Dickens wrote the novel in first person narrative, this could help the reader to perceive Pips character in more depth. By Pip explaining how his past was, he can really display to us his thoughts and feelings. Pip is presented in the novel as being sad and depressed. One of the reasons for this is because he is made to feel guilty by Mrs Joe who constantly complains of how he is not appreciative, and how she has had to “raise him by hand”. This is ironic humour because as well as raising him by herself she also uses physical abuse and beats him with a stick, “tickler”. “tickler” is quite the contrary because hitting someone with a stick would obviously not cause any personal enjoyment. Dickens’ description of Mrs Joe’s appearance is based on the way that Pip sees her as a person. Pip is frightened of Mrs Joe and so she is portrayed as “tall and bone” and having “a prevailing redness of skin”, this gives an image to the reader of a wicked witch rather than devoted mother. The use of a caricature when describing Mrs Joe shows that he has a very vivid imagination; it also shows us a childish side to his character.
More of Pip’s character is presented in the novel by looking at his relationships with characters other than Mr and Mrs Joe. Uncle Pumblechook is one of the characters with a large influence on the way Pip feels. Pip does not like Uncle Pumblechook and describes him as a “hard-breathing middle-aged slow man, with a mouth like a fish”; Dickens uses a caricature to illustrate Pips dislike of him. Uncle Pumblechook is a wealthy man and looks down to Pip “be grateful boy”. Uncle Pumblechook makes Pip feel guilty, “ be grateful boy, to them which brought you up by hand” he is trying to suggest to Pip that he should appreciate Mrs Joe and that “ young people are never grateful”, which is a stereotype. In chapter four Uncle Pumblechook joins Pip and the Gargerys for Christmas dinner. Mrs Joe invites Uncle Pumblechook to “have a little brandy”, which Pip knows has got tar water in it and that he is guilty of that fact. Pip watches Uncle Pumblechook “throw his head back, and drink the brandy”. He observes the effects, the man is violently sick. Pip gets into shock and imagines the worst possible scenario “I had no doubt I had murdered him”, this is obviously not the case and shows how pip is a very insecure person who is made to feel guilty by those who are around him. This allows us to look at his character in a different perspective.
The reader is able to see more of Pips character when he visits Estella. A very wealthy lady Miss Havisham brought up Estella, as a young child. Estella was taught to manipulate men, so when Pip comes to see her she is told to “break his heart”. Estella refers to Pip as “boy” and “common labouring boy” which shows her little respect for him and says that he has “coarse hands” and “thick boots” distinguishing the class difference between them. This makes Pip feel angry towards Joe and that he is “ashamed of home”. Estella pulls Pip away from his only true friend, “Joe”. Pips first desire of becoming a blacksmith like Joe changes to him wanting to become a gentleman. This shows how Pips is being controlled by Estella, willing to part from Joe to win her approval. This displays how Pip is weak and naïve and easily overpowered by those of a higher class.
Charles Dickens disapproves of the way children of his era were being treated. He used Pip in “Great Expectation” to show how some children were mentally and physical abused. Pips ill-treatment and lack of respect lead to Pips sad childhood and lack of confidence. Since Dickens disagrees with this approach to children, he uses the theme justice to conflict pain on those who have mistreated them. This is shown in how Dickens kills off two of the main character, Mrs Joe and Miss Havisham. Mrs Joe who is crawly beaten up and Miss Havisham who burns in a horrific death.
Pips character is conveyed in the novel to be depressive and lonely with no true friends of his own age. He appears to have a vivid imagination “I drew a childish conclusion that my mother was freckled” which is shown early on in the novel. In this novel Dickens tries to explain that it should not matter what social background you are from but the person that is inside that matters. The children that were engaged in his novels always concluded to be loved and excepted in a happy family. “Great Expectations is a symbolic name of the book because Pip was never expected to make anything of his life. I think Dickens’ message is that people can better them selves in life and those that try to pull you back are the people who cant manage themselves.
