Pip is seriously disgusted with Pumblechook throughout the whole book. When as a boy, he instinctively dislikes the way Pumblechook moralises and lords it over the family. I believe it is at this point where Pip’s snobbish behaviour may have sharpened due to the original circle of changes and I think Pumblechook patronising and insulting Pip at the same time has given him the snobbish character:
‘ “But I don’t mean in that form, or,” returned Mr. Pumblechook, who had an objection to being interrupted… Not bringing up by hand then. Not a bit of it!” ’ (Pg.27)
At the beginning of the story in a vivid scene, Magwitch appears to be a threatening, violent character to Pip. The reader can recognise at the same time that Pip does not know that Magwitch is a big, cold, hungry and desolate. When Pip lives at the forge in the marshes the setting has influenced him. It is a gloomy spooky area with convicts. It seems that it all leads to death and punishment i.e. Mrs. Joe’s beating and tar-water. When it comes to Magwitch appearing from a graveyard he is like a zombie. He becomes dead when the reader carries on to read the story because Pip forgets about him and Magwitch disappears for a long while. During that time of his absence Pip then catches to encounter Miss Havisham. When Magwitch does come into sight once again when Pip is in London, Pip is looking at a much more altered version of Magwitch. At this time Magwtich’s importance to Pip grows even larger as the reader will discover about Magwitch and the affect of his money to Pip. Now because of this Magwitch turns out to be a similar yet a much useful character in Pip’s life. Also the relationship between Pip and Magwitch strengthens and Pip commences into showing devoted attention to him. Even later on Pip is interested in almost everything that Magwitch offers to attempt to say to him. He is willing to listen to him and he becomes sympathetic towards him. When Magwitch is on the deathbed Pip is telling the story of Estella and explaining how much he loves her to him. He tries to make him happy.
Dickens piles on the details about Miss Havisham, it is like as it if she irresistibly fascinates him. The more he describes her, the more intensely she stands out, looming as a weird, powerful image colouring the mood of the entire book:
‘ “Look at me,” said Miss Havisham. “You are not afraid of a woman who… and very sorry I can’t play just now.” ’ (Pg.58-59)
Pip is influenced by Miss Havisham in a way to love Estella and thus he is convinced by her to love Estella even through the toughest situations. He gains to be confident with her but it’s strange because he can list Estella’s main faults- proud, selfish, cold, cruel and unloving:
‘ “Love her, love her, love her! If she favours you, love her… giving up your whole heart and soul to be smiter- as I did” ’ (Pg.240)
Miss Havisham is very unpredictable and it could be why that I reckon Pip most frequently misunderstands her influences to him. She can be pretty random and she can say random, embarrassing, issuing imperious commands:
‘ “ Sometimes I have sick fancies,” she went on, “ and I have a sick fancy that I want to see some play… play, play, play!” ’ (Pg.59)
Now because of her out-of-the-ordinary behaviour the reader can never tell or predict what she will be like. This can confuse Pip’s liking for her and then it makes the reader feel sceptical about them. The different element of Pip’s personality seems to be constantly in conflict. For example, when he first learns that he has “expectations” of a great fortune, his mind goes off in a dozen different directions- selfishness, joy, guilt, suspicion, embarrassment and fear of his own fortune. When he moves to London, he leaves all the people who still affect his life:
‘ “I want to be a gentleman” ’ (Pg.127)
The reader will find out that Pip wants to recognise himself not as a blacksmith’s apprentice to Biddy. Biddy being as polite tries to make Pip decide the right choice. Pip’s ambitions are definite and he believes being a gentleman means a lot. He has lived in the marshes for a long while and the atmosphere isn’t suitable for him anymore from recent events (Magwitch, Mrs. Joe’s death, Orlick etc):
‘ “Well then understand once for all that I never shall or can be comfortable- or anything but miserable- there, Biddy! – Unless I can lead a very different sort of life from the life I lead now” ’ (Pg.128)
Estella’s role in the book is to break men’s heart. She is heartless and she seems to enjoy being spiteful to Pip. She has made Pip’s life unfair because she is always harsh to him the way she treats him. Pip is always hurt by her meanness and it seems everywhere he goes he gets dragged and pulled into her devilish games, she enslaves him. Every time they meet it is like Pip falls into her spell and she treats him like a child. Both Estella and Pip are orphans and since childhood he was affected into loving her:
‘ “You must know,” said Estella, condescending to me as a brilliant and beautiful woman right, “that I have no heart- if that has anything to do with any memory.” ’ (Pg.237)
Biddy who was Pip’s best friend and to her was always just good friends, made Pip’s life sparkle. She is always kind and honest to him but because of Pip’s snobbish behaviour it makes it quite difficult to get to see a clearer view of what Pip is like. The way Pip talks to her is quite arrogant. I the scene when Mrs. Joe had died and Pip has a conversation with Biddy, he seems to get irritated by her sudden change:
‘ “Biddy,” said I, in a virtuous self-asserting manner, “I must request to know what you mean by this… Don’t say no more, if you please, Biddy. This shocks me very much” ’ (Pg.285)
Little as Pip knows is that she had carried on with her life and achieved many things such as a schoolteacher. He comes back to her and tries to see if she will fall into his hands. At this point Pip always thinks of himself, not as well as others. It is because of this that everything begins to happen right before his own eyes. He also figures out but he is too late to realise the impact he has now put on People.
Pip and Herbert Pocket meet at the Satis House when they are involved in a play fight situation organised by Herbert:
‘”Com and fight,” said the pale young gentleman.’ (Pg.91)
They never meet again from that day until Pip’s arrival in London and he happens to be his flatmate. Their first encounters in London lead to the conversation of Estella. Herbert himself has moved on with his life after leaving Miss Havisham’s trial. He already recognised that Estella is mean and a waste of time. Pip denies it because he loves her and Herbert respects him for it. He becomes Pip’s closest person to tell him anything and help him seeing as Pip was new to London:
‘ “And if I adore her before I now doubly adore her!” ’ (Pg.248)
Although he has common sense, Herbert will stick with Pip in spite of his faults, and will risk real danger for him. Pip can learn some table manners from Herbert Pocket, not it being very important. Although one very important thing is that Herbert is a good example of a gentleman for Pip to follow. Herbert corrects Pip’s manners and politeness and influences him to a new way of life. Herbert tries to lead Pip the right direction and his life gets affected as he becomes Pip’s best friend and the first peer that Pip can share his feelings with.
Although Wemmick is quite absurd, he is a good friend to Pip. Just like Herbert he is cheery, resourceful and loyal. Pip’s friendship with him tells the reader that Pip is not much of a snob as he thinks he is. Wemmick affects pip because he is like an eccentric figure. The way Wemmick takes care of hi father, his acceptance of the human degradation at Newgate, his light-hearted attitude towards love and marriage, Pip could learn a lot from him. Wemmick gets on with his life because he rises above his problems.
From English literature we can be taken back to the nineteenth century and it gives us a chance to reflect how life was. In “Great Expectations” there are a number of orphans, adoptive parents, guardians and failed parent-child relationships. Apart from these, you get mistreated orphans like Pip and Mrs. Joe. At that time nothing much could be done about it. In present day there are child hotlines and anti-child abuse companies willing to change this problem and help. Until today there are still children out there in many parts of the world where they suffer child abuse from their bad parents. Dickens shows this with the characters in the novel.
Dickens also tries to portrait lifestyles of different categories of people. It is ranged from the very wealthy to the poor and unhealthy convicts. Nothing much has happened or changed in the world of today but in theory the rich have become richer while the poor have become poorer. The difference is greater and life is difficult.
