Charles Dickens is the greatest representative of English critical realism. Dickens‟s literature career may be roughly divided into 3 periods. Great Expectations is among the last period. The last period of Dickens‟s literature career began with the publication of Bleak House in 1852-1853. His novels of this period are much darker in content than their predecessors (Liu 295). In most of his novels, we can tell his own unhappy experience, which is reflected in the low class miserable life and is carefully describe and recorded. Great Expectations is also regarded as an autographical novel.
The period from the late 18th century to the early 19th century is a crucial era called Victorian Period. Chronologically, the Victorian period roughly coincides with the reign of Queen Victoria who ruled over England from 1837 to 1901 (Sun 193). Many people use such terms as reform, tansformation, improvement and progress to mark the 19th century different from other ages. In Wendell Stacy Johnson‟s words, it was, of course, a time of rapid change; they were the generations in between the older, stable world of social institutions hardly changed since the late Middle Age and what we think of as the modern world (Stacy 123).In Great Expectations, the author depicted a very real and vivid picture of this age.
As a genius realistic writer in English literature, Charles Dickens published the novel named Great Expectations, which earned him reputation for his revealment of the critical realism. The novel is Dickens‟ most complicated one with the major theme that money actually obscures the expression of love. The novel reflected the prevailing social outlook and it also builds up many impressive images successfully. It shows humanity and humor of the author (Zhu 9). As one of the author‟s most prominent works, it was published in 1861, which is regarded as a quite mature novel.
He always describes people‟s characters which change with the development of environment (Luo 12). It describes his changing of characters and return to his benevolent, kind, and simple nature. The novel reflects the growth of Pip. These changes in his nature are influenced by the people surrounding Pip.
Charles Dickens explores the changing nature of goodness and evil in this novel.
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The conversion of his nature shows the development of a small person Pip‟s nature, which infers that all the things Pip wants in the flashy world is of no value. Most importantly, being a gentleman with knowledge, depth and good manners counts.
This paper analyses Pip‟ character and makes comprehensive and further discussion on the factors influencing his nature.
0. The process of Pip’s changing character in the course of his growth
In Great Expectations, we can easily see Pip‟s changing of nature during the course of growth and finally Pip finds his way back to true self. It is obvious that the conversion of his nature proves that the true, the good and the beautiful prevail.
0.1 Simplicity and innocence in Childhood
In Great expectations, when Pip was young, he was an unsophisticated, innocent, kind, sensitive and timid kid who thirsted for knowledge. He did not have a normal family. He was an orphan without parents, who was not taken care of by his bad-tempered sister in a small town.
Pip‟s sister treated him cruelly. She had various ways to punish Pip with a variety of unreasonable rules. All of these led to physical and spiritual pain. Actually, she did not give him any care, in addition to abuse. Consequently, Pip got more sensitive and timid.
Joe, his brother-in-law, was a kind-hearted, diligent, sincere man. He had never mistreated Pip, but help Pip from Mrs. Joe‟s abusing. Actually, he is a friend of Pip. As he told Pip that “I wish there wasn‟t tickler for you; I wish I could take it all on myself; but this is the up-and-down-and-straight on it, Pip, and I hope you‟ll overlook shortcomings” (Dickens 43).
Pip was deeply moved and he dreamed to be a blacksmith just like Joe. Joe
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was a tutor, who taught him a lot, and an instructor, who set an example for Pip. Therefore, he often went to the graveyard to memorialize his parents. When he met Magwitch, the prisoner, even though Pip was threatened, he provided Magwitch with food .Pip showed his kindness and compassion.
Even thought born in this poor family and never having a chance to get a formal education, Pip longed for knowledge. In this novel, we can infer that Pip is a smart child with enormous curiosity. He was curious about the things around him. When he went to the graveyard, looking at the tombstone, he imagined what his parents looked like. As for Pip, his sister pays no attention to his education. He learnt things with the help of his friend, Biddy, who is a kind-hearted and girl
1.2 Ambition and self-abasement after his meeting Estella
Pip‟s life changed totally and dramatically as long as he met Miss Havisham and Estella. He became self-abased and ambitious.
He was asked to Satis House. When he walked into Miss Havisham‟s house, Pip was deeply impressed and surprised. He was totally lost in another world, in which he saw brilliant decorations. Most importantly, he met Estella, a beautiful but extremely arrogant young lady. Pip loved her at the first sight.
Betrayed and cheated by husband, Miss Havisham began to hate all the men. Therefore, she adopted Estella as a tool to take revenge all the men. Unfortunately, Pip is one of them. What Estella had done to Pip hurts his feelings. She mocked at his coarse hands, boots, the way he talked and so on. After his experience in the luxurious house and his meeting Estella, Pip had a new understanding of his ordinary background and low social status. He was desperate to be a gentleman who matched with Estella and as he expressed: “The beautiful young lady at Miss Havisham‟s and she‟s more beautiful than anybody ever was, and I admired her dreadfully, and I want to be a gentleman on her account ”(Dickens 56).
Apparently, Pip began to realize that he is merely a poor boy without anything.
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Gradually, he hates what he had now. He said,“when we went to supper, the place and the meal would have a more homely look than ever, and I would feel more ashamed of home than ever, in my own ungracious breast.” “I should never like Joe‟s trade. I had liked it once, but once was not now.” Obviously, Pip changed his goal. He wanted to be a gentleman of upper class rather than a blacksmith like Joe. To some extent, Miss Havisham and Estella motivated Pip. His ambitious great expectation showed up.
Pip is stuck in a dilemma. On one hand, he knew that he can not match with Estella. On the other hand, he had a strong affection for the young lady, who had been mocking at and torturing him spiritually.
At the same time, he became a regular guest to the house in his childhood. He has nothing to do even though he is dying for Estella.
1.3 Snobbery and arrogance after sponsored by the mysterious man
Then, he spent more years as an apprentice to Joe, so he can make a living as a blacksmith. But his life orbit changed .To his surprise and shock, he got informed by the lawyer of that he was to inherit a property from an unknown mysterious person and he had a chance to be educated as a gentleman. We can get a hint from Pip about his leaving for London .Even though he was a little bit gloomy about his departure, actually he was excited and looked forward to the coming life. He asked Biddy to help Joe because he began to felt ashamed of Joe, the blacksmith. Finally, Pip insisted on going to the coach alone because he did not want to be disgraced by Joe and Biddy.
An idea occurred in his mind that it must be Havisham who sponsored him to go to London to get a better education and made him match to Estella. Meanwhile, Miss Havisham pretended to be his supporter when Pip came to her to thank her for financial aids. Her evil plan led Pip into her trap.
It turned out that he became peacockish, ungraceful realistic and unpractical,
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after he went to London. He began to learn how to become a gentleman by wearing fancy clothes, meeting people from upper class, learn dancing with lady and so on. Since he was financially supported by the sponsor, he is lavish of his money. Consequently, he often made ends meet every month. His life in London made him flashy, selfish, and showy. Later, he found out that Estella was pursued by many men and she enjoyed their affection. He felt unfair but still had a crush on her. Due to His obsession with Estella and belief that Miss Havisham wanted him to marry Estella and chose him as her successor, he would rather visit Miss Havisham than Joe. To fit in the new environment, he made new friends. He came to form a class conception, unaware of it himself. One day, Joe wrote to tell Pip that he was going to pay a visit to him. However, he felt ashamed, embarrassed and angry at Joe‟s ill manners. He would rather pay Joe to keep Joe away. And then he decorated his house in a deluxe way on purpose and wanted Joe to know that he was completely different from the old Pip. Pip put Joe in dilemma when Joe could not find a proper place to hang his hat. How satirical it is .Pip changed dramatically. It is Joe who had been his hero and friend. Now he completely turned himself into a snob, who abandoned his past. He built these norms to divide people into several classes. He actually caught into a contradictory trouble which he once hated.
1.4Maturity and Pip’s self-awareness after the mysterious man’s turning up
When pip figured it out that his real benefactor was the prisoner he once helped when he is young, his world collapsed.
Firstly, he was sad because the person who had given him aids was not Miss Havisham, who had been cheating him on purpose.
Secondly, he was more shocked and scared than so graceful to the prisoner. Pip assisted by his friend Herbert tried to send him away. More or less, he helped Magwitch with kindness.
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Unfortunately, they failed and Magwitch was arrested and his property was confiscated. Pip was still graceful to Magwitch, so he managed to requite Magwitch by visiting him in prison. He got nothing just like before. Later he found that Biddy had been married with Joe after his sister‟s passing away. Even though it is a little hard to accept, he still congratulated them. It seemed destined that all the bad things occurred. Suddenly, he seemed to go to pieces. What is worse is that he got sick. Pip recovered soon owing to Joe‟s help. Joe‟s love to him finally brought him back to the old Pip. Pip‟ returning to nature is a happy ending. Eventually, he left for India to work. Several years later, he returned, there had been a great change. It is fate that Pip met Estella, who had a miserable marriage and was treated badly by her husband. They talked and walked away quietly. We can infer that they got together and married later.
At last, Pip figured it out that he should not change himself and he became unsophisticated, kind-hearted, honesty, benevolent and mature. Money and social status can not be compared with true love between family members, friends and soul mate.
1. Main causes of Pip’s transition of characters
During the growth of Pip, there are several persons who have a deep and enormous influence on his transition of character. In the following passage, I will discuss their life experience and how they change Pip.
1.1 Love from Joe Gargery
Joe was good natured, easygoing, foolish man. We can tell from the whole story that Joe plays an important role in several aspects, not only in the formation of Pip‟s character, but also in expressing how to become a true gentleman. Pip‟s life is painstaking, but fortunately, he had the faithful friendship with Joe and Biddy. Joe and
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Biddy encouraged Pip to go back to nature and live in the state of nature.
Joe was the first victim of Pip‟s honor of being a gentleman. He remained faithful to Pip after Pip‟s encounter of the good luck.
First, for Pip, Joe protected him from the abusing and mistreating of his sister（Du 6）.When Joe accepted Joe‟s sister as his wife, he told her to bring her poor little kid together. Definitely, Joe was a man of great sympathy. He was always there for aiding and comforting Pip in his own way. Pip‟s sister was bad-tempered and always treated him badly. It was Joe who took care of Pip and treated him as a friend and even a son. Joe provided a peaceful shelter for Pip and kept the family which was full of violence. Even though Joe was a blacksmith without advanced education, he protected his family in his own way. With an ill-tempered and unreasonable wife, he chose to keep silent and stood all the sufferings. Most remarkable, Joe showed his respect to each member of his family and treats them with love and patience, including Joe‟s sister. His conception of family was left with Pip, which impressed him deeply. It was certainly Joe who made Pip a kind-hearted and innocent kid.
Apart from a protector and friend, Joe set a moral example for Pip. Even though he was nobody, he taught Pip with noble character and simple ways he behaved. He showed the meaning of what a gentleman should behave except appearance. For example, when a stranger intended to buy him a cup of wine, he did not want to covet little advantages and insisted on paying for the bills; when Pip left for London to get a better life, he sincerely congratulated Pip on his chance to get better education, rather than envied him. He was satisfied with his present life as a blacksmith. Meanwhile, Pip tried hard to learn how to be a gentleman in London in his own way. But that was about banquet, cocktail, servant and how to spend money, which was not the true meaning of a gentleman. After Pip came to London to have the cultivation for the gentleman, he began to look down upon the low class, even his best friend: Joe. As shown in the Great Expectations:
“One Monday morning I received a letter from Biddy in which she
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informed me of Joe‟s intention to visit me at Barnard‟s in the next morning. I did not look forward with pleasure to this visit, and if I could have kept him away by paying money […] but I had the sharpest sensitiveness to his being seen by Drummel, whom I held in contempt because he was idle, stupid and haughty”. (Dickens 114)
It is quite ironic that Pip embarrassed Joe when Joe came to visit Pip. Pip became quite ashamed of Joe‟s manner and picky. However, Joe did not blame him for his treatment and is not angry with his coldness. He tried his best to understand Pip.
At the end of the story, when Pip got sick, as his best friend, Joe did not mind Pip‟s previous behavior and took good care of him. After Pip‟s recovery and silent departure, Joe did not want to bother Pip. He asked for nothing and cared more about Pip‟s life.
Joe‟s kindness and love finally brought the old Pip back. Pip began to introspect into his own minds. He came to recognize his mistakes and felt ashamed and guilty.
We can treat Joe with many virtues as a symbol. Obviously, he symbolizes all the goodness Pip lacks and finally gains. He is a teacher more than a friend. During Pip‟s growth, Joe plays a balancing role. When Pip gets lost in his great expectations, Joe is still there and supports him. In a word, it is Joe who makes Pip return to his nature.
2.2Biddy’s help and company
Biddy was an important character in Pip‟s transition of character. She was a clever, sweet-tempered and kindhearted girl of high intelligence. Biddy was always the one he could think of when he was to make any decision. They had built solid friendship in Pip‟s childhood.
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More precisely, Biddy was Pip‟s first conductor, guiding him to the new world of knowledge. Biddy was a teacher more than a friend. Pip‟s rough sister could not give him chances to satisfy his curiosity for knowledge. When Pip attended a night class, he found out that it was not a school, where there were not textbooks and teachers.
“During this period I attended an evening school kept by Mr.Wopsle‟s great-aunt. Her method of education was peculiar, for she usually went to sleep from six to seven every evening, leaving her pupils to improve themselves as best they could by seeing her do it .Mr.Wopsle‟s great-aunt, besides keeping this Education Institution, kept in the same room a little general shop”(Dickens 33).
Pip is longing for knowledge is an important and obvious factor of his mental change. Pip begins to look forward to unexpected life in the future. From several chapters of this novel, we can know that Pip is a smart boy.
As for Pip, his sister paid no attention for his education. He came to know alphabets with the help of his friend, Biddy. He was active to gain knowledge due to his being a knowledge-thirsty boy. He was glad to ask Biddy how to manage to learn everything. Regardless of its inconvenience, Pip was glad to copy it at home and taught himself.
Most importantly, Biddy helped Pip when Pip had a tough time, especially after Pip met Estella. When Pip told Biddy that he had been in love with a girl who mocked at her, Biddy questioned his intention to be a gentleman and told him to leave her alone. Although Pip did not accept her advice, Biddy was still tolerant and saw him off. At the end of the story, when Pip experienced all the sufferings and Biddy had been married with Joe, which shocked Pip and made a mess of his life, Biddy was still there for him.
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Dickens tried to create the character of Biddy as a role of mother to Pip. She was also the one who help Pip remain innocent and kind nature. Besides, Dickens made her Joe‟s wife on purpose due to his intention to indicate the meaning of people‟ influences. Afterwards, Biddy named her baby after Pip. Biddy exercised an invisible, formative influence on Pip‟s character. It is Biddy who inspired Pip greatly in the positive way while Estella in the negative way.
2.3The obsession with Estella
Estella was also a poor girl raised by Miss Havisham and used as a tool to take revenge on men. She was a lofty, arrogant girl who was brought up like that. Pip was influenced by Estella and had her arrogance, pride, prejudice and indifference. She motivated Pip to strive to realize his great expectation and be a member of upper class. As Pip describe:
“I love her simply because I found her irresistible. Once for all, I knew to my sorrow, often and often, if not always, that I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be. Once for all; I love her nonetheless because I knew it, and it had no more influence in restraining me, than if I had devoutly believed her to be human perfection” (Dickens 229). His obsession with Estella is easily seen from above. That he wanted to marry Estella was definitely a part of his great expectations.
Growing in the small countryside and influenced by persons like Joe and Biddy, Pip was growing up in a natural and simple way. Therefore, Pip was a shy, sincere and kindhearted kid before his first visit to Miss Havisham and Estella. Pip loved Estella at the first sight. However, Estella contempted her and mocked at his coarse hands,
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heavy boots, and moreover the way he spoke. Estella was the one who made Pip determined to elbow his way to the upper class and pursue his great expectations. Pip described in Great Expectations:
“The beautiful young lady at Miss Havisham‟s, and she‟s more beautiful than anybody ever was, and I admired her dreadfully, and I want to be a gentleman on her account […]. When we went in to supper, the place and the meal would have a more homely look than ever, and I would feel more ashamed of home than ever, in my own ungracious breast […].I should never like Joe‟s trade. I had liked it once, but once was not now” (Dickens 79).
Apparently, Estella had turned Pip in to a more ambitious man who wanted to shut his past out. As time went by, Pip gradually lost his previous virtues and got into the gentlemen‟s habits such as apathy and ingratitude. Pip regarded himself as a gentleman superior to common persons. He was completely eager to cut himself from the old Pip and even from his old companies. Pip mainly influenced by Estella ,who once was an innocent and simple boy, far away from nature, was polluted to be a sophisticated man of dramatic vanity.
Estella used to satisfy with her life which Miss Havisham gave her. However, she gradually got bored and tied of this kind of dumb life. What made her determined to marry the rough guy was actually that she wanted to get rid of Miss Havisham.
Estella is not only influenced Pip but also got touched and moved by Pip. At the end of the story, when Pip visited Miss Havisham‟s mansion, he encountered Estella and persuaded her to leave the past behind and get out of the house with him.
Her confession also marked the maturity of Pip, and returning back to good nature, because Pip had forgiven and accepted her.
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2.4Miss Havisham’s misleading
Miss Havisham was a crazy, mad, vengeful and wealthy old woman, who lived in a shabby and rotting house and wore a dirty and old wedding dress, which she was never willing to take off forever. Anyway, she is a poor character.
Miss Havisham‟s miserable life was totally about revenge due to a disobliging man called Compeyson, who abandoned her on their wedding day. Since then, Miss Havisham became kind of insane and abnormal. Consequently, she turned all the clocks in her house at 8:40, the moment when she was informed of her fiancé„s cheating and betrayal (Qin 74). After all the terrible experiences, she fostered Estella and brought her up as a tool to revenge on men (Guo 72). She was even cruel to his relatives .We are confused why Miss Havisham does this to Pip and Estella, because they have nothing to do with Miss Havisham‟s misery.
Miss Havisham was unaware of that her vengeful action was harmful to both Pip and Estella. She made Estella an arrogant and snobbish lady without sympathy, sentiment and softness, who enjoyed men‟s pursuit. This twisted and abnormal bring-up was incorrect as a result that Estella‟s personality was totally distorted. She was extremely satisfied with the incorrect consequence that Estella„s attracting and tormenting men, which indirectly led to the transition of Pip‟s character. In a word,What Miss Havisham was desperate for is that Estella repeating her tragedy.
Having realized that Pip had a crush on Estella, she came up with a filthy idea that she encouraged Pip to meet Estella. What was worse was that she gave Pip the expectations to marry Estella, but also pretended to be Pip‟s mysterious sponsor after Pip paid a visit to her before his departure to London. She indulged Pip‟s vanity to pursue the illusory dreams deliberately. She made Pip come to get confused between reality and dream and expand his ambition.
Moreover, when Pip was in London .she often asked Pip to visit her regularly. She provided chances for Pip to stay with Estella alone. To say it in a different way, Miss Havisham straightly put Pip to be a vanity man for wealth and social status,
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which ended up with Pip‟s lost in his great expectations. Finally, she made Estella marry a rich man, which completely broke Pip‟s heart. When Pip knew that Miss Havisham was not the mysterious sponsor, he began his self-examination. At last, Miss Havisham regretted about things she had done to both Pip and Estella. When she caught fire, Pip was full of contradictions. He was not sure whether he should save her or not. Finally, Pip‟s kindness and conscience won and he managed to save her. Death made Miss Havisham released and Pip more mature.Miss Havisham‟s quest for revenge lasted until her death.
Generally speaking, Miss Havisham is the one who should be responsible for Pip‟s misery. She made Pip turn into a ambitious and arrogant man. But it is also Miss Havisham who makes Pip mature and find himself. It seems destined that Miss Havisham ends up with her death in a fire by accident after Pip‟s last visit.
2.5The kindness, gratitude and generosity of Magwitch
Magwitch was a kindhearted and grateful criminal who escaped from prison, and who Pip once stole food to help. When he was arrested, he still remembered saving Pip from the accusation of stealing food. Few years later, he helped Pip to have a better and further education in London anonymously. Pip was grateful to his benefactor at first, but later when he figured it out whom the real mysterious man was, he was worried and afraid.
Magwitch was like Pip‟s second father, who actually had done exceedingly more than his real parents. Later, he risked his life and came back to see Pip. In return, he was disappointed by Pip, who believed that his future was slim and totally destroyed by the fact that the mysterious man turned out to be a convict, rather than Miss Havisham, a woman in the upper class. Every time Magwitch managed to hold Pip‟s hand, Pip would like to release them as quickly as he can. What made Pip more disgusted was the way Mawitch behaved for example the way he ate.
After having been with Magwitch for a few days, Pip came to understand the
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love of Magwitch. Magwitch‟s love to him finally woke his conscience and kindness up in his deep heart. Although Pip finally failed to help Magwitch run away, he regained his kindness.
2. Conclusion
Pip‟s conversions of character and final return back to nature give us a lot to contemplate. First, environment especially people, played an important part in the formation of character in both the active and positive ways. The objective external factors including people that surround us contribute more to the transition of character sometimes instead of the genetic inheritance. Second, people have to learn how to make a choice. Whether you need to change yourself to pursue what you want is a question. Third, the good, the true and the beautiful prevail, which are reflected from those figures with less education and money. Social status and money are finally bubbles which will burst sooner or later. Joe and Biddy knows that. But, for Pip, it takes him some time to understand this lesson.
In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens tells us the importance of human nature by the conversion of Pip‟s character. Pip is a kind-hearted and innocent kid. Gradually, he became arrogant, selfish, snobbish and indifferent influenced mainly by Estella and Miss Havisham. Pip came to get lost and confused in his dream and reality with his unrealistic great expectations. Through the whole story, Pip finds his own identity during the process that he struggles to be a gentleman. With the help of Joe, Magwitch and Biddy, Pip corrects his false values. In this thesis, we can easily know that Pip‟s complex character is the result of the influence of people.
The author also conveys the message that we have to make a choice in face with external troubles, and one‟s own conscience should be the standard of judgment. The outside parts such as appearance, social status and so on is superficial. The peace of inner heart remains significant.
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