How does Dickens show tension in the relationship between Joe and Pip when Joe comes to visit Pip in London?

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How does Dickens show tension in the relationship between Joe and Pip when Joe comes to visit Pip in London?

Throughout the book of great expectations the relationship between Joe and Pip changed in many ways. This extract is a real turning point and highlights some key points to do with their relationship and is where they grow very far apart and part to different social classes.

 Dickens shows tension in the relationship between Pip and Joe when Joe came to visit Pip in his apartment In London. It shows this when Pip describes the looks of Joe while at the dinner table. “Utterly preposterous as his cravat was, and his collars were, I was conscious of a sort of dignity in the look.” Pip is saying that although Joe looks like a bit off a fool in his smart clothes that he isn’t used to and his ‘bad’ manners he still has his dignity. This is not to say for Pip because he is very rude and hostile towards Joe just because of his manners that he doesn’t know.

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It is also shown that there is great tension in the relationship between Pip and Joe when Joe calls Pip ‘sir’. This shows that Joe feels lesser than Pip just because of Pip being a ‘Gentleman’ and Joe being a common worker. Pip is very mean to Joe to make him feel this way when they were brought up together in a very loving father to son relationship. Sir shows a much higher level of authority and this should be the other way round as Joe is significantly older.

When you get to the end of their encounter you ...

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