Joe Gargery, who cares for Pip, seems like a father and brother for pip, and takes the role of father in Pips life, due to the death of Pips birth father. Pip and Joe have a close relationship, to which Pip also loves and sees Joe as more of a brother.
“I always treated him as a large species of child and no more than my equal”
This shows that Pip sees him as more of a large child than an adult. The “equal” in the quote shows that he sees Joe as an equal to him, meaning that he treats Joe as a brother. This also shows Joe is much respected by Pip.
Pips sister, Mrs Joe Gargery, is very aggressive to Pip. She is not gentle with dealing with him. She does not like him much because she does not see why she had to take care of him and “bring him up by hand”, because she sees him as “ungrateful”. Unlike Joe, she is not a mother figure, nor does not act like one. She repeatedly makes him feel guilty.
“Why I do it I should like to know”
Because she makes him feel guilty for raising him, she makes it seem as an effort, and that she is doing a great favour for him. I see that she loves him, but she does not show it much. It shows that she loves him, because she tries very hard so that he can have the best i.e. she arranges him to meet with Miss Havisham, a potential benefactor, so that he will be able to have money. Throughout his childhood, many females treat him bad. Estella also treats him bad. She makes fun out of him, and treats him as if he is worthless because he is of a lower class that she is.
Mrs Joe does not encourage Pip’s education as she sees it as a source of curiousity. She uses fear to manipulate Pip and stop him asking questions. Whereas Joe encourages Pip’s education by his desire to make him his apprentice.
Miss Havisham you must know, was a spoilt child. Her mother died when she was a baby, and her father denied her nothing. Her father was a country gentleman and brewer. Which in those days was almost the equivalent of him being a water producer as beer was all they drunk, only different strengths. This was due to the fact the water supply was rat infested and contaminated. Mr Havisham was a very rich and proud man. So was his daughter. Was Miss Havisham an only child? No she was not an only child; she had a half brother. Her father married again – the cook, privately. It was only when the cook died he decided to tell Miss Havisham of what he had done. But as the son grew older he turned out rioutous, extravagant, undutiful altogether bad. His father disinherited him although softening before dying. Yet he did not come nearly so well off as Miss Havisham. Miss Havisham now became an heiress. Her brother now had ample means but built up debts through gambling and overspending. It was suspected that the brother cherished a deep mortal grudge against her, as having influenced her fathers anger.
It was at the races and public balls when a certain showy man began making love to Miss Havisham. He was not to be taken without ignorance or prejudice, mistaken for a gentleman. As his father would say no man who was a true gentleman at heart, ever was, since the world began, a true gentleman in manner. He said no varnish can hide the grain of the wood; and that the more varnish you put on, the more the grain will express itself. The man pursued her and professed to be devoted to her. It was thought she had much susceptibility at the time, but she fell passionately in love with him. He practiced on her affection in that systematic way, that he got great sums of money from her, and induced her to buy her brother out of the brewery at an immense price, on the plea that when he was her husband he must hold and manage it all. Miss Havisham besoted by love was too haughty to be advised. Added to the fact her relations were poor and scheming with the exception of my father he was not time serving nor jealous. He warned that she was doing too much for this man, and was placing herself too unreservedly in his power. Although she disputed this and took the first opportunity ordering him out of the house.
The marriage day was fixed, the wedding dresses were bought. The day came, but not the bridegroom. He wrote her a letter which she received at twenty minutes to nine while she was dressing for her marriage. After recovering from a bad illness she laid the whole place to waste and she has never since looked upon the light of day. It had been supposed that the man whom she gave her misplaced confidence, acted throughout in concert with her half brother; that it was a conspiracy between them; and they shared the profits. So you might ask yourself why didn’t he marry her? Well maybe he was already married or the cruel mortification may have been part of her half brothers scheme. But a deserved befelled the men as they fell into deeper shame and degredation. As for Estella well there has always been Estella since when I first came into contact with Miss Havisham but not her own, adopted.
Dressed in rich materials all of white sat a withered old lady with a broken heart. As the withered flowers hung loose from her white hair and jewels sparkled on her fingers and from around her neck. Everything that ought to be white had faded and yellowed, lost it’s lustre instead it now lay withered like the dress and flowers. There was no brightness apart from the brightness of her sunken eyes.
Pip is the narrator of the story so we see Miss Havisham through his eyes. We read only what Pip thinks.
Pip entered the large well lighted room where ‘no glimpse of daylight was to be seen’. In an arm chair, with an elbow resting on the table and her head leaning on that hand, sat the strangest lady I have ever seen, or shall ever see’. This gives me the impression that as Pip was led up the corridor to meet Miss Havisham the fear grew inside him until the door swung open and sitting there was the withered figure of Miss Havisham. I saw that the dress had been put upon the rounded figure of a young woman, and that the figure upon which it now hung loose, had shrunk to skin and bone. As he looked in he saw Miss Havisham dressed in rich materials with bridal flowers in her white hair. She had not quite finished dressing, for she had put but one shoe on and laying on the dressing table were those trinkets, her handkerchief, gloves and some flowers. He noticed ‘that everything within my view which ought to be white, had been white long ago, and had lost its lustre and was faded and yellow’. This adds a sense of eeriness that everything had aged. Miss Havisham then told Pip to come closer ‘Come nearer; let me look at you. Come close’. This is Miss Havisham inspecting Pip as if he were an object. Pip is afraid saying ‘I stood before her, avoiding her eyes’. It was then he observed ‘that her watch had stopped at twenty minutes to nine. She senses his fear and states ‘You are afraid of a woman who has never seen the sun since you were born. Pip tells ‘No’ and she replies by asking ‘Do you know what I touch here?’ as she lay her hand
Miss Havishams first reaction when she saw Pip was to give him a quick inspection. ‘Come nearer; let me look at you. Come close.’ This puts Pip on the back foot straight away after entering the room. She does not welcome him or encourage conversation she takes control. As Pip stood she sensed some fear stating. You are afraid of a woman who has never seen the sun since before you were born?’ This accusation is almost said showing that she is boss. She carried on, ‘Do you know what I touch here?’ she asked. ‘Your heart’ replied Pip. ‘Broken’ she cried, uttering this with a strong emphasis and with a weird smile that had a kind of boast in it. I think this is Miss Havisham to give Pip a clue into the situation. If I were Pip this statement would alarm me particularly the way in which she said it like a woman possessed. As Miss Havisham sat she said ‘I sometimes have sick fancies and I have a sick fancy that I want to see some play’. ‘There, there’ she shouted with an impatient movement of the fingers. This to me demonstrates the woman who was spoilt as a child demanding something. When she doesn’t get it she exclaims ‘Are you sullen or obstinate’ when in fact it’s simply that Pip was astounded at her performance. Pip explained the reason for him not being able to play was because it was so strange, new and melancholy. Miss Havisham responded by saying to him ‘so new to him, so old to me; so strange to him, so familiar to me; so melancholy to both of us’. I this could be Miss Havisham feeling sorry for herself or it might be her showing her depression feeling as if there was no way out for her. She quickly changes the subject ‘Call Estella’, she repeated it again flashing a look at Pip ‘You can do that. Call Estella. At the door’. Estella entered and was beckoned closer ‘Your own one day, my dear, and you will use it well’. She had picked up a jewel from the table and tried its effect against her young bossom and pretty brown hair. This could also be Miss Havisham easing her sadness by preparing Estella or that she sees Estella as the future. S o by calling Estella she was not changing the subject. When talking to Estella she says ‘you will use them well’ this suggests the of a job in this case to exact revenge on mankind. ‘Let me see you play cards with this boy’. ‘With this boy! Why he is a common labouring-boy!’ remarked Estella. This was all said while Pip was standing there and illustrates their low regard for his feelings. They use the word ‘boy’ to make him feel inferior and degrade him. Estella describes as common and labouring making him out to be a lower class. ‘You can break his heart’ said Miss Havisham as if Pip was an object there to be practiced on. We know Miss Havisham’s heart was broken but she is know training Estella to become a ball breaker. Then Estella asked with great disdain what game Pip played. Pip answered ‘Nothing but beggar my neighbour, Miss’. ‘Beggar him’ said Miss Havisham to Estella. Pips response to Estella shows that he is felling ashamed after being put down. Using negative phrase ‘Nothing but’ but remembering to use his manners at the end of the reply. It was not until won a game and Pip misdealt that Miss Havisham said anything. It was after Estella denounced him that she said ‘She says many hard things of you, but you say nothing of her. What do you think of her’. This was the first time I can remember Miss Havisham initiating conversation or showing concern for Pip’s feelings. But maybe this was a false impression, alls she wanted to know was to find out what Pip thought of Estella and how she was doing her job. At first, Pip stammered and declined to answer, but then he whispered ‘I think she is very proud’. ‘I think she is very pretty’. ‘Anything else’ asked Miss Havisham. ‘I think she is very insulting’. ‘Anything else?’ ‘I think I should like to go home.