When Pip goes to Mrs. Havisham house he meets Estella the love of his life but she has other things to say about him ‘boy- why he’s a common laboring boy’ this is how Estella feels for pip because of this comment pip feels lower than usual ‘my coarse hands and my common boots’ Pip gets upset on Estella’s words because of how little wealth he has got. He can’t afford good working boots but because of all of Estella’s wealth she can afford better, and she shouldn’t judge a person on the quality of their clothes.
Pip is wishing to become a gentleman for Estella but he was brought up by Joe who was not taught these things and had very little money ‘I wish Joe was more genteelly brought up then I could have been to’ this quotation is showing that even at a young age pip was embarrassed of Joe of not being brought up as a gentleman if he was then he thinks that it would of impressed Estella.
Pips life twists around when he is expected to have ‘Great Expectations’ with the help of his secret benefactor he becomes a gentleman, but he is shocked to find out that his benefactor is Magwitch the convict ‘ the abhorrence in which I held the man, the dread…….. been some terrible beast’ Pip is very disappointed his benefactor is Magwitch not Mrs. Havisham, he is very surprised yet he is happy. It was Magwitch who expected pip to have ‘Great Expectations’ but it was only because of his kindness and generosity.
Pip becomes a stubborn, stuck up man when he has this wealth and at this time he is visited by Joe ‘as the time approached I would have liked to have run away …….. in the course of his ascent’ Pip feels ashamed and embarrassed of Joe making Joe feel very low and making him leave early, because of all this money pip feels he has a higher status than Joe, and now Joe is even calling him ‘sir’ (the man who brought him up.) Pip used to be like Joe before the money he use to have the same job as him same status or even lower until Mr Jaggers came, this shows with wealth pip has became selfish and snobbish.
Mrs. Havisham and Joe are very contrasting characters; Mrs. Havisham is rich yet unhappy ‘do you know what I touch here? ... - broken’ Mrs. Havisham is very lonely even with all of her wealth this is suggesting not all wealthy people are happy. Joe is poor and at a low status yet he is a very happy and good person in his life ‘god knows your welcome to it- so far … poor miserable fellow creature-’ this shows Joes goodness and generosity of spirit he let the convict have the pie and never said ‘that was my pie!’ even though he has very little money.
Joe had very little education because he had to work when he was a child ‘my father pip he was give to drink ……. Remember reader he was good at heart’ Joes father was a drunk so Joes mother ran away with him, Joe then got a job and had no time or the money for an education. You need money to survive as Joe said ‘as I were saying pip, it were my intentions ….. and her share of peace come round at last’ Joes mother needed money to survive , she was ill, every thing costs money no matter what in Mrs. Havisham case she has enough money to give to every one and everyone wants it ‘when I am laid on the table …….. come to feast upon me’ when Mrs. Havisham dies every one will be after her money, it will be like they are after her flesh. Ms Havisham has more money than Joe yet Joe pays for a bill which is a large amount which is not in his name ‘I hummed to the breakfast …. I found the receipt in his name’ even though Joe is not a wealthy man and is lower class than every one he is a good person and pays for pips debt even after how Pip treated Joe, Joe is still a good and better person than before.
Mrs. Havisham status has lead her to misery and at the end of it lead her to guilt ‘Mrs. Havisham her hand still covering her heart. Seemed all resolved into a ghostly stare of pity and remorse’ Mrs. Havisham used her status to break pips heart and when she saw what she had done she felt guilty she felt what Pip felt because the same thing happened to her, her love left her.
In conclusion Dickens shows that money does not buy happiness Pip was much happier when poor, innocent child but when he became wealthy his whole attitude changed he became a snobbish gentleman he thought he had a higher status than all of the people he used to have a lower status than.
Joe is also happy even though he is not wealth and in a high status. Mrs. Havisham is unhappy even though she is in a high status and highly wealthy. That is Dickens views on class, wealth and status is that it does not buy you happiness.