including Joe, "I wish Joe was more genteelly brought up". He felt useless
and that he "was not favorable". All these things never use to bother him
before, but now because of what Estella told him, he see's everything that
he's ever done not good enough.
Miss Havisham had brought Estella up in the Satis house to have revenge on
all men. Estella is not a true lady, she's too full of herself and everything she
looks at, if it's not to her liking, it's wrong. The Satis house represents death,
sadness and anger. Everything in the house is messing up Pip's mind.
Pip grerw up believing he was going to be a blacksmith just like Joe
but now because of Estella, he wants to grow up to be a gentleman. He
doesn't even want to look at the home which was so good to him anymore.
Pip was determind to become a gentleman "I had believed in the forge as the
glowing road to manhood and independence. Within a single year, all this
was changed."
Pip now wants to live in London, so he can learn to be a true
gentleman. He believes that London will fullfill his happiness and the perfect
life he's looking for.
When Jagger's arrives to take Pip to London, Pip couldn't be more
happier, he was finally going to be a gentleman. Pip wants to impress
everyone, including Estella. He is starting to become shallow just like all the
other higher class people, trying to impress. "It is the desire of his benefactor
that he is to be immediately removed from his present sphere of life and from
this place he is to be brought up as a gentleman - in a woed, as a fellow of
great expectations."
When Pip arrives in London, he meets his room mate Herbert Pocket.
Herbert was helping Pip to be a gentleman, as Herbert was a true gentleman.
He was kind and friendly, which Pip wasn't really expecting a gentleman to
be. Herebrt helped Pip correct his table manners in the nicest way possible,
"Friendly suggestions is such a lively way that we both laughed and I hardly
blushed."
Miss Havisham's lover was a cold-hearted person. "No varnish can
hide the grain of the wood, and the more varnish you put on, the more the
grain will express itself". The more you try to be someone or something you
are not, the more people realise you are not. The realy you is hidden away
from the rest of the world. Miss Havisham's lover never was and never could
be a real gentleman because of his attitude towards other people. He didn't
have a care in the world for other people's feelings. Everything had to go his
way.
Joe went to London to see Pip, but before he arrived, Biddy wrote him
a letter. She writes "It will be agreeable to see him even though a gentleman,
for you have a good heart". Biddy believes although Pip is now a gentleman
that he would not be bothered by the fact that Pip was of a lower class than
him, but Pip has actually turned into someone he thought he never thought he
would be, "if I could have kept him away by paying money I certainly would
have paid money". Pip has turned into a two faced snob and doesn't like
talking to anyone of a class lower than himslef. He doesn't want Joe there.
Pip is afraid someone would see him talking to Joe and would not be
accepted again by his social group of friends.
Joe is definately the true gentleman here. Joe knows exactly what Pip is
thinking of him, he think's he just making a fool of himself. Pip is forgetting
that he use to be just like Joe, Herbet never treated him in this way, Pip just
looks at Joe in a type of disgusted way and feels "Impatient with him and out
of temper with him". Joe feels very out of place and he knows that Pip
doesn't want him there.
Pip has to realise that being a gentleman is not just about the clothes or
the speech but the person inside is what makes a real gentleman. Joe just tries
to accept the fact that he doesn't belong there with Pip, "You and me is not
two figures to be together in London; nor yet anywhere else"
Joe leaves after he gives Pip the message from Miss Havisham and leaves Pip
feeling very guilty. Now he's very confused about his perceptions of classes.
There are alot of unanswered questions in his mind.
In the first part of the novel, Pip wants to become a gentleman because
Pip made him aware that he was a "common labouring boy". In the second
part of the novel Pip finally becomes a gentleman but he is ashamed of his
background, Joe, Biddy and the forge, which was so good to him. In the
third part of the novel, the different plot lines all join up together in unison
and Pip has to reassess his perceptions of people and most of all class.
The second stage ends with the arrival on a terribly stormy night of the
convict, Magwitch from the marshes.
Ever since Pip arrived at London, he always thought it was Miss
Havisham that handled his money and his social standing. Pip then finds out
the truth about his expectations. It wasn't Miss Havisham who gave all this to
Pip, it was Magwitch, the convict that Pip met and helped once so long ago.
Magwitch has done so much for Pip just because that one time when he gave
him food when he escaped.
"I lived rough that you should live smooth. I worked hard, that you should be
above work". Pip starts to realise that if you are a good person just like
Magwitch you can achieve great things in life, class and social standing has
nothing to do with it. "Yes, Pip dear boy, I've made a gentleman of you. It's
me wot has done it."
Magwitch acts towards Pip as if he was his own son, "Look'ee here
Pip, I'm your second father. You're my son - more to me than any son."
Magwitch believes that Pip would be overjoyed to find out that he is Pip's
benefactor, but he doesn't know that for Pip the thought of Magwitch being
his benefactor just makes him want to faint! "Bringing the face that I now well
remember that I shudder at very near to mine". This shows the contrast
between the way that Pip is feeling and the way that Magwitch is feeling.
Magwitch talks to Pip about his early life and Pip sees that Magwitch
comes from a much lower class than him, but as Pip talks to Magwitch about
his life, he realises that class does not matter anymore.
Magwitch and Compeyson were both tried together but Magwitch was found
guilty and Compeyson got off with nothing. The only reason for this was
because when Compeyson went to court "Wi' his curly hair and his black
clothes and his white pocket handkerchief and what a common sort of
wretch I looked," Because Compeyson was more dressed up than Magwitch,
the judge didn't pay any attention to the wrong that he had done and so he
shipped Magwitch off to Australia. All they judged was Magwitch's
apperance and let Compeyson off because he looked better dressed,
"Always me that the money had been paid to, how it was always me that
seemed to have worked things out to get profits"
Although Compeyson had looked like a gentleman he was an evil man. He
always stole money so he could get away with anything so Magwitch could
get the blame for everything. "He set up fur a gentleman this Compeyson,
and he'd been to a public boarding school and had learning".
The court judged them straight away "One the younger well brought up who
will be spoken to as such, one the elder ill brought up who will be spoken to
as such."
After all of this, Pip learns that Estella is Molly and Magwitch's
daughter. Miss Havisham is a evil, wicked old women who wanted revenge
on Compeyson who was her past lover that left her at the alter. She ruined
Estella's life by bringing her up in the worst way possible.
Pip also learns that Compeyson is after Magwitch, and Pip fears for
Magwitch and what would become of him. The drama of getting Magwitch
out of the country gets tense. Pip and Herbert make a plan to get him out of
the country but it fails when Compeyson notifies the poilce.
Magwitch has been sentenced to be hanged.
Magwitch has fallen to be very ill and would soon die. Pip feels
depressed because Magwitch is going to die and because he's done so much
for Pip. The one thing that would keep him happy would to let Magwitch
know that Estella is safe and well, "She lived and had a powerful friend. She
is living now she is a lady. She is very beautiful and I love her."
Pip doesn't care about class or how much money someone has anymore. His
perceptions have changed since Magwitch arrived at his home. When
Magwitch first arrived, Pip didn't want anything to do with him but now he
grew very close to him as if he was his own father that he loved. Now he
feels totally different and it makes him feel really proud, and finally feel like a
true gentleman "I could not forget that I had once meant to desert him."
Pip was himself again, the sweet, kind, caring Pip that grew up in the forge
on the marshes. As Magwitch dies, Pip says the last words that Magwitch
would be able to hear, "O Lord be merciful to him a sinner." He has totally
changed his perceptions and is a better person for it.
Pip becomes very ill and Joe takes him home and takes care of him. Even
after the all disrespect that Pip gave to Joe, he still helped him get better.
When Pip finally awakes he see's Joe standing there before him, Pip is full of
regret after the way he treated him earlier on. "Look anger at me Joe. Strike
me Joe". Pip kept thinking about the way he treated Joe before, like a useless
man that could only be a blacksmith, but now he found the respect Joe
deserved "Oh Joe, you break my heart". But the only thing that Joe cares
about is Pip and that he is well "God bless this gentle Christian man". Pip is a
new man, a better man.
Pip has learnt that the way people dress, act, behave and talk means absoultly
nothing, its the person inside. His perceptions of people and class have
changed and he has now become and a true gentleman and he knows it.
Firstly he started off snobby and insensitive, but grew to be kind and gentle
and doesn't even think about class anymore. Money can be used the right
way and the wrong way. When it's used the wrong way it can cause
unhappiness and change your whole life, no matter what you can buy with
money, you can never buy happiness with it. You think you know who a
person is by looking at them, thats nothing, you have to look deep inside
them to find the real them.
