From the moment Pip learns of his “great expectations”, he sees himself as superior to everyone else, and becomes self-centred. Pip says, about his family’s reaction to his news “they both heartily congratulated me; but there was a certain touch of sadness in their congratulations, that I rather resented.” He is so obsessed with himself that he does not stop to consider the feelings of Joe and Biddy and what effect his leaving will have on them. Pip’s previous kind-heartedness and innocence are being replaced by pride and a sense of superiority. He tells Biddy that Joe is “rather backward in some things…in his learning and in his manners.”
Pip’s neighbours and relatives change their attitudes towards him as a result of his new wealth. Pumblechook, who once compared him to a pig, now treats him as an equal, and calls him his “dear friend.” Mr Trabb, Pip’s tailor, is also very obsequious towards Pip when he hears of the changes in his situation. From this we can see how important money was to people at this time, and also how people treated you differently if you had it. The possession of money immediately gave people a higher status. Pip accepts that his “great expectations” have indeed made him into a different person and he therefore accepts that people treat him differently.
Pip’s first impressions of London are that its immensity scares him and that it is “rather ugly, crooked, narrow and dirty.” The first things he sees are the gallows yard of Newgate Prison and the Debtor’s Door, which give him “a sickening idea of London.” He is also not very impressed with Barnard’s inn, where he is to stay. He describes it as “the dingiest collection of shabby buildings ever squeezed together in a rank corner.” He also says, “So imperfect was this realisation of my great expectations, that I looked in dismay at Mr Wemmick.”
The reality of London surprises and depresses him.
The people that Pip has most contact with in London are Mr Jaggers and Herbert and Matthew Pocket. Jaggers introduces Pip to the darker side of London society. He shows the brutality of the law as well as how cold-hearted some people, including Jaggers himself, can be. Jaggers has power over people but little sense of responsibility. Although he is Pip’s guardian, he tells Pip “you’ll go wrong somehow, but that’s no fault of mine.”
Pip sees a very different side of London society in Herbert Pocket. Pip finds him very kind, and easy to confide in. He is relatively poor, but is not jealous of Pip. This shows Pip that money is not everything, and that people can be happy without it. Herbert helps Pip in his first few weeks in London by informing him when he does something wrong, such as eating and talking in the wrong way, “in London it is not the custom to put the knife in the mouth-for fear of accidents-and that while the fork is reserved for that use, it is not put further than necessary.” He is very tactful in doing this, and does not make Pip feel stupid.
Matthew Pocket, Herbert’s father, is a “serious, honest, and good man,” and is also very kind towards Pip. He is Pip’s tutor and teaches him what he needs to know to become a gentleman. Pip’s friendship with them is a positive influence on him, but it is not enough in itself to prevent other more superficial aspects of London society from enticing him.
As soon as Pip arrives in London, he begins to become extravagant with money. He believes that his life “would be agreeably varied” if he not only boards with Mr Pocket, but also at Bernard’s Inn, and he spends a lot of money on furniture. Herbert and Pip also join a drinking and dining club where the members “dine expensively once a fortnight, to quarrel among themselves as much as possible” and “spend their money foolishly.” They keep late nights in the pursuit of pleasure.
With the help of Herbert, Pip tries to organise his finances but, although he feels much better after doing so, these attempts prove futile. Pip soon begins to feel guilty about leading Herbert into extravagance. “My lavish habits led his easy nature into expense that he could not afford,” but even this does not make him change his ways and he just goes on running up debts.
When Joe visits him, Pip’s difficulties in reconciling his past with his new status in London society are revealed. “If I could have kept him away by paying money, I certainly would have paid money.” Pip has become ashamed of his background, and he is afraid that Joe will embarrass him, particularly in front of Drummle. He says, “Our worst weaknesses and meannesses are usually committed for the sake of the people whom we most despise.” He realises that he should not feel this way about Joe, but he does not seem to be able to help it. During the visit, Joe and Pip are no longer able to be comfortable and natural with each other. It is as if Pip’s new status has built a barrier between them. Pip realises that this is mostly his fault. “If I had been easier with Joe, Joe would have been easier with me.”
When Pip visits his home village, he convinces himself that he would inconvenience Joe and Biddy by staying at the forge, so he stays at the Blue Boar. Really, though, he just wants to create a good impression on his old neighbours. When Trabb’s boy makes fun of his snobbery in the street, Pip is mortified. He writes a letter to Trabb saying that he will not give him his custom anymore because of his assistant’s behaviour. This shows that Pip has learned to use money as a way of exerting power over people.
At Mrs Joe’s funeral, Biddy sees the affect that living in London society has had on Pip. “Since your change of fortune and prospects, you have changed your companions,” she says, to which Pip replies, “naturally.” She does not believe that he will come and visit Joe again and, although Pip is offended by this, it proves that she knows him better than he knows himself, because she is correct.
The way that Pip’s standards and values are affected by his life in London can be explained by the fact that his status changed more or less overnight. He went from being a blacksmith in a small village to a gentleman in a big city. At such a young age, it is understandable that this should bring out some of the weaker parts of his character. In his eagerness to become a gentleman so that he will be worthy of Estella, he becomes preoccupied by the trappings of wealth, such as his servant and his expensive furniture, neither of which he really needs.
London society at that time tended to judge people by their fortune and their family’s social position. However, Pip does not judge people on their status alone, but also on their personalities. He values Herbert and Wemmick, who are relatively poor, as friends, because of their good nature and honesty, whereas he sees Drummle for the “contemptible, clumsy, sulky booby” that he really is, despite his family’s wealth. Another thing that shows Pip’s better nature is his generosity towards Herbert in setting him up with a career. He does this secretly, which shows that he is being sincere in his actions, and not just trying to gain gratitude. “I wished my own good fortune to reflect some rays upon him,” he says to Wemmick, showing that unlike some people in the upper classes he is not selfish with his wealth.
In London, Pip enters into a society that focuses on wealth and family connections. Its standards and values are superficial and there is a huge gulf between rich and poor. To be a gentleman all you seem to need are the external things like money and fine clothes, rather than depth of character. Pip can therefore be excused for believing that money and a lavish lifestyle automatically make him superior to other people. He becomes snobbish and self-important, and neglects his old friends. However, the shock of hearing the true source of his expectations from Magwitch makes him begin to realise that his efforts to fit in with this society of wealth and status have cut him off from the “simplicity and fidelity” of Biddy and Joe and that he has allowed a class barrier to come between him and the people who love him most.
