Great Expectations Essay

Boehning 1

Jordan Boehning Ms. Gardner Honors English 10, Period 1 9 March 2014

The Personality of Social Class Throughout the gothic Bildungsroman novel of Great Expectations, Charles Dickens shapes a character who develops experience with the steps necessary to become a “gentleman.” Pip—young and foolish—exhibits a boy who desires a wealthy and sophisticated lifestyle as he grows into manhood. With origins in poverty, Pip is introduced to a new way of life that is far from perfect. Dickens‟s characters display the theme of social class and distort Pip‟s interpretation of becoming a true “gentleman,” thus causing him to become bitter towards his original “common” lifestyle. During his visits to Miss Havisham‟s house, Pip is intrigued by the benefits of having money as he observes the lifestyles of the upper class. Estella, Miss Havisham‟s gorgeous adopted daughter, is the first to point out Pip‟s flaw of being of the lower class when she says, “„And what coarse hands he has! And what thick boots!‟‟ (Dickens 59). Pip takes offense to Estella‟s comment: because she is beautiful, Pip is immensely embarrassed by her insults and begins to consider raising his “expectations.” Although Pip is gratified to live a “common” lifestyle with Joe, the mention of social class turns Pip‟s attention to the glamour of being wealthy. After he returns to his prosaic home and family, Pip thinks back to his first visit at the Satis House, “That was a memorable day for me, for it made great changes in me” (70). His visit to Miss Havisham‟s house was far from forgettable because of the way it illuminated the

Boehning 2 imperfections of his own life. The “changes” that Pip refers to are his expectations: because he has seen a lifestyle with more fortune than that of his own, Pip‟s desire to transform his life soars. Both Pip‟s greed for wealth and Estella‟s abusive comments that reflect her insensitivity to people who have less money than her influence Pip‟s perspective of the world. Consequently, detrimental traits appear in his personality. Pip is exposed to a poor display of upper-class behavior, and as a result, his young mind is restricted to conserve his respect for the wealthy and educated. Estella‟s surly attitude calls to Pip‟s attention, “Though she called me „boy‟ often, and with a carelessness that was far from complimentary, she was of about my own age” (55). Estella believes that she can act as if she is more important than Pip because she belongs in a higher social class. It is indisputable that Estella‟s cruel treatment of Pip reveals her lack of appreciation for those who are less fortunate that her. This belief of superiority influences Pip‟s only desire: to become a gentleman. Because of Pip‟s poor treatment at the Satis House, Pip believes that a “true gentleman” must act in the same way that Estella does. Pip exhibits that money and cruelty are beginning to take control over his identity when he starts to feel embarrassed by Joe: “If I could have kept him away by paying money, I certainly would have paid money” (217). Although Joe was once a good friend of Pip‟s, their social classes have separated them and Pip wishes to move on. Not only does Pip wish to be free from Joe, but he wishes to change his identity. The dread of Joe‟s visit causes Pip to think, “I wanted to make Joe less ignorant and common, that he might be worthier of my society and less open to Estella‟s reproach” (109). Pip has become so wrapped up in his dream of becoming a “gentleman” that he is willing to transform the personality of his first friend of whom he has once looked up to. According to Pip, Joe must be “worthier” of the upper-class society of which he is newly a member of. This condescending attitude that Pip displays is harmful to those

Boehning 3 around him, and as Pip begins to develop an aversion toward his previous lifestyle, he emulates the malign mindset of Estella. The journey to meet Pip‟s “expectations” is slowly causing him to forget his origins. Dressing like, talking like, and acting like a “gentleman” are qualities that Pip had wished to possess. However, he soon realizes the danger within the identity he is acquiring. After years of living a wealthy lifestyle in London, he finally recognizes, “As I had grown accustomed to my expectations, I had insensibly begun to notice their effect upon myself and those around me. Their influence on my own character, I disguised from my recognition as much as possible, but I knew very well that it was not all good” (273). Pip succeeds to discover the damage he has caused to himself and to the people he loves. The people that Pip refers to when he says “those around him” are the ones who have helped him become wealthy. This includes Miss Havisham and Estella, who have done nothing more than caused trouble for Pip. Now that he realizes that his expectations are “not all good,” he can rid himself of the negative people of which he has surrounded himself with. The artificial life of a “gentleman” that Pip has observed is not suitable for him. The brutal expectations of the upper class in this novel have influenced Pip to become shameful of the poverty of which he is from. Not only was Pip eager to become a “gentleman,” but he was eager to feel superior to the members of the lower class. Pip feels extremely guilty for the horrible ways that he has treated Joe, as he remembers the pain that he experienced due to Estella‟s insults. As he grows into manhood, Pip concludes that the “common” lifestyle is where he truly belongs.