Joe Gargery's Maturity In The Great Expectations By Charles Dickens

Based on one’s actions you can determine one’s maturity. This idea is conveyed in the character, Joe Gargery from “ The Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens. Gargery is the town's blacksmith and is a humble, virtuous man who endures abuse from his wife. Gargery’s inability to stand up for himself and habitual actions of letting his wife boss him around, makes him no different than Pip, his nephew. Nevertheless, Mrs. Joe (Gargery’s wife) doesn't like being known as the wife of the local blacksmith. In more ways than one Joe shows many childlike aspects. Joe is a prime example of actions showcasing immaturity and not dependent on age. Joe’s childlike nature is conveyed in the way Pip and Joe interact and the interactions Mrs. Joe has with

Joe treats Pip as an equal despite their obvious age gap. Nevertheless, Pip also believes that Joe is an equal and expresses “I always treated him as a larger species of child, and as no more than my equal” (10). Joe never scolds Pip like Mrs. Joe does or is authoritative in anyway. Consequently, Pip admires Joe as a younger brother would not as a son admires a father. This can be seen when Joe warns Pip that Mrs. Joe is upset at him because he has gone off on his own for a long time. This is often something done between siblings. As a child my older siblings would constantly warn me if my parents were upset so I could avoid getting in trouble. This conveys how Joe considers himself somewhat of a child. For Joe to warn Pip about Mrs. Joe he must also be scared of her when she is upset. When my siblings use to warn me, they did it because they have experienced the wrath of my parents and didn’t want me to also experience it also. Joe also states that “she’s got Tickler with her” (10) to let Pip know the severity of his punishment. To warn someone of something you must know the capability of the thing that you are warning them off. Joe is certain to warn Pip of the “Tickler”, a stick that Mrs. Joe beats them with, because he knows the pain it can