Do you feel that Charles Dickens presentation of Joe Gargery makes him seem on balance a foolish person or someone worthy of our respect?
In Great Expectations, Joe Gargery comes into the novel many times. Sometimes he is portrayed as a very foolish person but other times he actually is quite clever and worthy of our respect. At the beginning of the novel, he seems foolish in the sense that he is a very simple man and does nothing to hide it. When Pip is reading him a letter, Joe remarks ''Why, here's a J,' said Joe, ' and a O equal to anythink! Here's a J and a O, Pip, and a J-O, Joe.''
Pip carries on by saying ' I had never heard Joe read aloud to any great extent than this monosyllable, and I had observed at church last Sunday when I accidentally held our Prayer-Book upside down, that it seemed to suit his convenience quite as well as if it had been all right.'
There are many more examples of his foolishness but there is one important point that must be included to understand why Joe puts up with Mrs Joe's nagging the whole time. He tells Pip about how his father beat his mother and him constantly: ' and he hammered at me with such a wigour only to be equalled by the wigour with which he didn't hammer at his anwil. - You're a listening and understanding, Pip?' He then reveals that Mrs Joe doesn't like scholarly people in her house 'And she ain't over partial to having scholars on the premises' Joe continued, ' and in partickler would not be over partial to my being a scholar, for fear as I might rise. Like a sort of rebel, don't you see?' In this there is a clear sign that Joe doesn't want any disharmony in his house and he doesn't want to treat his wife like his dad treated his mum. So for this reason he puts up with Mrs Joe 'knocking his head for a little while against the wall behind him' when he steps out of line. For this reason, it seems we must respect him as someone who learns not from his mistakes, but other people's.
In Great Expectations, Joe Gargery comes into the novel many times. Sometimes he is portrayed as a very foolish person but other times he actually is quite clever and worthy of our respect. At the beginning of the novel, he seems foolish in the sense that he is a very simple man and does nothing to hide it. When Pip is reading him a letter, Joe remarks ''Why, here's a J,' said Joe, ' and a O equal to anythink! Here's a J and a O, Pip, and a J-O, Joe.''
Pip carries on by saying ' I had never heard Joe read aloud to any great extent than this monosyllable, and I had observed at church last Sunday when I accidentally held our Prayer-Book upside down, that it seemed to suit his convenience quite as well as if it had been all right.'
There are many more examples of his foolishness but there is one important point that must be included to understand why Joe puts up with Mrs Joe's nagging the whole time. He tells Pip about how his father beat his mother and him constantly: ' and he hammered at me with such a wigour only to be equalled by the wigour with which he didn't hammer at his anwil. - You're a listening and understanding, Pip?' He then reveals that Mrs Joe doesn't like scholarly people in her house 'And she ain't over partial to having scholars on the premises' Joe continued, ' and in partickler would not be over partial to my being a scholar, for fear as I might rise. Like a sort of rebel, don't you see?' In this there is a clear sign that Joe doesn't want any disharmony in his house and he doesn't want to treat his wife like his dad treated his mum. So for this reason he puts up with Mrs Joe 'knocking his head for a little while against the wall behind him' when he steps out of line. For this reason, it seems we must respect him as someone who learns not from his mistakes, but other people's.
