Pip sees no wrong in lying to his sister nor Mr Pumblechook, ” towards Joe and Joe only, I considered myself a young monster,” Showing the only person he considers himself bad towards is Joe. Pip only seeks Joe’s approval , ” you are not angry with me Joe?” Pip confides in Joe, ” I should like to tell you something,” only Joe is worthy of Pip’s attention. He tells Joe with such ease, ” It’s a terrible thing Joe, it aint true.” ” It’s lies Joe” therefore Joe is the only one to know the truth.
After recalling the visit in his young now bewildered and baffled mind, Pip proceeds to blame Joe. “But I wished you hadn’t taught me to call Knaves at cards, Jacks, and I wish my boots weren’t so thick nor my hands so coarse.” The quotation demonstrates Pip sees himself wrong in Estella’s eyes. Dickens uses ” wish” and “wished”, to great effect, as these show Pip’s new found wants and desires, pip no longer sees his life as consolable.
In reality this is just a socially discriminate term, comparing Pip’s pronunciation to be ” Jacks”, where as Estella calls them “Knaves,” this to Pip appears right. Pip is emotionally distraught by the visit, he tells Joe: “I felt very miserable.” Showing his clear self-esteem and emotional demoralisation. Pip realises and evaluates Estella’s scornful remarks of him, ” she said I was common, and that I knew I was common.” An excellent example of the change in Pip is when he sums up his day, “that was a memorable day for me, for it made great changes in me.” Pip himself realises the changes that have occurred within him.
Pip has changed enormously, his feelings about his life, his future, his appearance and home life have been turned upside down. Pip is no longer happy, “it is a most miserable thing to feel ashamed of home.” Pip relates everything to Miss Havesham and Estella, ” Now it was all coarse and common, and I would not have had Miss Havesham and Estella see it on my account.” Showing his shear embarrassment at the thought of them seeing, the state of his life. Prior to his visit to Miss Havesham’s his only consolation was Joe , ” Joe had sanctified it and I believed in it,” Pip has realised that there is more than the forge and Joe in the world, this is his reasoning for wanting more: as he knows there is more.
The change in Pip’s life brings about him feeling that his life is boring, dull and non- prosperous,” my life lay stretched out straight before me through the newly entered road of apprenticeship to Joe.” The metaphor of the journey, implies no variation to his dull routine. The only consolation for Pip is ” plain contented Joe,” showing he is pleased Joe hasn’t realised the full extent of Pip’s worries about his future, Pip hides his unhappiness, purely for Joe.
Before meeting Miss Havesham and Estella, Pip had no embarrassment about his life now his main dread is: ” I was haunted by the fear that she would sooner or later, find me out, with a black face and hands doing the coarsest part of my work and would exult over me and despise me.” This shows Pip’s total humiliation, he only desires to be seen as good in Estella’s eyes. A main change in Pip is that he no longer desires to stay at the house, and also work in the forge. “Because Joe was faithful, that I never ran away.” Showing deep down he wants to escape and have the chance of a better life. Pip would also like to be so much more, “restless, aspiring, discontented me,” showing he wants to be something he isn’t.
Pip’s change in character has bought forward a new admiration in him, ” I want to be a gentlemen.” This means that he wants to learn manners and how to treat a lady. This is because he wants to impress and please Estella, and also for people to look up to him, however Pip only sees a gentlemen from the outside. Pip is inpatient, he wants to become a gentlemen instantly, ” I am disgusted with my calling.” He is using much more refined language, to illustrate his future. Pip’s wishes for the future are shown with: ” Make the most of every chance,” he wishes he could have just one chance to become a gentlemen.
Pip is confused as to whether he wants to become a gentlemen to spite or to gain Estela over, ” and I want to be a gentlemen on her account.” Illustrating his state of confusion regarding his future. When Pip is informed about his ‘ great expectations’, we see him as ecstatic, ” my heart was beating so fast, and there was such a singing in my ears, that I could scarcely stammer I had no objection.” Showing his distinct pleasure toward his goof fortune. We still see signs of Pip’s vivid imagination as we noted, at the beginning ,” I was lost in the mazes of my future fortunes, and could not retrace the bypaths we had trodden together.” This shows Pip’s confusion as to how his great fortunes came upon him.
Pip takes note of the others reactions, ” there was a certain touch of sadness in their congratulations, that I rather resented.” Pip fails to empathise with their sadness, he takes it personally, this is a sign of his new found hierarchy. Pip still however considers Joe to be good natured, ” O dear good Joe, whom I was so ready to leave and so unthankful to.” Showing the change within him that, by saying this he considers himself more important than Joe.
We feel the change in Pip has been represented as him becoming selfish, he now considers himself superior to everyone. ” That’s just what I don’t want Joe. They would make such a business of it- such a coarse and common business, that I couldn’t bear myself.” Dickens choice of the words ” coarse” and “common”, are in two ways ironic. Firstly he feels the very people who he went to for his education, are now below him. Also these words are the words Estella scornfully tormented him with.
Pip doesn’t think after his ‘great expectations’, he will be able to go back to his old ways. “It was an uneasy bed now, and I never slept the old sound sleep in it anymore.” Dickens repeatedly shows Pip’s reflection from the future to the past. He also continuously shows Pip’s reflection towards his present situation, “feeling it very sorrowful and strange that the first night of my bright fortunes, should be the loneliest I had ever known.” Pip sees his new fortunes as not starting very positive for him.
Pip’s attitude towards leaving for London, when he awakes is prosperous, “I was for London and greatness.” Dickens uses the word ‘greatness’, to derive Pip’s views of his future success. Although Pip is sure of his ‘greatness’, he still finds it hard to leave Joe, “I broke into tears,” screening his true feelings. Pip feels proud, he wants to be seen as mature and strong, “I had told Joe that I wished to walk away alone.” This shows his pride, and perhaps stubbornness. This is an example of a drastic change within him. However he still recognises Joe’s goodness, “appreciative of the society of Joe.”
Pip’s thoughts and feelings are greatly contrasting, “get down and walk back,” in comparison with, “I went on.” The quotes show, how Pip feels he should go back to Joe, yet he is torn by his future prospects, “the world lay spread before me.” These contrasting thoughts of Pip’s represent a great change within him. Before his ‘great expectations’, he never had the need for such contrasting thoughts, as his life was simple and easy, now many decisions will have to be made by himself. Dickens wrote the last part of Pip’s departure with great heist, “we changed again and yet again”. Representing Pip’s continuous journey towards his new world of: ” greatness” and “wealth.”
Within chapter 27, we are given our most blatant insight into the character change of Pip. As he reads the letter from Biddy, he finds out Joe is soon to be arriving in London: his old friend, companion and confidant. Joe distinctively asks Biddy to write, ‘what larks’ in her letter addressed to Pip. However even with this reminiscence of past times, Pip feels aggrieved that Joe is coming to see him. “Not with pleasure,” showing pips change, now he’s in London. He now longer considers spending time with Joe. “With considerable disturbance,” he’s worried about the visit of Joe. Pip’s horrified at the thought of Joe coming to see him, “mortification,” showing his true feelings of distress at the thought of the future visit.
