Throughout the novel Great Expectations, Pip's character and personality goes through some transformations. He is somewhat similar at the beginning and end, but very different while growing up. He is influenced by many characters, but two in particular: Estella, the hard-hearted girl from the Manor House, and Magwitch, the convict from the marshes. Some things that cause strength or growth in a person are responsibility, discipline, and surrounding oneself around people who are challenging and inspiring.
At the start of the novel, Pip is uneducated and unaware of his social class, or even that he belongs to a social class. Because he does not know of any "better" lifestyle, Pip is content with what he has and who he knows. As life goes on, he meets new people from both higher and lower social classes and his content turns to greed and shame, as he immediately longs to be better educated. He is suddenly ashamed of his family and origins. Pip learns as he grows older, however, that having money and power and being of a higher social class is not necessarily better than having true friends that care about him - even if they are of a lower social class.
The first character Pip runs into that makes a large influence in him is a girl named Estella. Estella lives in the Manor House near Pip's home in the marshes. Although she insults Pip constantly, he falls in love with her. Because Pip loves Estella, he cares about what she says. So, when she says, "He calls the knaves, Jacks, this boy!...And what course hands he has! And what thick boots!" he takes it to heart. He begins to feel ashamed of his uneducated family, and longs to be a gentleman. Estella is a poor influence on Pip because she is insulting and not supportive at all. Pip should instead surround himself with people who will not just put him down, but instead with people who will encourage and support him. This is what causes growth in a person.
When Pip is young and living in the marshes, he comes across a convict who forces Pip to steal food from his sister. When Pip is older and loving in London, it is revealed that the convicts name is Magwitch and that he has been secretly supplying money for Pip for a number of years. However, giving Pip enough money to live a gentleman's lifestyle is only the physical influence Magwitch has on Pip. He also greatly influences Pip's character.
Although Magwitch caused Pip to have a guilty conscience from stealing food at the start of the novel, he comes back and proves himself a noble character. When Pip realizes that his true benefactor was a convict, he was disappointed, partly because the source of his money was of a lower class than himself. But as Pip gets to know Magwitch better, he begins to understand that even those of a lower social class can be great and friendly people. When Pip says, "For now my repugnance to him had all melted away, and in the hunted, wounded, shackled creature who had meant to be my benefactor, and who felt affectionately, gratefully, and generously, towards me with great constancy through a series of years. I only saw in him a much better man than I had been to Joe." it is obvious that he was very influenced by Magwitch. His pride of being a gentleman was humbled by this lower-class character. This can definitely be considered as growth in Pip's character, as it is commanded in the Bible to be humble.
Pip half-way through the novel grows up ashamed of his lower to middle class family, but at the end he becomes best of friends with a lower-class convict. His character grows incredibly. By the end of the novel, Pip is much more "down-to-earth" and less prideful as he was growing up. Through Estella a poor influence - a person who spits out insults; and through Magwitch a positive influence - a person who is thankful, kind, and generous. As Pip spends more time with Estella, her character shows in him and he becomes ashamed of himself and his family, and as he spends time with Magwitch, his character shows in Pip and he is much better toward his family. It is clear that Pip's character grew more Christ-like when around Magwitch, and not Estella.
