1
Their
Expectations
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Table of Contents
I.
Character Analysis
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.
viii.
Pip
Estella
Miss Havisham
Mrs. Joe Gargery
Joe Gargery
Biddy
Mr. Jaggers
Mr. Magwitch
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5
6
7
8
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10
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II.
Motif
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III.
Motif (Chapters)
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IV.
Victorian Era Fashion
i.
ii.
V.
Women
Men
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14
Bibliography
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Pip
Pip, the protagonist, in the beginning of Great
Expectations was just a common orphan boy. Pip’s parents
died when he was an infant so that’s how he became
orphaned. He was raised, by “hand”, by his sister Mrs. Joe
Gargery and her husband Joe Gargery. Early in the story,
Pip wanted only to be apprenticed as a blacksmith, but one
of Pip’s feeble qualities is that he is easily influenced. Pip
was also kind of a trouble maker by sneaking off, stealing
food, and other things that displeased neighbors, but
especially Mrs. Joe, ““Where have you been, you young
monkey?” said Mrs. Joe,…”(Dickens 678). All in all, Pip
still was a kind hearted person and wanted to do what was
right.
Growing up a little, Pip is introduced to the
infamous Satis House which I think destroyed him as a
person in ways. Residents such as Miss Havisham and
Estella utterly decimated Pip’s prior expectations, sense of
pride, and his self respect. After only just one visit, Pip
started to hate who he was and sought to change, which ties
into him being easily influenced. This is when Pip was no
longer Pip, from that day forth he became someone he was
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not. After countless visits, Pip was so impressionable; he
didn’t want to be a blacksmith anymore, but a gentleman.
Later on toward during his teen years, Pip was
apprenticed to Joe and didn’t forget Satis House and his
expectations, but they were in the back of his mind. Then
one day, Pip receives news of good fortune and his newly
found lawyer, Mr. Jaggers, told him of his instructions,
“…”We come next to mere details of arrangement. There is
already lodged in my hands a sum of money amply
sufficient for your suitable education and maintenance. You
will please consider me your guardian.””(Dickens711).
After this, Pip would no longer be this kind hearted
blacksmith’s apprentice, but a gentleman in training.
When Pip became a gentleman he slowly started to
drift away from his previous way of life to a new. Pip was
educated by a tutor, Mr. Pocket; gained influential power
by relationships, shares, and public appearances. Reflecting
on Pip drifting away, Pip thought of Joe now less of a
friend but more of a nuisance, “If I could have kept him
away by paying money, I certainly would have paid
money.”(Dickens729). What traits came with Pip’s new
title and his growth were him becoming slowly snobbish,
paranoid of being humiliated, and him being cold to his old
friends. Toward the end of the story, Estella reappears in
and out, and it but a lost cause because he would never
reach his expectations of marrying, “that I have no heart…I
have no softness there, no sympathy, sentiment,
nonsense”…”will you never take warning?”...”And will
continue friends apart,”” (Dickens732, 742, 785).
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Estella
Estella, arguably the antagonist, was orphan
that was raised by Miss Havisham. She didn’t know
who her real parents were or probably even cared.
Estella was this cold hearted, emotionless,
manipulative monster, but was only such because
Miss Havisham made her so. Estella early in the
story met Pip for the first time and thought poorly
of him, “…”Why, he is a common laboring
boy!””(Dickens690), thus showing her coldness and
emotionless characteristics. After this event, she
pretty much ignored Pip in his youth.
Estella after a sum of years did change a
little. She actually felt bad for Pip and did so by
warning him about her, “”You must know,…that I
have no heart.” (Dickens732). She tried ever so, but
Pip being Pip, he was ignorant. Estella was
becoming, quickly defiant of Miss Havisham’s
plans and wanted nothing to do with them. In the
end, Estella had nothing, because all she had before
was Miss Havisham’s expectations.
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Miss
Havisham
Miss Havisham, primarily the root of all evil
in this story, is a wicked, evil, manipulative,
backstabbing, heartless individual who seeks
revenge on men. Not much is said about Miss
Havisham’s early life except that her groom to be
had left her at the altar which then her “life” ended.
In the beginning of the novel, Miss Havisham and
her adopted daughter, Estella, took residence at
Satis House. Miss Havisham raised Estella to hate
all men and to break hearts, like what had been
done to her. When Miss Havisham first met Pip, she
had big plans for him to be Estella’s first “mouse”.
Miss Havisham manipulatively talked about Estella
to Pip constantly, dramatizing her beauty to him
more and more.
Throughout the rest of the story, Miss
Havisham would give her “mouse” constant
reminders, showing her manipulative side, “Love
her, love her, love her!...” (Dickens732). All
seemed well until her creation turned on her and did
not fall prey to her “expectations” in thus her plans
went up in flames, so did she,”…in the same
moment, I saw her running at me, shrieking, with a
whirl of fire blazing all about her…” (Dickens769).
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Mrs. Joe Gargery
Mrs. Joe Gargery was Pip’s sister and legal
guardian. She has some form of kindness(hard to
see ha-ha), but mainly she’s a mean, irritated,
unappreciative person. She is married to Joe
Gargery a blacksmith who she is reluctant to be
with, “It is bad enough to be a blacksmith’s
wife,…” (Dickens678). Mrs. Joe is very mean to
Pip probably because he took away her youth
because she had to raise him by “hand”. She end up
falling ill and later dying and nothing else is said of
her.
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Joe Gargery
I love Joe Gargery because he is pure at
heart. He is a kind-hearted, nice, easy-going
blacksmith, “He was a mild, good-natured, easygoing, foolish, dear fellow.” (Dickens677). Joe
Gargery in the beginning of Great Expectations help
raise Pip as well. Joe Gargery most of all was one of
Pip’s true friends. Joe opted to take Pip into his
trade; Joe later on in the story even took care of Pip
when he fell ill. The number one quality I think
describes Joe best is that he is understanding,
““Lord forbid that I should want anything for not
standing in Pip’s way,”… [While he was taking
care of him when Pip was sick] you and me was
ever friends…”” (Dickens711, 780). Joe after the
death of his wife, was still accompanied by Biddy
which he would later marry.
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Biddy
Biddy in the beginning of Great
Expectations was an orphan, but didn’t live such a
glamorous life like Estella. Biddy is understanding,
nice, somewhat educated, and plain. Biddy really
only served Pip as a beginner tutor and an advisor.
Biddy throughout the story dies in Pip’s head as any
interest but an old acquaintance. Biddy became
apparent that Pip could never truly love her for he
fell in love with another, “If I could only get myself
to do it, that would be the thing for me.”. Biddy was
a deal of help to Joe when Mrs. Joe became ill and
even after that Joe and Biddy got married.
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Mr. Jaggers
Mr. Jaggers is a lawyer and Pip’s guardian.
He enters the story a third through by bringing Pip
good fortune,””Now, the communication I have got
to make is that the young fellow has great
expectations.”” (Dickens711). Mr. Jaggers can be
described as well, gentleman, Polite, snobby at
times, nice, rich, but he otherwise becomes a great
friend of Pips. Without Mr. Jagger’s guidance and
assistance, Pip would have never became a
gentleman.
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Mr. Magwitch
Magwitch in the beginning was Pip’s
convict who he encountered and helped. Magwitch
was a decent man and was put into prison for doing
what he had to do to provide for his family.
Returning the favor to Pip, Magwitch was his
benefactor that made Pip the successful individual
he is, “…”I swore that time, sure as ever I earned a
guinea, that guinea should go to you.””
(Dickens748). I think Mr. Magwitch did this for Pip
traditionally because of the guilty conscience he had
because of what happened to Estella. Plus,
Magwitch treated Pip like the son he never had.
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Revenge
The most important motif in Great Expectations is revenge. Without revenge, the Novel
would cease to exist. Revenge was the fuel that ignited Miss Havisham to create an Estella.
Without Estella, Pip would have no reason to become a gentleman. Thus without revenge, Pip
would have been a mere blacksmith nothing more, nothing less.
Chapters and Quotes:
Chapter 18: When Pip first learns of Miss Havisham’s story from Herbert Pocket,
“”Why should she wreak revenge on all the male sex? What revenge?”” (Dickens720).
“…”[Estella]has been brought up by Miss Havisham to wreak vengeance on all the male sex. “”
(Dickens720).
Chapter 20: When Pip encounters Miss Havisham and Estella again.
“… “giving up your whole heart and soul to the smiter, as did I[Pertaining to why Miss
Havisham seeks revenge]”” (Dickens732).
Fashion in the
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Victorian Era
Women’s Fashion:
The dress was worn in two pieces and connected with hooks and ties. The style of sleeves
changed many times throughout the Victorian Era. The neckline was worn in a high V-neck.
Either one or two skirts were worn; with two skirts the underskirt was longer, forming a short
train with the top skirt forming an apron. The underskirt flared from the knees down to create
fullness. Around 1880, the skirt was cut narrow all around the body, forming a slim outline.
Men’s Fashion:
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For men, the top hat or the tall silk hat was generally worn for formal days and evening wear. A
light grey top hat was worn in the 1860s for racing parties. Since the 1870s, there was a rise in
the number of hats that were considered appropriate for informal wear. Caps of firmly woven
wool which were close-fitting were also worn by the Victorian men.
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Works Cited
"Fashion." Victorian Era. Web. 18 Jan. 2012.
<http://victorianeracnr.blogspot.com/2011/01/fashion.html>.
Farrell, Edmund J., Ouida H. Clapp, and Karen J. Kuehner. Patterns in Literature.
Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1989. Print.