Great Expectations
Appearance vs. Reality
By Sruli Farkas
Mrs. Joe
But she never was polite, unless there
was company.-2
knowing her to have a hard and heavy hand, and
to be much in the habit of laying it upon her
husband as well as upon me -2
• From Pip’s viewpoint at the start she seems
mean, harsh, and uncaring towards pip.
• In reality as seen later on, she cared for Pip and
Joe but showed it in an odd manner. Joe and Pip
both cared for her as well.
• She also put on a show of her own when
company is around and makes it appear as if she
is always polite and that they always invite people
to come over.
And so she presently said ``Joe'' again, and
once ``Pardon,'' and once ``Pip.'' And so she
never lifted her head up any more, and it was
just an hour later when we laid it down on her
own bed, because we found she was gone.'
Magwitch
You get me a file.' He tilted me again. `And you get me wittles.' He tilted me again. `You bring
'em both to me.' He tilted me again. `Or I'll have your heart and liver out.' He tilted me again.
I was dreadfully frightened,-1
• At first appearance he seems like a random
mean criminal. He is first is shown terrorizing
Pip into getting food for him.
• In reality he turns out to be a very kind,
hardworking, and important character who
acts as fatherly figure and as a benefactor to
Pip.
`That's it, dear boy! Call me uncle.‘- 40
`Look'ee here, Pip. I'm your second father.
You're my son -- more to me nor any son. I've
put away money, only for you to spend.-39
That girl's hard and haughty
and capricious to the last
degree, and has been brought
up by Miss Havisham to wreak
revenge on all the male -22
Estella
I thought of the beautiful young
Estella, proud and refined, coming
towards me, and I thought with
absolute abhorrence of the
contrast between the jail and her32
• Her appearance is described as beautiful and
perfect, but yet her manners to others are far
from perfect and her outer beauty is
deceiving.
• At first she seems to be born into to a high
social class. Later it is discovered that she was
actually born into a low class and really only
adopted into the higher class.
‘And the man we have in hiding down the river,
is Estella's Father.‘-50
I developed her into what she is, that she
might be loved. Love her!'
She said the word often enough, and there
could be no doubt that she meant to say it;
but if the often repeated word had been
hate instead of love -- despair -- revenge -dire death -- it could not have sounded from
her lips more like a curse.-29
She had adopted Estella,
she had as good as
adopted me, and it could
not fail to be her intention
to bring us together.
Miss Havisham
Who am I,' cried Miss Havisham, striking her stick upon the floor and flashing
into wrath so suddenly that Estella glanced up at her in surprise, `who am I, for
God's sake, that I should be kind?‘-44
• Mrs. Havisham seems like she was solely a sad women who
wishes to take revenge on men solely because one man broke
her heart. It also appears as if she has little composition if at
all and no regrets for what she has done.
• She also made it seem like she was Pip’s benefactor and was
designating pip for Estella. But this was not true at all.
• At the end of the book she changes and shows her true colors.
She explains that she really just got caught up with herself and
now understand she made a mistake. She tries to fix it by
making Pip happy.
If you knew all my story,' she
`Can I only serve you, Pip,
by serving your friend?
Regarding that as done, is
there nothing I can do for
you yourself?‘-49
`But when I fell into the mistake I have so long remained in, at least
you led me on?' said I.
`Yes,' she returned, again nodding steadily, `I let you go on.‘-44
pleaded, `you would have some
compassion for me and a better
understanding of me.‘-49
when she first came to me, I meant to save her from misery like
my own. At first I meant no more.‘-49
`What have I done!‘-49 `Take the pencil and write under my name, -- `I forgive her.'
I have unusual business to transact
with you, and I commence by
explaining that it is not of my
originating. If my advice had been
asked, I should not have been here. It
was not asked, and you see me here.
What I have to do as the confidential
agent of another, I do. No less, no
more.-18
Mr. Jaggers
• At first he seems like the type of person that
only helps people for himself and doesn’t
bother with things that won’t gain him.
• Later it is learned that he looks out for Pip and
gives his advice, even though it isn’t work
related and it gives him nothing.
I am sorry, Pip,' said he-51
but I wanted assurance of the truth from him. And if he asked me why I wanted it and why I thought I had
any right to it, I would tell him, little as he cared for such poor dreams, that I had loved Estella dearly and
long, and that, although I had lost her and must live a bereaved life, whatever concerned her was still nearer
and dearer to me than anything else in the world. And seeing that Mr Jaggers stood quite still and silent, and
apparently quite obdurate, under this appeal-51
Wemmick
`A man can't help his feelings, Mr Wemmick,' pleaded Mike.
`His what?' demanded Wemmick, quite savagely. `Say that again! '
`Now, look here my man,' said Mr Jaggers, advancing a step, and pointing to the door. `Get out
of this office. I'll have no feelings here. Get out.'
`It serves you right,' said Wemmick. `Get out.'
• To most who see Wemmick, he is a strick, somewhat
mean man. This is because they see him at work.
• Really his personality is not as such because at home he
is a genital and kind friend to all. He creates for himself
two personalities, one for work and the second for
home, but his true personality is the one he assumes at
home.
Wemmick, I know you to be a man with a gentle heart. I have seen your
pleasant home, and your old father, and all the innocent cheerful playful
ways with which you refresh your business life
`He set up fur a gentleman, this Compeyson, and he'd been to a public boarding-school and
had learning. He was a smooth one to talk, and was a dab at the ways of gentlefolks. He
was good-looking too. -42
Compeyson
This man pursued Miss Havisham closely, and
professed to be devoted to her.-22
• Compeyson was a man of deception. Because
of his gentleman-like appearance anyone that
didn’t know him assumed him to be a well
mannered fine gentalman.
• In reality he is a criminal who tricked Miss
Havisham and others in order to gain money.
Compeyson's business was the swindling, handwriting forging, stolen bank-note passing, and
such-like. All sorts of traps as Compeyson could set with his head, and keep his own legs out of
and get the profits from and let another man in for, was Compeyson's business. He'd no more
heart than a iron file, he was as cold as death, and he had the head of the Devil afore
mentioned.
Monetary Transactions
`Yes,' she returned, again nodding steadily, `I
let you go on.‘-43
• Pip’s benefactor appeared to be miss
Havisham, but in reality it was magwitch.
Yes, Pip, dear boy, I've made a gentleman on you! It's me wot has done it!-39
• Pip also hides the reality that he was the one
giving money to Herbert.
if you would spare the money to do my friend Herbert a lasting service in life, but which from
the nature of the case must be done without his knowledge, I could show you how.-43
• From the viewpoint of the receiver it doesn’t
appears as if the benefactor is really the one
giving the money- even though he is.
London
• Pip expected London to be a grand old place,
but in reality it was filled with dirty and crime.
all beyond was so unknown and great,-19
I might have had some faint doubts whether it
was not rather ugly, crooked, narrow, and
dirty.-20
I parted at the office in Little Britain… that I should be encompassed by all this taint of
prison and crime-32
Social Class Allusion
pondering, as I went along…generally that I was in a low-lived bad way.-8
that I knew I was common, and that I wished I was not common-9
• At the start of the book it Pip seems to convey
that if one is in a higher social class and has
more money they will lead a happier life.
`They made themselves my friends,' said I, `when they supposed
me to have superseded them”-44
• Pip’s major epiphany at the end includes his
realization that happiness is not based on
money or social class whatsoever and that he
is happier without them.
Many a year went round, before I was a partner in the House; but, I lived
happily with Herbert… We were not in a grand way of business, but we
had a good name, and worked for our profits, and did very well-58