The Representation Of Women In Mrs Dickens Great Expectations

1002 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysis of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Dickens, unlike his literary colleagues, such as Anthony Trollope or George Eliot, has always been accused of not understanding women. Although the plight of a Victorian woman was a rather popular theme in the mid 1800’s it has been suggested that due to personal circumstances with women Dickens commonly, particularly in his later works, writes his female characters to play rather unappealing personalities. Following suit, the female characters in Great Expectations stray from the epitome of the ideal Victorian woman. Mrs Joe is physically abusive, Mrs Havisham is mentally abusive, and Estella is directly affected by this mistreatment and develops in a tormenter herself. The only likeable female character is Biddy, who is common, kind and wholesome. Even the minor female characters, such as Mrs Hubble and Mr Wopsle’s great aunt, are cast off as trivial and ridiculous. Nevertheless these harshly written ironically dysfunctional females characters function is to serve as a human representation of the different social classes and Dickens astutely planned timeline of introducing these females characters parallels pips own status-climbing journey.
The first female character Dickens introduces to the reader is Mrs Joe, Pip’s much older sister. She is a low-class hardworking woman who lives an exceedingly modest life and clearly feels burdened with the responsibility with raising pip “by hand'" Pip (Ch, 1). Mrs Joe is responsible for making Pip’s character “sensitive” (Pg 18), the complete opposite of her unexplained harsh and resentful personality. It has been proposed Mrs Joe is accountable for Pip being vulnerable to Estella’s cruelty. If she had been more maternal, kind and created a loving family setting Pip would have a sense of se...

... middle of paper ...

...t the novel as well as their personal development as characters. Although pip is blinded by the face value of the high-class life by Estella and Miss Havisham, as the novel progresses the reader discovers the sacrifices and heartache suffered by the wealthy female characters. We discover, along with Pip that wealth does not equal to happiness, nobility and does not make one a gentleman. Instead the lower class female character Biddy is the novels true moral compass, and is rewarded for her appreciation of the life she has been born into and ability to make the best of the situation. The journey Pip is escorted on by these female characters through the different social classes has a significant effect on his progression into adulthood. Essentially, Pip's great expectations are ruined, and because of that he becomes a better man and some would say, a true gentleman.

Show More
Related

  • The Victorian Feminist Archetype In Charles Dickens's Bleak House

    900 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another interesting note to mention is that Mrs. Jellyby is one of the few matriarchs within the Victorian age; her husband is described as a “nonentity” by Richard and literally has no voice, which consequently bequeaths Mrs. Jellyby with the power in the household (44). The dynamic of their relationship thus becomes a transgression of the Victorian feminine archetype also, in which the gender balance is traditionally firmly skewed toward the male spectrum. Through Esther’s interactions with the Jellyby children, the two mother figures are juxtaposed, which consequently works to highlight the maternal qualities of Esther. As Ada says, Esther “would make a home out of even this house” (46). These comparisons also help bring to light the image of the Victorian ideal in

    Read More

  • Estella And Joe Gargery

    659 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Charles Dicken’s novel Great Expectations there are many characters that are presented to the readers at different points of the protagonist’s, Pip, life. Each of them are characterized differently and carefully. Mr. Joe Gargery and Miss Estella are two very vibrant characters in the novel. Joe and Estella are almost opposites of each other and play a very important role in Pip’s life. Joe is a compassionate and paternal figure. Meanwhile, Estella is heartless, cruel, and scornful. These polar opposite figures are characterized as such by Dickens and play fundamental parts in Pip’s voyage from childhood to adulthood.

    Read More

  • Women and Property in Great Expectations

    1894 Words  | 4 Pages

    Women and property is one of the central themes in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. Dickens wrote this novel during the mid-nineteenth century, a period when women's property rights were being intensely debated in England. His depiction of propertied women in the novel reflects Victorian England's beliefs about women's inability to responsibly own and manage their own property. Miss Havisham is presented as the embodiment of women's failure to properly manage wealth and property. Mr. Havisham's settlement of the bulk of his estate on his daughter, despite the existence of a male heir, is unconventional, as the property system operated on a patrilineal basis. Estella's economic tragedy illustrates consequences of disposing property onto women who will inevitably marry. She suffers the loss of her property at the hands of an unscrupulous husband who misuses her fortune. The most recent analysis of the chronology of Great Expectations shows that the main action spans between 1812 and 1829 (Carlisle 5). Dickens clearly gives attention to wealthy women who own property and are susceptible to abuse. The social and historical context of the penning of the novel, and the period during which it is set, suggests a criticism of women's property rights.

    Read More

  • How Does The Satis House Influence Pip's Behavior

    292 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Great Expectations for All

    1822 Words  | 4 Pages

    In his early existence, extraordinary young Pip lives in impoverished house in Kent, England with his sister, Mrs. Gargery and her husband, Joe Gargery, a blacksmith. Here he is constantly beaten into submission by his caring sister. When these beating fail to correct Pip he is then subjected to the atrocious tar water. Then one evening while masquerading as a pleasant hostess, Mrs. Gargery learns of a splendid opportunity for Pip, the privilege to travel to a wealthy mistress’s house, Mrs. Havisham’s house.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis in Pip in Charles Dickens´ Great Expectations

    1531 Words  | 4 Pages

    First, Pip has great expectations Joe. At the beginning of the novel, Pip expects Joe to be a fatherly figure, and protect him from Mrs. Joe and Pip "looking up to Joe in [his] heart" (Dickens 86). Joe and Pip are friends and rely on one another to survive their home life by warning one another when Mrs. Joe "went on the rampage" [173]. However, after Pip receives his benefactor and money, he expects Joe to be a different person than himself. He expects Joe, like himself, overnight, to go from "being co...

    Read More

  • Pip's Development Through Character Interactions

    1288 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout Dickens’ novel Great Expectations, the character, personality, and social beliefs of Pip undergo complete transformations as he interacts with an ever-changing pool of characters presented in the book. Pip’s moral values remain more or less constant at the beginning and the end; however, it is evident that in the time between, the years of his maturation and coming of adulthood, he is fledgling to find his place in society. Although Pip is influenced by many characters throughout the novel, his two most influential role models are: Estella, the object of Miss Havisham’s revenge against men, and Magwitch, the benevolent convict. Exposing himself to such diverse characters Pip has to learn to discern right from wrong and chose role models who are worthy of the title.

    Read More

  • How Does Wemmick's Role Change In Great Expectations

    890 Words  | 2 Pages

    He manages to incorporate the troubling issue of the social-economic interference of gender identities and the way that so many coped with it. London is a completely different place than where Pip grew up, but every place still has its rules and regulations that maintain a society 's consistency. That consistency usually includes the unspoken but blindly followed gender roles, and specific socio-economic settings. And because Dickens intertwined these two themes together, he demonstrates to the reader clearly the extent to which one and the other affect each

    Read More

  • Book Report on Great Expectations

    1697 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are so many important characters in this book that it would take me longer to describe the characters and there importance than it would to summarize the book. So I will keep it to a minimum with just a few crucial people. First there is Pip he is the main character in this book. When he was very young his parents died and know he is raised by his sister and her husband Joe Pip is a very innocent and caring person who wants to have a greater fate than the one presently owned. But is burdened by the fact that he lives in poverty. Next there is Mrs. Joe who raised Pip but is very mean to him and controlling of everyone in her house. Then Joe he is the person that gives Pip help. They play games and explain a lot of things to Pip he is about the only nice person in Pips life. Mrs. Havasham she lets Pip come over to her house and is very wealthy and the people around him think that she will raise him to be a gentleman. But hates men and never changes out of her wedding dress. She also has a daughter named Estella that was adopted and is very beautiful. But is being raised to hate men as well and is using her looks to break there hearts. Magwitch escapes from prison at the beginning of Great Expectations and terrorizes Pip in the cemetery. But out of Kindness Pip still bring the man what he asks for. Pip's kindness, however, makes a deep impression on him, and he subsequently devotes himself to making a fortune and using it to elevate Pip into a higher social class. Herbert pocket who is a good friend of Pip's and gives him advice throughout the book.

    Read More

  • Great Expectation and the Industrial Revolution

    803 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ig snob who thinks that he is a great gentleman. Pip dreads Joe's visit because he looks down on him, but Pip is then is shocked by Joe's humbleness and his simple, quiet dignity. Also, at the end of the movie, Estella and Pip fall in love, and Estella ends up not marrying Drummle, the stuck up London gentleman. Estella favors the original country boy, and on a larger scale, this showed how Dickens thought how the quiet country life was superior to the industrial life.

    Read More

  • Charles Dickens' Portrayal of His Female Characters in "Great Expectations"

    733 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel ‘Great Expectations’ there are three women who Dickens portrays differently to his contemporary’s, writers such as Austen and Bronté, and to the typical 19th century woman. These three women go by the name of Mrs Joe (Pips sister), Miss Havisham, and Estella. Mrs Joe who is Pips sister and Mr Joe’s wife is very controlling and aggressive towards Pip and Mr Joe. ‘In knowing her to have a hard and heavy hand’. This shows Dickens has given Mrs Joe very masculine qualities, which is very unusual for a 19th century woman. Mr Joe has a very contrasting appearance and personality to Mrs Joe. ‘Joe was a fair man, with curls of flaxen hair on each side of his smooth face, and with eyes of such a very undecided blue that they seemed to have somehow got mixed with their own whites.’ In many ways Dickens has swapped the stereo type appearances and personalities of 19th century men and women. Dickens portrays Miss Havisham to be rich but lonely women. ‘I should acquit myself under that lady’s roof’. This shows Miss Havisham owns her own property which is Satis House. This woul...

    Read More

  • If He Should Turn And Beat Her

    966 Words  | 2 Pages

    In her article, “If He Should Turn and Beat Her”, Hilary Schor describes Great Expectations through a feminist perspective. In her reading, Schor characterizes both Pip’s feminine upbringing, which leads to his victimization, and its effect on his perception of other women. Pip is raised by Pip’s sister and her husband, Joe. Contrary to the traditional societal roles of the time, Pip’s sister seems to act as the masculine, with a cold, callous attitude. Furthermore, she is abusive to both Pip and her husband. Joe, on the other hand, takes on a motherly attitude, offering advice to Pip and worrying about his wellbeing. Pip, perceiving that a man must be submissive to his wife, develops a flaccid personality, like one would equate with a feminine docility. Schor equates this with sexual oppression, as Pip develop his masculine side. Thus, Pip often associates himself with feminine language, and at times, the role of the heroine. Irigaray would compare this idea to the concept of male subjectivity. While it is a female character that possesses the masculine identity, her subjectivity as an abuser still creates a distortion between her own femininity and Joe and Pip’s masculinity. Pip’s sister holds the phallus in the family, one which is negative and therefore expressively tyrannical. Nevertheless, Pip does not realize his psychic castration, and seeks to escape the abuses he faces. Eventually, this desire leads him to Ms.

    Read More

  • Great Expectations: Analyzed Through A Marxist Criticism

    1124 Words  | 3 Pages

    Estella is raised in a prosperous household and is judgmental of Pip because he is from the working class. She insults his appearance when she says, "But he is a common laboring boy. And look at his boots! (Dickens 45)" because he is not of the upper class. She also criticizes the way he speaks when he calls one of the playing cards Jacks instead of Knaves (Dickens 46). Dickens uses her negative comments about Pip’s appearance and use of slang to highlight the differences between the two classes. She also insults Pip with a comment calling him a “stupid, clumsy laboring boy (Dickens46)." Because of the differences between their classes, she instantly labels him as unintelligent because of the way she has been raised with uncommon people. Pip thinks about what Estella would think of his family and what Joe does to earn a living. Pip also contemplates how his sister and Joe eat dinner at the kitchen table and how

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in Great Expectations

    2281 Words  | 5 Pages

    Throughout Dickens’s Great Expectations, It is clear that most of the women are portrayed as being heartless, revengeful or violent. Thus this doesn’t give a impression of women, and shows that Dickens could have been gender bias, like most men were in the 19th and early 20th century. However this could have not been Dickens’s intension at all, as he also created very evil male characters such as Dolge Orlick.

    Read More

  • Pip's Education

    1547 Words  | 4 Pages

    As a bildungsroman, Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations presents the growth and development of Philip Pirrip, better known as Pip. Pip is both the main character in the story and the narrator, telling his tale many years after the events take place. Pip goes from being a young boy living in poverty in the marsh country of Kent, to being a gentleman of high status in London. Pip’s growth and maturation in Great Expectations lead him to realize that social status is in no way related to one’s real character.

    Read More

More about The Representation Of Women In Mrs Dickens Great Expectations

Open Document