How Does Pip Change Throughout The Novel

1175 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Pip changing in great expectations

In the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Pip grows up to live a much gloomier life then he lived at his young age. At the first introduction of Pip, we see him as an innocent child but over time with events not always going his way, there begins to be a change in attitude of Pip due to him not being able to get over the issues he faces. From Pip having to move to London to become more of a gentleman, to an obsession to Estella and thinking he needs to marry her, to Magwitch dying leaving all of Pip’s funds to go to the government. And all of the hardship Pip was put through from Mrs.Havisham. Pip has definitely had a rough time and he has let these negative attitudes and experiences get the best of him. Pip meeting and his obsession with Estella has …show more content…

He decides to go to London to be a gentleman but what he doesn’t seem to realize is that he is leaving the people that he cares about most without much thought. After quitting the blacksmithing industry with Joe, he decides that he can make more of his life. After feeling like he is not doing enough with his life, Pip goes to London to get Mr. Jaggers to help him become more of a gentleman. Before Pip decided it was time to make a change in his life, he had a conversation with Joe. “Therefore, I made no remark on Joe’s first head, merely saying as to his second that the tidings had indeed come suddenly, but that I had always wanted to be a gentleman, and had often and often speculated on what I would do if I were one”(134). with Pip being so caught up in being a gentlemen, he was not able to clearly see how this decision to go to London affected everyone and later on he saw the impact it had on him. Joe who pretty much raised Pip and cared for him more that anyone else ever did, hardly ever heard from Pip again because he was nervous to see him again. It left a huge gap in several people’s lives that was hard to

Show More
Related

  • The Maturation of Pip in Great Expectations

    695 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Great Expectations, during the middle of the book, Pip creates a rather low opinion of himself acting arrogant and conceited to others. For example, When Joe is coming to visit Pip, Pip thinks to himself, "I was looking forward to Joe's coming not with pleasure, thought that I was bound to him... If I could have kept him away by paying money, I would have paid money (pg.841). Evan though Joe protected and assisted Pip throughout his juvenile years, Pip was still embarrassed by him. Pip is an ungrateful person showing Joe no gratitude. In addition, when Pip learned who his benefactor was he replied, "The abhorrence in which I held the man, the dread I had of him, the repugnance with which I shrank from him, could not have been exceeded if he had been some terrible beast (pg.876). Pip is surprised by this intrusion of his mind realizing that Miss Havisham did not raise him to be with Estella. Evan though Pip was not raised to be with Estella he is an vicious human being thinking such vile thoughts against a man that gave him the life of a gentleman. In relation, as Provis lays down to sleep Pip reflects on meeting him, "Then came the reflection that I had seen him with my childish eyes to be a desperate violent man:" (pg.879). Pip can only think of what horrible things Provis performed. Pip is an unforgiving person, still thinking of Provis as a convict after all he did for him. Pip displays himself as a heartless feign, believing himself to be of upper society and forgetting people who helped him through his journey of life.

    Read More

  • Importance Of Public Image In Charles Dickens Great Expectations

    1220 Words  | 3 Pages

    He meets: Mr. Jaggers, Wemmick, Drummle, and Herbert. These people help Pip learn his way around London, and teach him how to be more proper. Striving to become a gentleman, Pip loses sight of what his values are. Dickens portrays that public image can change a character physically, but his heart will remain the same. For example, although Miss Havisham and Estella have a very respectable public image, and are considered to be rich, they are dissatisfied, sorrowful people. They treat people very poorly and rude. On the other hand, Joe, Pip’s father figure in the novel, and Biddy are very poor, yet they treat everyone kindly and look for the best in others. Dickens mixes the feelings of character’s public image and generosity in order to prove that just because you are wealthy, does not mean you are happy. Sadly, Pip does not learn this until it is too

    Read More

  • What Shapes Pip’s Character in Great Expectations?

    2427 Words  | 5 Pages

    got the cane. A good example of this is where he is about to go and

    Read More

  • How Does Pip Change Throughout The Novel

    1272 Words  | 3 Pages

    There is some thought to how Dickens named these characters, which has a big impact on the message he gets across. According to the “What's In a Name?” sheet, Pip means ‘a seed’, and throughout, readers can see the growth and the passion to change that the young ‘Pip seed’ develops. The fact that his name literally means ‘seed’ is that we can tell from just reading his name that he will go through a big adjustment in his life. Short after Estella makes fun of Pip, he shares with Biddy, “... I want to be a gentleman” (Dickens 157). Pip then goes on and explains that he is not happy with his life, and he realizes he can do so much more with it. Staying at the forge would be holding him back and not allowing him to go on and do great things. Going away to become a gentleman seems to be the best option for Pip at the time, but he regrets it later in his life. Throughout the book, the characters Biddy and Joe are always positive, nice, caring and end up living a carefree life together. But on the other hand, Pip and Estella are cold, mean, and judgmental judgy people who live their lives lonely and wishing they had acted differently. These two sets of character doubles show readers that those who ended up happy, never felt the need to change for anyone, and those who did modify their lives, were not pleased with their life after all the unnecessary

    Read More

  • John Steinbeck's 'Great Expectations'

    385 Words  | 1 Pages

    We’ve all had good things right in front of us, but chose to give it up. In Great Expectations, Pip was blind to all the good things that were right in front of him because they weren’t what he wanted. He could have forgotten about Estella, who didn’t want him, and stayed with Biddy. He also could have stayed with Joe because he loved him, but wanted to be a gentleman. And last, Pip was given money and spent it poorly when he should have spent it wisely. Because of his poor spending, he is in debt. Pip should have opened his eyes, and chosen the things that we actually cared about.

    Read More

  • Pip's Compassion

    259 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Charles Dickens' Great Expectations the reader can detect Pip becoming more compassionate. First, Pip finally becomes Joe's best friend again. Pip realizes he has been insolent to Joe. When Pip recognizes this, he repairs their friendship. Next, Pip is an ingrate towards Magwitch when he learns that he is his benefactor. Pip comes to terms with situation and decides to stop doubting and start embracing Magwitch. Pip is able to show his compassion through his thoughts:

    Read More

  • Character and Theme Analysis of Great Expectations

    1579 Words  | 4 Pages

    The main theme makes a strong point: it doesn’t matter what happens to a person in their life, he or she cannot change who they truly are, inside the facades and fancy clothing, behind the reputation and wealth. Unfortunately, Pip doesn’t realize this at first: he’s always tried to change himself ever since that first cold meeting with Miss Havisham, and especially Estella, and to fit a mold that he thought was what they wanted. At first, it was as simple as desiring to read and write, become literate, gain an education, but as time passed and his world changed, Pip tugged farther and farther away from where he came from and who he was, trying to leave behind his roots and identity. It is obvious to the reader throughout most of the story that this need and yearning for self-improvement brings him no joy, and in fact, virtually nothing but misery and confusion.

    Read More

  • Great Expectations: Changes in the Character of Pip

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    The main character, Pip, is a gentle character. His traits include humbleness, kindness, and lovingness. These traits are most likely the cause of his childhood poverty. In the beginning of the story, Pip is a mild mannered little boy who goes on with his own humble life. That, though, will change as he meets Magwich, a thief and future benefactor. Pip’s kindness goes out to help the convict, Magwich when he gives food and clothing to him. Magwich tells Pip that he’ll never forget his kindness and will remember Pip always and forever. This is the beginning of Pip’s dynamic change. Throughout the novel, Great Expectations, the character, Pip gradually changes from a kind and humble character to a character that is bitter, then snobbish and finally evolves into the kind and loving character which he was at the beginning of the story.

    Read More

  • How Did Magwitch Influence Pip And Joe's Relationship Essay

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although neither are his biological parents, Joe Gargery and Abel Magwitch both serve as father figures for Pip in Great Expectations. Joe became a positive role model for Pip during his youth by instilling good morals and ethics into him while also being present around the house in lieu of his birth father. Magwitch supplements Joe as a father figure by financing Pip during his aspirations to become a gentleman and providing his life story for Pip to derive a moral from. Even though Magwitch and Joe support Pip in different ways, both of them mend Pip into the person he is at the end of the novel. Pip inherits an improved moral judgement and realizes the unimportance for material possessions from his relationships with Joe and Magwitch.

    Read More

  • Pip's Growth in Great Expectations

    512 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through the novel Great Expectations, it is seen that Pip’s personalities change. He seemed to be immature at the start but in the end he turned out much different and yet also the same. It seems to me that he changed because of those surrounding him and the influence they had on him. The most influential characters were Estella and the Magwitch. Pip at first was very uneducated and had not a clue of his social class or that there even was a social class, so he was content with what he had. As his life went on he met new people from both higher and lower social classes. From here his satisfaction turned to greed and shame, as he longed to be better educated. Pip does learn later on that having money and power and being in the high social class is not as important as having true friends, even if they are lower class.

    Read More

  • Pip in Charles Dicken´s Great Expectations

    607 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel Great Expectations, the author, Charles Dickens, creates the dynamic character of Pip. Pip begins as a young 7-year-old boy with no dreams for the future. He evolves into a confident, successful gentleman by first visiting the stage of an egotistical young man. Pip changes by his relationship with money and other characters in the book. Pip evolves from an unambitious young boy into a high class, successful gentleman, predominantly through the influence of money provided by Magwitch, creating the corruption in Pip’s later life.

    Read More

  • Pip's Development Through Character Interactions

    1288 Words  | 3 Pages

    At the start of the novel, Pip is a poor uneducated orphan boy unaware of social classes, or even the existence of such things. As a result, he is content with what he has and who he knows. Moving on in life, he comes across new people from all spectrums of social classes, and his content turns to shame and greed, as he longs to be “better”. All of a sudden Pip becomes ashamed of both his family and his social class. As Pip begins to understand the true meaning of life, his childish attitude does however change. “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” (Bloom, “Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations” 236). As the aforementioned quote suggests, in the final stages of the story Pip’s mindset changes for the better and Pip is able to give up having the “money and the power” and focuses ...

    Read More

  • Great Expectations Pip Character Analysis

    452 Words  | 1 Pages

    Pip in Great Expectations is a character who is ruled by his dissatisfaction in his actions in the beginning of the novel, but meets the harsh reality of life and changes. Charles Dickens develops Pip's character as a young boy who lost his parents and lives with his sister and her husband. Pip is a poor, common boy who grows to dislike his life, wants to fulfill his great expectations, and in the end learns who he truly is as a person.

    Read More

  • Positive and Negative Influences in Great Expectations, Les Miserables, and Wuthering Heights

    1407 Words  | 3 Pages

    Another challenge that Pip was forced to face was that of a convict that he had helped in the beginning of the story; a convict had threatened his life out of a want for food, and Pip brought him food that he had stolen from his kitchen. Pip was wary of helping the convict; after all, he had threatened his life! This nagged at him, but in the end, the convict proved to be a great positive influence; his benefactor. Also, his compassion and love for Estella proved to be a positive as well as negative influence. Pip’s desire for Estella guided him in becoming a “gentleman”; this is an example of existentialism; the belief that any individual assumes the responsibility of their existence, allowing them to control their own destiny. The real influence in his becoming a gentleman was in fact, ironically, the convict; the convict financed his change, while Estella only fueled his desire; without one or both of these essential influences, I believe that Pip would not have become a “gentleman;” although Joe was a good influence, with Estella on his back, he did not realize this. Pip’s change was in response to Estella, he “learned” that he was just a common boy, and thus could be considered both behaviorism and existentialism, while at the same time part of Freudian psychology , because of his love/hatred for common life, and his love/hatred for Estella.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Moral Development In Great Expectations

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the beginning of the novel, Pip is seen by the readers as someone that questions everything. Pip was someone that was well behaved and did everything he was asked. He was always humble and cared for the people he loved which is Mrs. Joe and Joe. However, things start to change when Pip start going to Miss Havisham house. He is introduce to a new world which causes him to change little by little. The more and more Pip goes to visit Miss Havishams home he falls more in love with Estella, Miss Havisham guardian. Ever since Pip started going to Miss. Havishams house, he was from the start a gift from Miss. Havisham to Estella. Pip was going to be the first hear that Estella was going to break Estella, ...

    Read More

More about How Does Pip Change Throughout The Novel

Open Document