Great Expectations

Great Expectations Character Profiles Pip: The main character and narrator of the novel, Pip is a man that all through his young life tries to better himself because he is ashamed of who he is, and where he came from. When fortune falls in his lap, Pip is forced to realize that money does not make you happy, and that it cannot buy what he wants most, Estella's love. Joe: Pip's brother-in-law and father figure, Joe is the blacksmith with which Pip grew up. Though they are best friends and love each other, Joe represents all that Pip does not want out of his life, and so he pulls away from him as soon as fortune strikes. Mrs. Joe: A tyrannical sister and mother figure, Mrs. Joe raised Pip from the time his parents died when he was a baby until her accident. Abusive and prone to "rampages" of her temper, she appeared in the beginning to be an almost uncaring but authoritative figure. Uncle Pumblechook: Joe's uncle who got Pip the job with Miss Havisham. Because of this, he looked at himself as Pip's real benefactor and when Pip came into wealth he wanted to use him for his own purposes. Biddy: Soft and sweet, Biddy was always one of Pip's best friends. When they were little, Biddy taught him all that she knew in school, and as they grew older she began to teach herself along with her. After she moves into his house and few years pass, and Pip wishes that he could love Biddy but never really does. Miss Havisham: A woman with a severely broken heart, she lives her life as if time stopped at twenty minutes to nine and daylight does not exist. Her only tender emotions she reserves for her adopted daughter Estella who she raises to break men's hearts. Pip becomes a toy to her and a boy for Estella to practice on. Estella: Raised with a woman scorned and in a house where no daylight shined, Estella is a beautiful girl with an insensitive personality that enjoyed making Pip cry. As they get older, the only feeling that she shows is in her concern for Pip by telling him that he is warned. Raised to never feel love, Estella seems an empty shell of a person. Herbert: A young man with many dreams and aspirations, Herbert at first appears to have his head in the clouds. Even though at their first meeting as boys Herbert wanted to fight him, he is kind and trustworthy. When Pip comes into fortune, Herbert becomes his best friend and beloved confidant. After working with him Pip realizes, that his is an exceptionally hard worker and not just a dreamer. Matthew Pocket: Miss Havisham's cousin who is the only one in his family not after her fortune. After a fight long ago when he was trying to protect her from being hurt, Miss Havisham kicks him out of her house, and he never returns. In the end Miss Havisham leaves all of her money to him because he is the only one who ever truly cared for her happiness. Matthew is an intelligent man and a kind friend and teacher to Pip. Mr. Jaggers: The universal lawyer, Mr. Jaggers is a hard man who shows very little emotion. He bases his life on reason and fact. Pips guardian from when he leaves home till he reaches his majority, Jaggers handles Pips fortune and advises him when necessary. Wemmick: A clerk for Mr. Jaggers, at work Wemmick appears to have no feelings. When Pip

visits him at home however he is an entirely different person to whom Pip will go to for advice or companionship. Wemmick takes care of his hearing impaired father, and in the end marries a woman, Miss Skiffins. His tiny house is his castle, and everything he has of value is "portable property." Abel Magwitch: A convict and Pip's benefactor, at different times in the story Magwitch is both villain and hero. After the loss of his daughter, Magwitch develops affection for the young boy who brings him food, brandy, and a file. Wanting the boy to be all he couldn't be, he devotes his life to making money and giving it to the boy to be a gentleman. Magwitch risks his life so he can see Pip, but is vengefulness shines through when he sees or talks of Compeyson. Bentley Drummle: Another student of Matthew Pockets, Drummle is a titled noble who is mistrustful and arrogant. Knowing that Pip has affection for her, Drummle courts Estella and taunts Pip with the knowledge. He later marries her but is an abusive husband. Orlick: Another of the villainous characters in the story, his jealousy of Pip dements him. Angry with Mrs. Joe for some offense that she committed, Orlick attacks her and tries to kill her. He later tries to kill Pip also but is thwarted. His diabolical mind and stupid demeanor makes for a perfect combination of evil stupidity that makes people not suspect him for his crimes.

Metaphor Analysis The Rising Mists: At many different times during the piece, Dickens uses the mists to show Pip's clarity of thought. "Once more the mists were rising as I walked away. If they disclosed to me.." (Pg. 281) At times when he sees the rising mists, Pip is able to see clearly what is going on inside and around him. Miss Havisham's shoe: A few points during the story Pip talks about Miss Havisham's shoe that is on the table. This shoe represents the fact that she was not ready when she found out that her fianc� left her. On page 233, while talking to Pip and Miss Havisham, Estella picks up this shoe and idly plays with it. By doing this it shows her lack of readiness for love in her life.

Theme Analysis Great Expectations is a coming of age story that revolves around the life of one man Pip. From the time he was seven years old until he was in his mid-thirties, Pip shows us the important events in his life that shaped who he became. Along the way, he acquires a menagerie of different acquaintances and friends that influence him in his decisions and goals for his life. Pip's story has one main point: no matter what happens to a person in their life, a person cannot change who they are inside. Pip does not realize this at first however. From the time he met Estella and Miss Havisham, Pip tried to change himself to fit a mold that he thought they desired. He began simply, learning to read and write. As time went on, and his circumstances changed, Pip pulled farther and farther away from where he came from and in doing that, who he was. Through his story, people see that this type of change brings him no joy, and in Pip's case, exactly the opposite.

Pip's story is not about living happily ever after with Estella. Dickens never tells us what happens, if anything, between them in the end. He leaves it only that they remain friends. There is a purpose for this. Dickens novel is about Pip's quest for Estella's love and what he is willing to do to gain it. The story is never about the love itself. We can see this because in the majority of the story, Estella is only present in Pip's heart and thoughts. The actual interaction between the characters Dickens keeps at a minimum. Great Expectations is a story that the public can relate to because at some point, everyone goes through the struggles that Pip must battle. It shows that possessions and wealth do not change who people are inside, and that finding one's self can be a long tedious process until finally the mists rise and everything becomes clear.