Miss Havisham and Estella have a great influence on Pip. When Pip goes to see Miss Havisham all he sees is images of death and decay.
“Well lighted with wax candles. No glimpse of daylight was to be seen in it…I saw that everything ought to be white, had been white long ago, and had lost its lustre, and was faded and yellow. The bride within the bridal dress had withered like the dress, and like the flowers, had no brightness left but of her sunken eyes. I saw that her watch and clock had stopped at twenty minutes to nine”
This quote by Pip sums up the atmosphere of the chambers and Miss Havisham. On the day of her wedding everything would have been brilliantly white and beautiful but now it’s faded. Miss Havisham would even as been as bright as the dress. You can tell she is suffering from a broken heart by the way she blocks out all natural sunlight. This shows the darkness that she has inside of her since that day. Also, with all the clocks and watches still stopped on the time that she was left standing at the altar it shows that she is unable to forget the past. Pip learns from Miss Havisham that you should always try and think about the future and not what has happened. He now knows what can happen to you if you concentrate on the past and become so obsessed with a specific event in your life.
When Miss Havisham’s dress is set on fire, the fire itself is a prominent symbol in her and Pips life. “I saw a great flaming light spring up. Shrieking, with a whirl of fire blazing all about her, and soaring at least as many feet above hear head as she was high.” Miss Havisham’s pain and sorrow is signified by the wedding dress that she refuses to remove. It shows that she lives with her pain everyday. So when, the dress is destroyed in the fire, she is let free of all the pain and sorrow that she holds. The fire is the first light after the death of the decaying dress. This teaches Pip that eventually everything becomes good and that you should not wallow in self-pity.
Estella has a major effect on Pip, when as a child and as an adult. Estella has also been brought into this world of Miss Havisham’s and has been taught to hate men and loathe love. When you first meet Estella you would think that she is a bright, beautiful young lady but later on when you actually look at the true person she is a cold and dark person. When Pip first sees Estella he is besotted with her. He thinks she is the woman for him. “…Like a star.” This is the quote from Pip when he first sees her. She becomes his childhood dream, as he would give up anything to be with her. She becomes his first incentive to live life. Before he met her he had no prospects or reason to live life. His sister beat him; he was getting a limited education and would eventually train to become a blacksmith. She taught Pip about dreams and that you should always try to achieve them.
Later on in life, Pip still idolises Estella. Despite going there separate ways they eventually meet again at the satis house. “What I had never seen before was a saddened, soft light of once proud eyes; what I had never felt before was the friendly touch of the invisible hand” Pip sees that Estella’s eyes have changed since the death of her mentor Miss Havisham. Now, they are the windows to her soul and as Miss Havisham no longer owns her soul they are wide, open and bright. Estella finally became her own person. This teaches Pip to be your self and not to be ruled by other people. It is important that you find your own way of doing things and not just following over people.
Later on in the book, we find out some of the mysteries that plagued us earlier on. We eventually find out that Estella is Magwitch’s daughter. “The morning mists had risen long ago, so the evening mists were rising now, and in all the broad expanse of tranquil light they showed to me, I saw no shadow of another parting me.” From this quotation we can tell that Pip has finally realised that he and Estella will end up parting. If they had stayed together it would have caused unhappiness throughout some of the characters in the novel. Pip gives up his childhood dream to make other people happy. This shows he has loyalty and affection to other people. He also makes a dying man happy by telling Magwitch that his daughter is alive and well.
Pip meets Herbert Pocket in London. When they were both children they had met at Miss Havisham’s house although they had a fight. When Pip gets to London he learns that Herbert is now a true gentleman although is not a snob. “…Asked me if I was sore afterwards?” This is where they are talking about the past. Pips great expectation was London. He is now there and learning to be a true gentleman. Pip is taught how to be one mainly from Herbert. He makes Pip realise that you cannot be taught how to be a true gentleman as it comes from inside of you.
When we meet Wemmick in London, he is a withdrawn and sullen man at work. Although when he goes home, he is a completely different person. He is full of life and is contempt at home. Wemmick leads a double life. He works hard as an accounting clerk for Jaggers. Although for a home he has a castle and looks after and loves an aging parent. Wemmick lacks in physical appearance although he is an excellent friend to him giving him good advice and always having a positive attitude. “Take nothing on its looks take everything on evidence. There is no better rule.” Wemmick teaches Pip to not judge people by their appearance and to have pride in everything he does.
Jagger’s is Wemmick’s boss. Regularly he washes his hands that symbolizes that he is trying to wash away the problems and worries that are on his mind. He has a cool and calm appearance but deep down he longs for respect and needs to impress. Pip also pretends to be someone he isn’t when in London. I think Pip realises that he is like Jagger’s in that instance and tries to change the way he is.
Pip has no real family he can turn to. His sister beats him and treats him without respect. “I was always treated as if I had insisted on being born, in opposition to the dictates of reason, religion and morality, and against the dissuading arguments of my best friends.” Pip is made to feel as it he is not wanted and this creates doubt in his mind about how he feels. He also lives in a world of fear of beatings and abuse, which isn’t healthy for any child. I think that his up bringing also made him want to succeed as a gentleman even more so that he could escape the life that he doesn’t want to be sucked into.
Joe and Pip’s lives have some similar features in them. This helps Pip to understand Mrs Joe and her ways. “..He hammered away at my mother….” And “….He hammered away at me..” This means that his father beat Joe. Pip can see that despite the beatings from Mrs Joe he can survive it like Joe did. Joe also tells him of how he stood by his father until the day he died despite what he did to him. Pip did this for Mrs Joe as he had respect for Joe and his attitude. He wanted to emulate him. Joe also tries to see the best in people. This is a very naïve way to live and for a while Pip copies this. This leads to people taking advantage of him and eventually he sees that people took advantage of Joe because of his ways. Despite Pips attitude changing he still doesn’t see Estella taking advantage.
Despite Pip wanting to be like Joe he wants to be a gentleman and all gentlemen need an education. This is something Joe doesn’t have. “whatsume’er the failings on his part, remember reader he were that good in his hart.” This shows how uneducated Joe is. Pip learns a lot from Joe. Despite feeling ashamed of him at one stage he still goes back to him for advice and comfort. He sees Joe as an idol as he has taught him so much and he recognises the qualities that a true friend should have.
Pips perception changes throughout the novel. The main change is when he is very ill. He feels as if he has so much to give to others after he has had so much done for him. He is there when Magwitch dies because he wants to be, not because he should. Magwitch became a second father to him and although he repents when the fortune goes he still loves him. Many other changes happen such as Estella marrying Drummle and Joe marrying Biddy. Despite this Pip carries on. This means he has developed his own personality.
Overall, Pip does finally accomplish his dream of becoming a true gentleman but really did he need to go to London to realise this. He has spent his life living up to others expectations and despite making some mistakes along the way, learns from them. Pip matured and developed due to other peoples influences on him. He used all the good in the people around him to make himself into an even better person.
