Females Influences on Pip in Great Expectations
By Charles Dickens
There are many influences on Pip’s life regarding his thoughts on
women. This would therefore mean that Pip would take his views on
women from those that were a played a major role in his life, for
example:
* Mrs Joe Gargery is Pip’s sister and has raised Pip because their
parents have died. Mrs Joe Gargery has raised both Joe Gargery and
Pip by hand as she is not happy with the way her life has turned
out.
* Ms Havisham is an old, frail woman who has been devastated by her
fiancé who ‘stood her up’ at the reception of their wedding. She
has now dedicated her life to destroy the love lives of other men.
* Estella, a young girl that Pip has a crush on, but who was raised
by Ms Havisham to ruin the life of men!
How does Mrs Joe Gargery influence Pip?
Mrs Joe Gargery has turned out to be a very violent woman as she has
raised her own brother by hand. She is also accused, by Pip, for
having raised Joe Gargery by hand as well. This female character
played a major role in the life of Pip as she is the first female
character Pip really knows and he would therefore get his view of
women from her.
She was not a good role model for Pip as she was, as we find out in
Chapter Two, not at all impressed with her life as she says, ‘It’s bad
enough to be a blacksmith’s wife (and him being a Gargery), without
being your mother’ and, as Mrs Joe Gargery says in Chapter Four,
‘Perhaps if I warn’t a blacksmith’s wife, and (what’s the same) a
slave with her apron never off, I should have been to hear the
carols’. From these two qu...
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...and negative effect on Pip by:
POSITIVE
The ‘snob-look’ was good for Pip when he became rich. This is because
most rich people were snobs.
NEGATIVE
Pip became ‘unaware’ of who his friends were as he became embarrassed
to be seen talking to Mr Joe Gargery as he was regarded a peasant.
Finally, in the book ‘Great Expectations’, all the female characters
have their own influences on Pip, some directly and some indirectly.
Some of these influences may have been for the better of Pip and some
for the worse. For example the situation Pip was in with Estella could
have taught him not to trust all the women he had feelings for. This
could have been a disadvantage to Pip in the fact that he may have
never trusted another woman, but as an advantage could have taught him
that not all women are trustworthy.
As a young child living in England’s marshes, Pip was a humble, kind, and gentle character. He lived an impoverished life with his sister, Mrs. Joe, and her husband, Joe Gargery, the neighborhood blacksmith. Pip was grateful for everything he had, including his few possessions and his family’s care. When he was offered the chance to play at The Satis House, the home of the wealthy Miss Havisham, Pip went in order to make his family happy.
Unbeknown to Pip, he is the perfect victim for Mrs. Havisham’s revenge trap. Calloused from a deceitful lover; Miss Havisham raises Estella as a puppet in her attempt at revenge of the entire male population. Upon first meeting Pip, Estella abruptly insults Pip. Calling him course and making him feel obsolete. Entranced by the beauty of Estella Pip begins to become self conscience after these comments. Once he deemed himself inadequate Pip began to aspire to live up to Estella’s expectations, but he is unable to do so because Estella was raised to torment not to love.
effort and that she's doing him a favour. She makes Pip feel he is a
In the end of the novel, Great Expectations, Pip redefines himself as a dependable honorable character. For example, when Pip is hovering over Provis' deathbed he says, "Dear Magwitch, I must tell you, now at last, You had a child once whom you loved and lost, she lived and found powerful friends.
Pip's Sister and his Mum and Dad died she had to bring Pip up by
In the opening chapter, we feel sorry for Pip as we find out that his
think that he was his servant. Pip on the other hand is more like the
house. The house is a house. Conversely, Pip can expect to be taught to be a gentleman. find wealth and happiness in London. As it happens, they are both.
influenced by various people. Pip experiences tough times as a boy and a young man, but at the end he has
Estella is the main incident in Pip’s life that ultimately leads to his obnoxious and contemptible behavior in the future. This is because of his love for her, even after their first encounter he describes Estella as “very pretty” yet “very insulting”. Unperturbed by this description, Estella continues her disgraceful treatment of the young and impressionable boy when she feeds, and treats him as if he were an animal, continuing to address him like an animal, she does not bother to learn his name, still referring to as boy.
Pip’s first and only love is Estella. Estella is very mean and nasty to Pip. Although he receives verbal abuse from Estella, he continues to like her and will not stop liking her, he sees the good inside of her and will not stop until the good comes out. In contrast to her treatment of Pip as a child when she had called him a common laboratory boy with coarse hands and thick boots, she tries to explain to him that emotion is something that she is incapable of feeling. The fact of that is evidence of his illusion, not her cruelty.
On the surface, Great Expectations appears to be simply the story of Pip from his early childhood to his early adulthood, and a recollection of the events and people that Pip encounters throughout his life. In other words, it is a well written story of a young man's life growing up in England in the early nineteenth century. At first glance, it may appear this way, an interesting narrative of youth, love, success and failure, all of which are the makings of an entertaining novel. However, Great Expectations is much more. Pip's story is not simply a recollection of the events of his past. The recollection of his past is important in that it is essential in his development throughout the novel, until the very end. The experiences that Pip has as a young boy are important in his maturation into young adulthood.
...o emerges in Pip and he is much better toward his family and those around him. It is clear that Pip's character grew more humane when around Magwitch, and not Estella.
...rity, and the ending of his story he has sealed with pain and hardships of life. From losing his parents and sister, his best friend, being treated cold hearted by the love of his life Pip still manages to make it out in an okay way with the little hope with Estella and his close one's child who looks just like him in a scary way. It is not the best ending but it could've been worst for the young man. Pip's idea of life is truly suffering from the worst and getting only a little bit of resemblance from it.
...ubitably influenced by many females, for better or for worse. Mrs. Joe, Miss Havisham, and Estella each use and abuse Pip for their own pleasure or amusement, causing Pip to become dejected and ashamed. These negative emotions start a chain reaction when Pip hurts those nearest to him to please these women. Biddy, however, is kind to Pip. She is a positive influence; steady, always there for him. In the end, this leads Pip to do the right thing and return to his roots. The combination of these many influences is a large part of Pip’s character. The words and actions of these four women shape Pip. They change him from a kind, innocent boy to an arrogant, selfish fool to a responsible, caring gentleman. Without these women, Pip never would have become the gentleman that he was. His life is directly changed by them. Thus, in the life of Pip, women truly are powerful.