‘An old rusty pistol, a sword in a scabbard, several strange- looking boxes and packages.’ The objects that are lying around his room don’t seem like things that a real barrister would have laying around in his office. There is ‘not so many papers about’ which is also quite odd. ‘Two dreadful casts on a shelf, of faces peculiarly swollen, and twitchy about the nose.’ These casts being ‘twitching about the nose’ might act as the upper class are watching Mr. Jaggers.
Yet Pip never says anything against him. He has the utmost respect for Jaggers. I believe it is the manner that Jaggers has about him that seems to command respect, the way he is so precise to not implicate himself. When Jaggers invites Pip to dinner with him, Pip hates the occasion because Pip’s archrival Bentley Drummel. Jaggers likes Drummel and refers to him affectionately as Spider. Why? Does he genuinely like him or is it that Drummel, this lazy, greedy, useless man confirms all his disillusions of man and justifies his cynicism? I think the latter.
Pip admires Jaggers dedication to work and his professionalism. He learns indirectly from Jaggers that he should always question authority and the roots of a person’s power. He admires Jaggers because he is a powerful figure that is successful because of his intelligence to question things and argue. Also going to Jaggers offices gives Pip a wake up call that the world of the genteel is what Jaggers workplace is. Filthy. I do not think that it is because Jaggers is the middleman in the exchange of Magwitch’s money, because Jaggers is doing his job. He gets paid by Magwitch to do the job and he does it because that is what he is paid to do.
Miss Havisham
Pip went to play at Satis House for Miss Havisham, he did this and because Miss Havisham was the only rich and wealthy person that the Gargerys knew, Pip automatically assumed that Miss Havisham was his benefactress. He also thought Estella was meant for him as well.
Miss Havisham hated men ever since her terrible marriage to Compeyson who engaged to her for the Havisham family’s money which he made a “pot of gold” from. To make revenge against man she adopts Estella, not as a loving action but to turn her into a cold hearted, haughty woman, who would make men obsessed with her by her very good looks. Estella was encouraged to practise this on Pip, to break his heart. Paradoxically, this was Havishams biggest mistake. She hardened Estella and gave her “ a stone instead of a heart”, by doing this, Estella’s lack of humanity and negative feelings would backfire and leave Miss Havisham alone when Miss Havisham tries to convert Estella into not being the cold person she was but Estella replies with: "I am what you have made me. Take all the praise, take all the blame; take all the success, take all the failure; in short, take me." Also, when Pip talks to Miss Havisham and tells her that he is still deeply devoted to her, Miss Havisham realises that Pip would have protected Estella and would not have done the things that Compeyson did to herself. She then realises that she has ruined Estella’s life.
Miss Havisham was going to be engaged to Compeyson and to marry, but he left her at the last moment before their wedding and it devastated her, because she loved Compeyson so much and when she realised that she had been used for financial benefit by him, she went mad with rage. This madness caused her to do some very abnormal things: she kept all the clocks at twenty minutes to nine, she wore the same wedding dress, that she had worn when Compeyson left her, every day, despite the fact that it was now yellow with rot. She even seems twisted as she shows Pip with great delight, the room where she will be laced when she is dead. This room is infested with rats and is dark and cold and is rotting. I believe that this is symbolic of Miss Havishams mind, the rats being all the troubles and bad memories and experiences that she cannot get rid of and these troubles are now the only things that she has got to hold on to.
Wemmick
Wemmick is the clerk and closest assistant to Mr. Jaggers. He has two lives: one at the office and one at home. At the office, he is stern, cold and described as having a wooden face with chiselled features and a post box mouth. Wemmick is a “yes man” for Mr. Jaggers at the office, imitating him in almost every way, including the dispersions that he constantly casts at his customers. Wemmick becomes acquaintances with Pip through their dealings with Mr. Jaggers.
When Wemmick invites Pip over to his home, he sees another side of Wemmick that is never seen at the office. Wemmick visibly softens, as they near his house and becomes quite amiable. I would suggest that it reminds Pip of the life he used to have at the Forge. Wemmick lives with his father, the Aged. This Aged is a very good-natured man, he does what he can for his son, like keeping a constant supply of toast and reading to him, he is also very deaf.
Wemmick has a home made to seem like a castle, complete with a moat, drawbridge, and cannon that Wemmick fires every night before he goes to sleep, this blast of the cannon greatly pleases the Aged as it is the only thing he hears. This very idealized home scene is in direct contrast with Wemmick's office life.
While Wemmick is a good man, he is very false and is forced to put on a mask of indifference in order to survive all of the horrible, seedy acts and people that he must deal with on a daily basis. Without this cover, he would probably go mad. Wemmick proves to be Pip's most loyal friend (along with Herbert) and aids him in many legal and criminal matters. Wemmick helps Pip to avoid being discovered as Provis's abetter and allows him to secretly support the development of Herbert's future, the one good act that he performs with his money.
He also has a romantic interest in Miss Skiffins. Wemmick, when at his home, is a good example of what a true gentleman is, however, his character is completely changed when at the office.
In the office, he is like a machine. This appearance he puts forth, as an illusion of a hard workingman while the truth is that he is very happy and sprightly. At his comfortable, castle-like home, Wemmick is very pleasant and cheerful. Pip made the mistake of mentioning Mr. Wemmick's dual personality in the work place, in front of Mr. Jaggers, the boss. Pip "turned to Wemmick, and said, ' Wemmick, I know you to be a man with a gentle heart. I have seen your pleasant home, and your old father, and all the innocent cheerful playful ways with which you refresh your business life.” To which Jaggers, himself releases a bit of his hard working character, by taking a start.
Magwitch
Magwitch is the criminal that a young Pip encounters on the moors as a terrified ten year old. Magwitch made empty threats to kill and show Pip to his “friend” if Pip did not get some food and drink and an iron file for Magwitch, because he is cold and in chains. Magwitch never forgets this and though their encounter is brief at the beginning, Pip showed Magwitch care and Magwitch never forgets that. He pledges in himself a policy to work for Pip. To the reader this sounds very extreme, but such is Magwitch’s life of having never received care and love, that his emotions are completely disproportionate to the care given, even though it was out of Pip’s fear for his life! Pip then gets the two pounds from the “messenger” and this is Magwitch’s first payment to Pip. Pip then acquires his fortune thinking that it was given to him by Miss Havisham
Eventually, Pip finds out that his secret benefactor whom he had thought to be Miss Havisham is actually the grotesque, common Magwitch. This is when he first realises on a large scale that he should not take things for face value and should look beneath a person’s appearance. Magwitch has been impoverished by society, because of his ugly looks and horrible appearance. Consequently, he is never given a chance in life by anyone and turns to crime, but when he gets transported to Australia, a place of no upper class where society was not “developed”, he could become successful because of his dedication to Pip and eventually makes a lot of money as a farmer. Similar to Joe, Magwitch has a sense of virtue and because of the kindness showed by Pip, he feels as if he owes Pip a lot.
Magwitch's intentions were to turn Pip into a gentleman through the use of his money because of a hard lesson that Magwitch learned. Magwitch had been a poor man and had worked for a rich man named Compeyson. Compeyson had the appearance of a gentleman. "He set up fur a gentleman, this Compeyson, and he'd been to a public boarding-school and had learning. He was a smooth one to talk, and was a dab hand at the ways of gentlefolks. He was good-looking too... but he'd no more heart than an iron file, he was as cold as death, and he had the head of the devil afore mentioned. "Compeyson's appearance helped him in a case against him and Magwitch. Compeyson said a very divulging quote to Magwitch: "To judge from appearances, you're out of luck" In the trial, this was very evident. Although Compeyson had been the worse of the two in their crime, Magwitch "noticed how heavy it all bore on me, and how light on him...warn't it me as could only say, 'Gentleman, this man at my side is a most precious rascal?' And when the verdict come, warn't it Compeyson as was recommended to mercy on account of good character and bad company..." Magwitch was sentenced to twice Compeyson's jail time. When Magwitch spoke of Compeyson in front of soldiers deciding their fate, he even stated that the appearance of a gentleman is often confused with the truth. "He's a gentleman, if you please, this villain." When told this, a soldier said, "You're not much to look at." He of course was judging by appearances. In this illusion of the social classes of society, one horrible, wealthy man is placed above a good poor man because of the false appearance that the upper class is better.
Pip is also Magwitch’s revenge to the society that treated him so badly and it is evident that Magwitch starts to adopt the views that were taken to degrade Magwitch himself. Magwitch does not wasn’t Magwitch to oppose the genteel but to be the best of the genteel. Even with all his wealth, Magwitch does not want to aspire in British society and labels himself a “dunghill dog”. I find this very surprising as I thought it would be in Magwitch’s character to revolt against the society that tortured him for most of his life.
However Magwitch is not just trying to use Pip as a way of fulfilling the chances that he himself would have loved, but genuinely loves him. This is evident when Pip meets him later on in his life and Magwitch repeatedly keeps on touching his hair. Magwitch is so obsessed with Pip on this meeting that even when Pip is rude and offers to pay back the two pounds so that he can get rid of Magwitch, Magwitch realises this and thinks nothing of it, because he is so besotted with Pip. When Magwitch reveals to Pip that he is the true benefactor this is a crucial point when Pip realises that he should no take things on face value. He also seems ashamed and wants nothing to do with Magwitch, but he cannot just run away after all Magwitch has done for him and so he is very uncomfortable. This was the transition period of being ignorant of face value and then to being aware of it and when Pip is aware of face value and the way a person was wealthy or poor, he accepts Magwitch and begins to think of him a father figure as Magwitch considers Pip his son. He gets him a place to stay, buys him clothes, keeps him safe and then moves him when suspicion builds up about Magwitch being in England. He attempts to get Magwitch out of the country and constantly thinks about him, the way he constantly thinks about Estella. Pip loves Magwitch and is devastated when Magwitch dies.
Joe Gargery
Joe is the only character who is away from the main part of action. He stays away from London, for the most part, and only intervenes when Pip wants to see him or is needed by him. He is always present in Pip's mind, and tends to remind both Pip and the reader of those values in Pip that were crushed during the development of his expectations. Joe is an honest man, although he comes across as an idiot to some characters in the novel. He is also a generous and forgiving man, which is clear in his reaction to having some food taken from his house by the convict. Joe tells the convict that he was welcome to it, since it kept the convict from starving.
Joe is also the only character in the novel with no real property. All that he counts as his own are his tools; all else, in Joe's mind, belongs to Mrs. Joe. His freedom from material goods and the desire for them sets him apart from the "gentlemen" like Pumblechook in the novel. Joe was a child of an abusive family; his father was a drunkard and beat Joe and his mother. The epitaph that Joe composes for his father reveals the extent of his forgiving nature. The same epitaph, "Whatsumever the failings on his part, Remember, reader, he were that good in his heart," applies to Pip, as well, as he finishes his adventures. Joe is far more significant than the virtuous and kindly blacksmith he appears to be. Dickens refers to him as "holy", and the cottage has an air of "sanctity" for Pip. Joe is opposed to all false values, and does not present his view in a long-winded speech, but rather within himself and in his actions. Joe also rejects the importance of property, pretty speech, and manners. Yet this does not make him ignorant as he regards Pip’ education crucial and thinks of it and even tries his hand at it even though Pip’s attempts are in vain. Also he has an understanding of people and sensitivity that allows him to sense whether he is wanted by Pip or is merely making him uncomfortable. The fire of Joe's forge is symbolic or Joes goodness in a world corrupt by greed and evil.
Joe creates a sense of honesty, morality and friendliness in Pip, while Mrs. Joe does a great deal to contribute to his desires and ambitions through her constant emphasis on the genteel and property. Pip is generally good-natured and thoughtful.
However when Pip goes to Satis House to play and please the mysterious Miss Havisham, he meets Estella. Here he first starts to reject Joe’s simplicity thoughtfulness and good nature, because Estella is not impressed by his status of being the orphan of a Blacksmith. Unfortunately for Pip and Joe this decreases the amount of respect that he has for Joe. His alienation from Joe and Joe's values builds as Pip becomes selfish, greedy, and foolish. The first glimpse of a hostile emotion towards Joe and the forge is over his appearance. Estella ridicules Pip's coarse hands and thick boots, as well as his habit of calling Jacks, Jacks instead of knaves. In addition to guilt that he feels for having done wrong things, Pip becomes ashamed over factors of which he has no control. He even feels shame for his companion Joe and the forge. "I wished Joe had been rather more genteelly brought up, and then I should have been so too." An attitude of rejection and embarrassment is created as a direct result of his infatuation with the distant and unattainable, sophisticated image of the genteel and beauty (Estella).
He pursues further the illusion of the genteel and status, in which Pip partakes in an empty quest to find true satisfaction. However, his pursuit of satisfaction via the genteel stops abruptly when he finds out about Magwitch being his benefactor. Pip begins to reject the idea that was imposed on him by Estella, Pumblechook, Havisham and Mrs Gargery of one's value being based on property and status, and comes back to the simplicity and true love of his old friends. In a sense, Pip's journey takes him through a rise and fall of appearances. He starts off severely disliking “gentlemen,” by the image given to him by Pumblechook, he meets Estella and Satis House and his views change of the genteel and rejects the simple love and kindness shown to him a the Forge for a pursuit of genteel and after realising how much he had over estimated the values of the genteel and under estimated the love shown to him by Joe, Biddy, the Pockets and to a certain extent Magwitch, he returns to a diluted version of his original views.