estella as a cruel-hearted girl who will
break men's hearts, satisfying Miss Havisham's own desire to spurn love.
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Pip frequently visits Miss Havisham, until one day she tells him never to
return because the time has come for his apprenticeship with Joe to begin.
Having tasted the spoils of a better life, Pip is miserable as a blacksmith and
constantly worries that Estella will look through the forge window and see
him as horribly common. Estella soon leaves the village, and things progress
until one day Mrs. Joe suffers an attack which leaves her mute and
incapacitated, although a lot nicer. A young girl about Pip's age, Biddy,
comes to live at the house in order to care for Mrs. Joe. Pip again settles
into his routine until one night at the village bar a London lawyer, Jaggers,
approaches Pip, revealing startling news: Pip has inherited a lot of money
from an anonymous benefactor and must leave for London immediately, to
become a gentleman.
In London, Pip studies with a tutor and lives with a new and close friend,
Herbert. Pip is certain that his benefactor is the rich Miss Havisham. In
addition, he becomes convinced that Miss Havisham's financial support,
toward his elevated social status, is the result of her desire that he may
marry Estella someday. Pip passes many years in London; he remains
ashamed of Joe, and they grow apart, Mrs. Joe dies, and though he falls
harder and harder for Estella--who seems to get colder and colder by the
day--he never confesses his love. Among the people he knows in London
are Wemmick, a clerk in Jaggers' office who becomes a friend, and Bentley
Drummle, a horrible brute of a boy who begins to make moves on Estella.
One stormy night, Pip learns the true identity of his benefactor. It is not Miss
Havisham (who has made many misleading comments indicating
it was her), but rather a petty criminal named Magwitch. Magwitch is the
convict Pip fed in the churchyard many years ago, and he's left all his money
to Pip in gratitude for that kindness, and also because young Pip reminded
him of his own child, whom he thinks is dead. The news of his benefactor
crushes Pip--he's ashamed of him, and worse yet, Magwitch wants to spend
the rest of his days with Pip. Pip takes this on like a dreadful duty, and it's
all the worse because Magwitch is a wanted man in England, and will be
hung if he's caught.
Eventually, a plan is hatched by Herbert and Pip, whereby Pip and Magwitch
will flee the country by rowing down the river and catching a steamer bound
for Europe. This must be done on the sly, and further complicating matters
is the fact that an old criminal enemy of Magwitch's, Compeyson, is hot in
pursuit. Compeyson, it's discovered, is the same man that swindled and
abandoned Miss Havisham so many years back. Miss Havisham, meanwhile,
is softening a bit, and seems repentant for her life-long mission against love.
Estella has been married to Bentley Drummle, a marriage that anyone can
see will be an unhappy one. Just before Pip is to flee with Magwitch, he
makes one last visit to Miss Havisham, and finds her filled with regret,
wanting his forgiveness. Unfortunately, she gets a little too close to the fire
and sets herself ablaze. Pip heroically saves her, but she's badly burned and
does eventually die from her injuries.
Pip and Magwitch, along with Herbert and another friend, Startop, make a
gallant attempt to help Magwitch escape, but instead he's captured--
pointed out, in fact, by his old enemy Compeyson. Compeyson dies in the
struggle, and Magwitch, badly injured, goes to jail. Pip by now is devoted to
Magwitch and recognizes in him a good and noble man. Magwitch dies,
however, not long before he's slated to be executed. Pip has discovered that
Magwitch is actually Estella's father, and on Magwitch's deathbed Pip tells
Magwitch his discovery, and also that he loves Estella.
Without money or expectations, Pip, after a period of bad illness during
which Joe cares for him, goes into business overseas with Herbert. Joe has
married Biddy, and after eleven relatively successful years abroad, Pip goes
to visit them out in the marshes. They are happy and have a child, whom
they've named Pip. Finally, Pip makes one last visit to Miss Havisham's
house, where he finds Estella wandering. Her marriage is over, and she
seems to have grown kinder, and wants Pip to accept her as a friend. When
the novel ends, it seems that there is hope that Pip and Estella will finally
end up together.
Q.1 Discuss Pip as both a narrator and a character. How
are different aspects of his personality revealed by his telling of his
story and by his participation in the story itself?
Pip’s story—the story of the novel—traces his development
through the events of his early life; his narration, however, written
years after the end of the story, is a product of his character as it
exists after the events of the story. Pip’s narration thus reveals the
psychological endpoint of his development in the novel. Pip’s
behavior as a character often reveals only part of the story—he
treats Joe coldly, for instance—while his manner as a narrator
completes that story: his guilt for his poor behavior toward his
loved ones endures, even as he writes about his early life years
later. Of course, Dickens manipulates Pip’s narration in order to
evoke its subjects effectively: Pip’s childhood is narrated in a much
more childlike voice than his adult years, even though the narrator
Pip presumably writes both parts of the story at a single later date.
Dickens also uses Pip’s narration to reinforce particular aspects of
his character that emerge in the course of the novel: we know from
his actions that Pip is somewhat self-centered but sympathetic at
heart to others; Pip’s later narration of his relationships with others
tends to reflect those qualities. When Magwitch reveals that he is
Pip’s benefactor, for instance, Pip is disgusted by the convict and
describes him solely in negative terms; as his affection for
Magwitch grows, the descriptive terms he chooses to apply to the
convict become much more positive.
Q 2. What role does social class play in Great
Expectations? What lessons does Pip learn from his experience
as a wealthy gentleman? How is the theme of social class central to
the novel?
One way to see Pip’s development, and the development of many
of the other characters in Great Expectations, is as an attempt to
learn to value other human beings: Pip must learn to value Joe and
Magwitch, Estella must learn to value Pip, and so on. Throughout
the novel, social class provides an arbitrary, external standard of
value by which the characters (particularly Pip) judge one another.
Because social class is rigid and preexisting, it is an attractive
standard for every character who lacks a clear conscience with
which to make judgments—Mrs. Joe and Pumblechook, for
instance. And because high social class is associated with romantic
qualities such as luxury and education, it is an immediately
attractive standard of value for Pip. After he is elevated to the
status of gentleman, though, Pip begins to see social class for what
it is: an unjust, capricious standard that is largely incompatible with
his own morals. There is simply no reason why Bentley Drummle
should be valued above Joe, and Pip senses that fact. The most
important lesson Pip learns in the novel—and perhaps the most
important theme in Great Expectations—is that no external
standard of value can replace the judgments of one’s own
conscience. Characters such as Joe and Biddy know this
instinctively; for Pip, it is a long, hard lesson, the learning of which
makes up much of the book.
Q3. Throughout the novel, Pip is plagued by powerful feelings of
guilt and shame, and everywhere he goes he tends to
encounter symbols of justice—handcuffs, gallows, prisons, and
courtrooms. What is the role of guilt in the novel? What does it
mean to be “innocent”?
At the beginning of the novel, Pip’s feelings of conscience are
determined largely by his fear of what others might think, a state
of mind no doubt reinforced by Mrs. Joe’s “Tickler.” He has strong
feelings of guilt but an inadequate system by which to judge right
from wrong; unable to determine the value of his own actions, he
feels guilty even when he does the right thing. He acts with
3
compassion and sympathy when he helps the convict, but he
nevertheless feels deeply guilty and imagines that the police are
waiting to take him away. As the novel progresses, Pip comes closer
to trusting his own feelings; when he helps Magwitch at the end of
the novel, he feels no guilt, only love, and he remains with the
convict even after the police arrive to take him away. Throughout
the novel, symbols of justice, such as prisons and police, serve as
reminders of the questions of conscience that plague Pip: just as
social class provides an external standard of value irrespective of a
person’s inner worth, the law provides an external standard of
moral behavior irrespective of a person’s inner feelings. Pip’s
wholehearted commitment to helping Magwitch escape the law in
the last section of the novel contrasts powerfully with his childhood
fear of police and shows that, though he continues to be very hard
on his own shortcomings, Pip has moved closer to a reliance on his
own inner conscience—which is the only way, as Joe and Biddy
show, that a character can truly be “innocent.”
Q4. What significance does the novel’s title, Great
Expectations, have for the story? In what ways does Pip
have “great expectations”? OR
The Significance Of The Great Expectations
Charles Dickens' Great Expectations is an eloquent comment on
social class at the time of the post-Industrial Revolution. Instead of
developing characters that are wholly of aristocratic status, Dickens
chooses to instead represent all classes in society ranging from the
upper echelons of society to the poor peasants struggling to
survive. The ideas of social class are central to the text, as Pip, the
protagonist eventually discovers that affluence and social standing
are inferior to genuine, human feelings such as love, loyalty and
self-worth.
Why the title?
In the most basic and literal expectations of the title, it is referring
primarily to the money with which Pip is endowed and the
opportunities it presented. The original expectations of Pip, coming
from his poor background, were strictly limited. An apprenticeship
in Blacksmithing, following the example of Joe, his brother in law
with whom Pip lives, meant little beyond hard work for little reward
and even less opportunity to move 'up' within society ; Without his
inheritance, it would have been impossible for someone such as Pip
to make such a transformation. However, his circumstances
change, when a then unknown benefactor unexpectedly makes his
once limited expectations great. There are also the opportunities
that are afforded now with the unlikely fortune. Centrally, there is
the potential for transformation from a working class man into a
gentleman. Within the historical context, a gentleman in 1861 was
considered to be a man of independent means or the expectation
of it, polished and educated and, failing the monetary
qualifications, family connections which could determine it. For
instance, a gentleman with family lineage which determines his
gentlemanly status, which would exclude Pip, embraces someone
such as Bentley Dummle, who despite being from a wealthy family,
is as boorish, foul-mouthed and unintelligent as people like Joe
Gargery were assumed to be.
The title is laced with irony which manifests itself in situations
throughout the novel. Little eventuates to be as it first seems.
People like Mr. Jaggers the lawyer and the unhappy spinster, Ms.
Havisham, showed Pip the disparity and falseness of upper class
society. Mr. Jaggers made servants of his poor clients, such as Molly
the maid. He looked down his nose at the poor and saw them as
minions that can be taken advantage of. Throughout the novel, he
proves to be a villain of sorts, despite his wealth and high social
standing. Ms. Havisham, the rich recluse - and adopted mother of
Molly's child Estella-"bought" a family to call her own. But, Ms.
Havisham was anything but a mother. She could barely take care of
herself in her immaculately dark and dingy mansion, let alone raise
kids.
Miss Havisham played a key role in Great Expectations. She
expected Estella to obey all her teachings and to develop an
unbreakable heart, not weak and vulnerable, so that she wouldn't
have to go through the misery Miss Havisham experienced. Miss
Havisham raised Estella this way, expecting others to fall in love
with Estella's beauty while Estella scorned them. Miss Havisham
exclaimed, "Break their hearts, my pride and hope, break their
hearts and have no mercy!"(88) She also said, "Well? You can break
his heart?"(54) The effects of Miss Havisham's expectations were
long-lasting. Estella married Bentley Drummle, resulting in an
unhappy life. In teaching Estella to break others' hearts, Miss
Havisham caused Estella to find out how to love the hard way. Pip
was also affected by Miss Havisham's expectations. Pip, in longing
for Estella, was in torture for a long period of time. In fact, the main
reason Pip wanted to become a gentleman in the first place was
because he admired Estella, and desperately wanted to change
from the "coarse, common laboring boy" into a refined, wealthy
gentleman.
Dickens dispels the myth that people with money are happy. A
comparison between Miss Havisham and Joe Gargery is one
example. While Miss Havisham had money and an estate, she did
not have a happy life or a grasp on sanity. Alone in a dark estate,
she lived with memories of a time when her love for a man was
scorned. Estella was the only other person in the house. Yet, even
Estella had to leave the place, due to the misery that the owner
induced in that mansion. She was also conniving. She led Pip along
to believe he was destined to be married to Estella and to inherit
her estate. This, however, turned out to be an impossible dream
and lead Pip to falsely believe great things will come to him.
Pip believed that the mystery benefactor is none other than Miss
Havisham, who is grooming him for an eventual marriage to Estella.
The title, however, also has an ironic sense, because Pip has a
"great [many] expectations" beyond said fortune. He believes that
he is being prepared to marry Estella. Then, after the marriage, he
expects to inherit Miss Havisham's estate, Satis House.
It is later discovered that the benefactor is Magwitch, the escapee
encountered by Pip in the opening scenes of the novel. Abel
Magwitch, or Pip's benefactor, expected Pip to love him back as his
own father. Magwitch gave his money to Pip expecting Pip to
become a gentleman. Magwitch is expected by other to live by the
law. However, he couldn't be blamed for being abandoned and
being forced to steal in order to live. Most criminals were expected
to be cruel, coarse, creatures. However, Magwitch defied this
stereotype by being a considerate and selfless benefactor to Pip,
because he felt gratitude and affection for Pip. Magwitch avenged
himself on society by creating a gentleman from a poor, low-class
boy. He said, "Yes, Pip, dear boy, I've made a gentleman on you! It's
me wot has done it! I swore that time, sure as ever I earned a
guinea, that guinea should go to you. I swore arterwards, sure as
ever I spec'lated n got rich, you should get rich. I lived rough, that
you should live smooth...Look'ee here, Pip. I'm your second father.
You're my sonmore to me nor any sonbut wot, if I gets liberty and
money, I'll make that boy a gentleman! Ah! You shall show money
with lords for wagers, and beat em!"
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Q 5. Themes of good and evil in Great Expectations ?
There are many ways in which Dickens presents themes of good
and evil in Great Expectations. He presents them primarily with
characters, actions, and thoughts. To the main character Pip, good
and evil are very clear cut at first. Pip is very idealistic and childish.
He believes that people like Magwitch are bad because they are
convicts and people like Drummle are good because they are
gentlemen. He believes that gentlemen are supposed to be more
morally, socially, and educationally advanced, while in truth
Drummle is the exact opposite. Magwitch is a pretty good person
at heart, but circumstances force him to do bad things and he gets
thrown in jail many times. However people like Compeyson, who
are inherently evil, can get away with little to no punishment.
Because of Magwitch’s bad appearance, he gets longer sentences
while Compeyson, who is actually more evil, gets shorter or no
sentence because he looks and acts like a gentleman.
Dickens also explores themes of good and evil with the characters
Orlick and Mr. Jaggers. Orlick is a simple character but he is very
evil and his actions cause Pip much grief, guilt, and even danger. Pip
is sad when Mrs. Joe dies and this is because of Orlick. Because Mrs.
Joe was killed with a leg iron that was cut off by a file from Pip, this
causes him to feel guilty, even when it is barely his fault. Lastly,
Orlick even tries to kill Pip when he calls Pip to the marshes alone.
The character Mr. Jaggers can be considered good but slightly evil
also. He is a very important lawyer, and with a job like that, he often
consorts with evil criminals. But even they are scared of him. But
despite this, it is shown that he has a conscience. He really cares for
Pip and other people as well. He even helped Miss Havisham to
adopt Estella. Estella would never have gotten such a refined
upbringing if she hadn’t been adopted by Miss Havisham.
Another way good and evil is shown, is through the theme of guilt.
Pip especially feels guilty about many things; he is plagued by his
conscience. Whenever Pip does something bad he feels very guilty
and doesn’t pay much attention to his good actions. Although Pip
is not evil, he sometimes feels that he is, or that he has done
something very bad. Other characters like Mr. Jaggers feel guilty
about consorting with criminals so he obsessively washes his hands
so he does not become like them.
Q 6. A true gentleman in great expectations?
The novel, Great Expectations, deals with the concepts of a 'true
gentleman'; where the Victorian idea, which is based upon birth, wealth,
social status and apparel, contrasts to Dickens' portrayal of a gentleman
who is a person of kindness, humility and generosity. Dickens upbringing
and early life allows him to understand the position of the poor due to
their humble upbringing, which keeps them in the lower social class. His
didactic message, what it is to be a true gentleman, is reinforced by the
bildungsroman style of the novel.
In Victorian times, one who came from a wealthy and respectable family
was considered to be a gentleman. This is clear in numerous characters in
the novel, who are immediately perceived to be gentlemen as they boast a
large amount of money and dress in the finest clothes. One example,
Compeyson, uses this to get a reduced sentence in court, as Magwitch
says 'one, the younger, well brought up, who will be spoke to as such'. This
highlights the importance of social class in the Victorian era and it is clear
to see here that the justice system is very much more favourable to the
higher social ranks, deciding how they would get treated and addressed,
and that the punishment is not dependent on the crime, rather the
individual at trial's background and upbringing. Dickens has shown that
the Victorian concept of a gentleman is all about wealth and social
ranking, not the characteristics we see in a gentleman today.
In addition to this, many of the characters in the novel show they also
have the misconception that money makes a gentleman. Magwitch's
comment on Pip's return that he [Pip] has 'contracted expensive habits'
proves this and gives the impression that spending money in such lavish
ways was normal and acceptable in those times, and something that Pip
cannot control. The tone Magwitch uses is also verging on proud, in the
sense that he is proud that Pip is able to afford to live such a comfortable
lifestyle, without having to worry about financial issues. However, Pip may
not be able to avoid this as he hasn't had the education of restraint that
comes from having some money; only that of the poor whereby if you
have little money, you should spend it. Dickens plays on his lack of
knowledge to portray the Victorian gentleman as being rich; however, this
contrasts to his own gentleman of generosity and humility.
Appearance was of extreme significance and greatly affects the perception
of a gentleman in Victorian times. Magwitch appears as a criminal at first,
described as, 'A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his
leg…who limped and shivered, and glared and growled.' The language
Dickens has used such as 'coarse' is harsh and amplifies the terror
instigates by the bestial imagery of 'glared' and growled'. He is described
with very little narrative perspective as the verbs are omitted from the
first to sentences which underscores the disgust the Victorians would have
felt for him seeing as his appearance is not worthy of a gentleman in their
society. This is accentuated by the fact he appears to be part of the savage
sea and marsh, springing up from its deep depths. However, Dickens also
wrote that Magwitch 'limped and shivered' perhaps implying he only
appears this way as a result of the life and adversity he has had to bear.
Estella also mocks Pip for having 'thick boots' and 'coarse hands'. Again the
use of harsh words such as 'coarse' and 'thick', previously used to invoke
terror, here imply a sense of disgust that the Victorians felt whilst looking
down on Pip. After getting his inheritance, Pip then tries to resolve his ill
appearance to appear as more of a gentleman. This one visit to Satis
House completely changes the course of Pip's life and is where he latches
on to the Victorian conception on a gentleman, reinforced by Magwitch
who thinks Pip is a gentleman after seeing his jewellery and attire.
Throughout this novel, Dickens challenges what realistically constitutes a
gentleman. He believes that it is not the luxuries of a noble birth and
money that matter but rather how a person treats his fellow man and
whether or not they show humility. Compeyson is a 'gentleman' but is in
fact immoral and a criminal. He plays on his gentlemanly appearance in
court and was 'recommended mercy on account of good character and
bad company' whilst Magwitch had to serve a long sentence despite not
being the brains behind the crime. Even in the time of Dickens, there was a
justice for the rich and a justice for the poor; society has ranks and levels,
just as a prison. This statement proposes favourability towards the higher
social ranks as Magwitch, the 'bad company', is imprisoned whilst
Compeyson is able to walk free as the courts believed that the only reason
he committed the crime was due to the influence Magwitch had on him.
Dickens appears to make the characters considered to be Victorian
gentleman more good-looking in the novel, whereas he makes those who
he feels are 'true gentleman' less attractive, such as Magwitch who is in
fact Pip's generous benefactor. He contests that to be a gentleman, you
need to 'look' like one, it is rather your actions and treatment of others
which makes you a gentleman.
Due to his wealth, Bentley Drummle is considered a gentleman; however,
Dickens describes him as 'sluggish' and he is said to 'always creep in-shore
like some kind of amphibious creature.' The use of 'sluggish' implies that
he is habitually idle, harsh and unattractive; surprising, considering he is a
'gentleman'. He is also described as an 'amphibious creature', which gives
the impression he is cold blooded, rather vile and horrible, not the
characteristics expected of a 'true gentleman'. Dickens' overall disdain for
Drummle and Compeyson is made clear through their hostile deaths which
are both some sort of poetic justice for all the wrongdoing they have
committed in their lifetimes. Compeyson drowns to his death whilst trying
to get Magwitch convicted further for his own crimes; and Drummle dies
'consequent on his ill-treatment of a horse'. This is very ironic as he
displays brutish and abusive behaviour throughout the novel, and this is,
ultimately, partly to blame for his death.
Joe is a gentleman, the complete opposite of Drummle. He carried on the
family trade after being born into a simple blacksmith family and only has
enough money to get by. Pip describes him as a 'good-natured, sweet-
tempered, easy-going, foolish, dear fellow-a sort of Hercules in strength'.
The use of pathetic fallacy here reinforces the positive image Dickens has
created about Joe comparing him to the strongest god in Greek
mythology. Through this, he has gained his humility and a quality of a
gentleman in Dickens' eyes. It is through Joe that Dickens finally begins to
show what he thinks makes a gentleman. Pip also finally says he is 'looking
up to Joe', implying he can be considered a gentleman as he carried the
qualities of a true gentleman - someone to look up to and who has
humility.
5
The fates of these two characters, Joe and Magwitch, are testament to
Dickens' belief that to be a true gentleman it is essential to treat others
correctly. Joe lives happily for the rest of his life after marrying Biddy as
Pip says, 'Dear Biddy, you have the best husband in the world'. Pip has
evidently matured, accepting more responsibility for his sins, debt and life.
He is frugal and writes to Joe and Biddy, not showing his upset that Joe
beat him to marrying Biddy, rather relief that he did not ask her the same.
However, Magwitch dies at the end of the novel, although it is a much
more peaceful death than Compeyson. It is when Magwitch is on his
deathbed, Pip realises that 'when he took [his] place by Magwitch's side,
[he] felt it was [his] place henceforth while he lived'. Dickens makes
Magwitch's death peaceful and comfortable and the rest of Joe's life
happy to replicate his opinion of a true gentleman, showing how they will
be treated and 'rewarded' whilst Compeyson and Drummle endure ghastly
departures due to their decadent nature.
Dickens' didactic message is delivered through Pip, through whom the
reader learns how to become gentlemanly. As Pip is the first person
narrator, the reader sees the experiences through his eyes, allowing him
to explain why he made his decisions and highlight his mistakes, although
they may not always agree with what he says and does. As soon as Pip
being trying to map himself to the Victorian gentleman, Dickens
demonstrates the rapid pace of his moral decline. To begin with, Herbert is
Pip's closet friend; he tries to introduce him to the etiquette and manners
expected of a gentleman in London and Pip values his opinion highly.
However, as he plunges into his moral decline, Pip starts 'disregarding
Herbert's efforts to check [him]'. This is proof that, here, he cannot be
considered a true gentleman, according to Dickens and our modern day
society, as he is acting as if he is superior to others, not treating them the
way they treated him. This is not a quality of the modern gentleman, but
fits that of his society which Dickens contests.
Pip acted as gentleman in a way that he hoped would impress Estella;
however, this leads him to give priority to money and appearance, and to
be ashamed of his simple, 'ungentlemanly' background and upbringing.
Upon hearing Joe is to visit him he says, 'If I could keep him away by
paying money, I certainly would have paid money.' In his quest to get
money to become all-powerful, Pip learns that he can never erase the
'shame' of his past, and this is accentuates by the fact he wants to distance
himself from Joe. It also shows how much he values money, and naively
believes that with it he is able to always get his way. This underscores the
change in Pip who once 'looked up to Joe' as a young boy, but is now a
cruel individual whose only concern is to become worthy enough to win
over Estella, who says to him, 'Since your change of fortune and prospects,
you have changed you companions' to which Pip replied 'Naturally'. Here
we can see he is fully trying to fill the Victorian ideal of a gentleman, as if
the act of setting himself apart from Joe and Biddy, who he considers to be
below him, is 'natural'. Although he may be a Victorian gentleman, he is
not the gentleman who Dickens portrays, and through this Dickens
suggests that to become a Victorian gentleman it is necessary to push
away those who care about you most; the ones who will be there for you
no matter your status.
Through the bildungsroman style of the novel and the retrospective
narrator, Pip, Dickens displays his conceptions of how a true gentleman
should act. When he is sick and taken in by Joe and Biddy near the end of
the novel, Pip realises his wrongdoings and says to them, 'receive my
humble thanks for all you have done for me, and all I have so ill repaid.' Pip
has now gradually understood that a chapter of his life has permanently
closed and he will no longer receive the treatment of an affluent
gentleman, nor can he visit the manor and depend on Jo and Biddy at his
leisure like he once did. This is a significant moment for Pip; time and
fortune have changed his place; he starts out for the forge with the
opinion he is already a changed man, nevertheless only when he reacts to
the changed around him does he truly demonstrate his more matured and
improved nature. His selfless happiness for Joe and Biddy is the greatest
proof of his growth. Seeing them as a married couple, he realises he needs
to move on independently and he boldly declares he will earn money to
pay Joe back, generous both spiritually and materialistically. Pip's
character has remarkably transformed from the self-absorbed child who
sought self-improvement to the cost of other and it is here the Dickens
reveals his perceptions of a gentleman through Pip's final humility: that it
is not your social rank, wealth or background that makes you a gentleman,
but rather your humility, kindness, generosity and treatment of others. His
name, Pip, is indicative of his character, a small seed or 'pip' growing
mentally and physically into the man he eventually became towards the
end of the novel; small and humble - a true gentleman and a great man in
the eyes of Dickens.
In conclusion, Charles Dickens, a social critic of humble origins himself, has
conveyed his conception of a true gentleman, which is such a good
conception that it is commonly used in our society today. He shows that
you can only be a true gentleman at heart and if you are not it will be
revealed. Matthew Pocket's metaphor that 'No varnish can hide the grain
of the wood; and that the more varnish you put on, the more the grain will
express itself' very successfully delivers and summarises Dickens' message,
that no matter how much you try to, your true identity will always be
revealed. It also effectively reinforces Dickens' treatment of the Victorian
preconception of a gentleman as misconstrued and mistakenly engrossed
with social status, wealth, birth, and apparel.
Significance of the Title of Charles Dickens's
“Great Expectations”
The title of Charles Dickens’s novel Great Expectations mainly refers to Pip’s
"great expectations" which are many dimensional and ever-evolving. His great
expectations arrive in the form of his fortune and are embodied in his dream
of becoming a gentleman. These expectations also take the shape of his longing
for a certain cold star named Estella. Each of the three parts of the novel treats
a different expectation, and we watch how Pip changes in the face of his
changing expectations.
Pip undergoes 3 phases in his life, in which he has different expectations:
The first stage of Pip’s expectations
Pip is a poor orphan living with his sister and her husband the blacksmith. He
has an encounter with an escaped criminal on Christmas and the help he gives
him results in the criminal setting him up with a secret inheritance. One day a
lawyer comes and says that he has money coming or "great expectations" and
he has to have a different education now that is he is to be a gentleman rather
than a blacksmith.
The title also alludes to the idea of great things to come or things that are
expected to come but aren't there yet.
The second stage of Pip’s expectations
When Pip receives riches from a mysterious benefactor he snobbishly
abandons his friends for London society and his 'great expectations'.
The third stage of Pip’s expectations
On his arrival in London, Pip’s initial impression is London is unattractive and
dirty. Nonetheless, his great expectations lie before him, and he is informed by
Jaggers and his clerk, Wemmick, of his new living quarters. When Pip turns 21
years old, he visits Jaggers for further information on his expected fortune and
hopefully the identity of his benefactor. Jaggers tells him he will have an annual
allowance of 500 pounds until his benefactor is made known to him, but
refuses to tell him when his benefactor will be revealed to him. He also tells
Pip that when his benefactor is revealed, Jaggers’ business will end, and he
need not be informed about it.
In yet a fourth (metafictional) sense, we can say that the title refers to the
readers’ great expectations, which Dickens builds upon for his wonderful plot
twists. All of these layers of meaning in the title make for a rich reading
experience.
Dickens portrays the expectations of other characters very efficiently in the
novel .
Miss Havisham’ Expectation
Miss Havisham is the wealthy, eccentric old woman who lives in a manor called
Satis House near Pip's village. She is manic and often seems insane, flitting
around her house in a faded wedding dress, keeping a decaying feast on her
table, and surrounding herself with clocks stopped at twenty minutes to nine.
As a young woman, Miss Havisham was jilted by her fiancé minutes before her
wedding, and now she has a vendetta against all men. Her expectation is to
obtain revenge on the male sex and so she adopts Estella and deliberately
raises her to be the tool of her revenge, training her beautiful ward to break
men's hearts.
6
Magwitch’s Expectation
Magwitch and Pip first meet when Pip is a boy and Magwitch an escaped
convict. Magwitch does not forget Pip's kindness in the marshes, and later in
life devotes himself to earning money that he anonymously donates to Pip.
Magwitch’s expectation is to make Pip gentleman in a full sense and so his
expectation is great.
The sad irony of the title is that expectations are never great. A man is what he
does. A man who expects to be given is a parasite and a fool. The title has
something to do with the nature of Pip's perception of society. He comes from
a poor blacksmith family and has these great expectations of what he's missing
out on. As the book progresses these "great" expectations become less and less
great to Pip. He meets Magwitch (as Uncle Provis) and he is just realizing how
much he'd rather be back at home at the forge than live out all of these great
expectations he had for the rich social class.
The Symbolic Setting or the Significance of the
Setting of 'Great Expectations'
The setting establishes the mood in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. The
opening pages of the novel set a gothic mood. Charles Dickens opens the story
with a young boy in a graveyard. It is dark, dank and terrifying, and "growing
afraid of it all and beginning to cry is Pip.Then, an evil convict pops out at Pip
threatening his life unless he brings him food and a file. The dark, creepy
graveyard sets the evil scene for this to occur. Miss Havisham is an evil woman
who lives in a house "of old brick, and dismal, and had many iron bars to it."
This sets an eerie and strange mood to the story and almost a feeling of
wonder, for who would live in a house like the one described. The mood of the
story is often set by the setting, as was the case in this novel.
The setting can tell many characteristics about the character that lives within.
Charles Dickens creates settings that are like subtle characters. Though not
named, these "characters" have a big impact on the story. Pip's kind brother-
in-law, of which he lives with, was a blacksmith. "Joes forge adjoined our
house, which was a wooden house, as many in our country were." (671). Pip's
family is a common one.
They do not have an exquisite home or a great deal of money, they were just
like everyone else: common. Joe's forge is a good place. Joe says that there is
always room at the forge for Pip though his sister wished to turn him away. The
forge tells of Joe's warmth and kindness. Though he may be average, he has a
big heart. Miss Havisham is an evil person, who lives in the past. Her house is
also evil. "the first thing I noticed was the passages were all dark, and only
candle lighted us." (688). Her home is dark and invested with old, dreadful
memories that haunt Miss Havisham. These memories turn her evil. Estrella is
a young girl that lives with Miss Havisham. She carries the candle through the
dark passages, so she is even the slightest bit good, though she hurts Pip
emotionally, physically, and mentally. The setting can tell the reader much
about a character.
The setting of a story can further or support the theme. One theme in Great
Expectations is that even a good person will do evil things when exposed to
evil. Pip is a young innocent boy who is scared into stealing from his family by
an evil convict. This happens on the graveyard, an evil place, where a good
young boy begins to loose his innocence. Estrella is a young girl who lives with
Miss Havisham, an evil person.
Miss Havisham's home is dark and the only light comes from a candle that
Estrella carries. This symbolizes that Estrella is the only good in the house even
though she is now almost fully corrupted by the dark enveloping her candle,
Miss Havisham. She enjoys abusing Pip even when she realizes he likes her. She
hits him and puts him down, telling him that he is common. Miss Havisham tells
her to break his heart and she accomplishes this goal. Miss Havisham corrupts
the innocent Estrella. The setting supports the theme of a good person will do
evil acts when exposed to evil.
The setting is an important part of a novel. It helps the story progress. The
setting helps the reader visualize where and when the story takes place. The
setting establishes the mood of the entire story. Charles Dickens uses places
like characters that tell about the inhabitant. The setting is also used to
advance the theme. The setting of a story plays an important part in the
narration of a story.
Influence of Biddy and Estella on Pip in 'Great
Expectations'
In Dickens’s Great Expectations, we find throughout the novel the hero, Pip,
learns through sufferings. He develops and gets maturity through society,
through the development of his selfhood, and his realization of which people
actually cares about him. Pip would not have to worry about any of these issues
if it were not for Estella’s influence in his life. the influence of Biddy is also not
less important from moral point of view.
At the beginning we see him as a naive but after meeting with Estella, Pip has
completely changed. It is the turning point of his life when he first meets with
her. So, Estella displays an enormous power over his thinking unlike Biddy. But
the influence of Biddy is more admirable than Estella. Biddy is always pleasing
to him whereas, Estella is always tormenting to him. After, the meeting with
Estella Pip becomes ambitious, whereas from Biddy he gets practical
preparation for his future life. So, it is seen that the influence of Biddy and
Estella on Pip is very far-reaching which will be clearer in the later discussion.
There are marked gaps in their 1st meeting, their family bond and their
treatment with Pip. When Pip first meets with Biddy, she is presented as Mr.
Wopsele’s great-aunt’s grand daughter, and helps her grandmother run the
evening school. An orphan girl live Pip, she is rather bedraggled in appearance
in early day, her hair always wanting brushing and her shoes mending.
However, Biddy’s appearance and manner improve as she grows up. When
Mrs. Joe is assaulted, Biddy moves into Joe’s household as her attendant. In
this novel, she also shares the quality of compassion, simplicity, self respect
etc. This dignified caring attitude of Biddy is contrasted with the self-seeking,
selfishness of Estella who wishes to use or flatter Pip for her own ends.
Estella is the daughter of Magwitch, a convict, and Molly, a servant for Jaggers.
Although her roots are extremely common, she is raised in nobility because M.
Havisam adopts her. She is the tool of M. Havisam to destruct the male hosts.
When Pip first meets her he immediately overwhelmed noticing her pretty
grown hair and her manner, though she is in fact about the same age he is. She
despises the coarse ways of the common laboring boy Pip, but ironically Pip
falls in love with her. Before meeting with her, Pip never realizes that anything
could be wrong, or that there could be anything might need to change. After
the meeting, Pip now begins to question everything in life. She sets a struggle
between Pip’s personal ambition and his discontent, which Biddy teaches Pip
the error of his ways and shows that being common is not so bad.
Biddy is gentle, sympathetic, and kind-hearted to Pip. She is much more
realistic and self-controlled in her emotions than he is and can see his faults.
When on a Sunday afternoon walk on the marshes he tells Biddy that he wants
to be gentleman and why she gives him sensible advice. She tells him that
Estella is not worthy of his love and he should not live his life to please her. She
also says that indifference can work more than an active nature or feigned love
for strategic purposes. In this way, she tries her best to instill realism in Pip. On
the other hand, Stella’s beauty leads him to fall indirectly into Miss Havisham’s
trap and he tries to change himself to have a chance with Stella. In Pip’s youth
the feelings of guilt and shame continue in his way to become a gentleman to
win Estella and achieve his ambition, which leads him to enhance
embarrassment for Pip. He gradually more aware and ashamed of Joe’s
limitations, especially his illiteracy and his lack of social ease who is actually
the best sole model he has.
Pip does not want to be seen around the forge, especially for Estella. He feels
depressing particularly by the thought that Estella might see him there. Later,
when Pip receives his great expiations, he automatically assumes that the
expectations come from M.H. and Estella is expected in these expectations. Pip
thinks that he has to become a gentleman for Estella. Because of this, he begins
to look down upon Joe when Joe meets with him in London. He terms Joe as
stupid and common. So, we see that because of Estella’s influence, he begins
to become what he thinks a gentleman should be. But his decision proves
wrong, as he starts to grow within a false modesty, gentility etc. He has become
so blind by the false inspiration of M.H that he even does not see the
hollowness behind it. She inspires him to love Estella. He can do nothing but
follow M.H’s orders as he begins to believe that after obeying her, he will get
Estella.
Pip holds on to the dream of having Estella until he finds out that she is
marrying Drummle. At this moment all of his hopes for Estella are rushed. His
self-deception about gentleman and his hope of getting Estella lead to another
Pip. He now begins to realize what a horrible man he has become, and that he
has shunned all who really care for him. His utterance: “I wish I had never left
the forge” shows his moral regeneration.
At an early stage of life, when Pip is raw and unfeeling enough, he could tell
Biddy that he loved her if his inspirations had not stood in the way. Now at this
middle age of his life, purged by his various experiences and trials, he grows
into an awareness of Biddy’s true nature. At the end of the novel, he hopes to
go his old home on the marches, to marry Biddy and perhaps to return to work
in the forge with Joe. Later when he finally come his village he is struck seeing
that she is married with Joe. Then he realizes his own faults, that she too is a
7
person in her own right, with her own desires and feelings. In this way, Biddy
helps to reveal Pip’s growing snobbery.

At the end of the novel, we see Estella and Pip, meet at the old Satis-House
when they are both very changed from their past. Pip is over Estella, out of
money, and has full respect for Joe and Biddy. Estella too has learned from her
sufferings and has become a wiser person, able to understand Pip.

Use of Humour in Great Expectations

Dickens is very apt in using humor and his novel Great Expectation is full of the
humorous elements which greatly delight us. Dickens produces humor by
describing some amusing sense or characters which provoke laughter. Dicken’s
use of humor makes the novel more appealing to the reader.

Dicken’s art of characterization is the source of much of his humor. He puts his
characters into some incidents which provoke character. Early in the novel
there is a chapter in which a Christmas dinner party given by Mrs Gargery has
been described. The whole chapter has been written in a humorous vein. For
example Joe Gargery offers gravy to Pip secretly. Each time Pip is rebuked or
snubbed by Mrs Gargery or by any of the guests. Again the manner in which
Joe Gargery narrates the story of his life to Pip is very amusing. We also have
an amusing description in this chapter how Mrs Gargery prepares Pip to
accompany Uncle Pumblechook to Miss Havisham’s house. She pounces upon
Pip like an eagle on a lamb. She squeezes his face into wooden bowls in sinks,
and his head is put under taps of water-butts. He is “soaped and kneaded ad
toweled and thumped and harrowed and rasped.” Joe and Mrs. Joe have a
comedic relationship in the way she pushes him around, and Joe himself is
funny when his country ways clash with Pip's newfound class. Wemmeck and
his father (Aged P) are probably the most humorous characters. Wemmeck is
always doing something quirky, and his wedding provides comic relief near the
end of the novel while so much drama is happening. As Wemmick and Pip enter
the Church, Wemmick says: “Here’s Miss Skiffins. Let’s have a wedding.” He
refers to his father as his “Aged Parent”.

Dickens describes the physical features of a character in such a grotesque way

that it provokes laughter. Uncle Pumblechook is describes as “a large, hard-
breathing, middle-aged, slow man, with a mouth like a fish, dull staring eyes,
and sandy hair standing upright on his head.” Mr. Wopsle is a man who has
“united to a Roman nose and a large shining bald forehead”. In the same way,
Mr. Jaggers is a burly man and Wemmick has a post-office like mouth. Dickens
particularly distorts the appearance of two of his women characters. Miss
Havisham has an unsavory appearance. Mrs Joe has an offensive appearance
and behavior, which provides much of the humor.

Dickens takes delight in presenting comic set-piece scenes. Mrs. Joe uses
without provocation to punish both her young brother, Pip, and her husband,
Joe, in the beginning of Great Expectations.
The behavior, mannerism and speech of Joe Gargery are treated with humor.
Joe’s manner of telling his past and his faulty words and grammar are
humorous. The mannerism of Jaggers also produces humor. His awe-inspiring
personality, his use of handkerchief and his washing hand with scented soap
are amusing.

There is much humor in the manner in which Pip and Herbert sits down to
prepare memoranda of their debts. It is quite amusing to find Pip making a
provision for marginal increases in the total of his debts. There is humor also in
the manner in which Mr. Pocket’s anxieties are described. “In the mean time
Mr. Pocket grew grayer and tried oftener to lift himself out of his perplexities
by the hair.” This refers to a mannerism of Mr. Pocket who, in his troubled
moments, used to try to rise from his chair with his hands clutching his hair.”

Thus Dickens shows extraordinary skills in his use of humor. The novel is
pervaded by Dicken’s sense of humor. He can make his readers laugh at a
character or a scene. His originality in presenting humor is interesting.

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