Essay on Stages of Pip Growing Up in the Novel Great...

Great Expectations is a novel by Charles Dickens that thoroughly captures the adventures of growing up. The book details the life of a boy through his many stages of life, until he is finally a grown man, wizened by his previous encounters. Dickens’ emotions in this book are very sincere, because he had a similar experience when his family went to debtor’s prison. Pip starts as a young boy, unaware of social class, who then becomes a snob, overcome by the power of money, and finally grows into a mature, hardworking man, knowing that there is much more to life than money. In the first stage of Great Expectations, Pip begins as a contented boy, happy with his own way of life, but soon becomes humiliated by the ones he loves, and starts†¦show more content†¦Nearing the end of the first act though, this completely changes, and Pip wants nothing to do with the common trade. Beginning in the second stage, Pip goes off to London with his newfound fortune to become a gentleman, though all that he would truly become is a rich, wealthy snob. Upon arriving at Barnard’s Inn, Pip rudely talks about the shabby conditions of the place, even saying, â€Å"So imperfect was this realization of the first of my great expectations that I looked in dismay at Wemmick,† showing that now that he is rich, he feels he should be treated like a king (181). Wemmick even mistakes his look of contempt, demonstrating that already he is becoming a snob, but at this point others don’t take him to be one. Although this passage only talks about the ‘first’ of Pip’s expectations, one can see that they are already set too high. Pip accompanies Wemmick to Newgate prison, but afterwards says, â€Å"I wished Wemmick had not met me, or I had not yielded to him and gone with him,† because he feels he is too far above the prisoners there (279). This is very ironic, because the person who has made him ‘rise’ above all these people is a convict. Pip didn’t want Newgate to be ‘on’ him because he felt it would detour Estella, when in fact her father was a convict as well. When Pip finds out that Magwitch is his benefactor and not Miss Havisham he says, â€Å"The abhorrence in which I held theShow MoreRelatedSociety Refers To Certain Childhoods As â€Å"Dickensian,† As1442 Words   |  6 Pagesas â€Å"Dickensian,† as growing up in underprivileged and hopeless civilizations. In Charles Dickens novel, Great Expectations, depicts a bildungsroman named Pip who experiences the hopeless and uncertain life that he is born upon. Pip is faced with hardships due to his punitive childhood. Starting as an orphan and later becoming a gentleman, Pip was able to overcome his childhood obstacles to become a dynamic character in the novel. In the opening chapters of Great Expectations, Dickens portrays theRead MoreEssay on Pips Development Through Character Interactions1304 Words   |  6 PagesDickens’ novel Great Expectations, the character, personality, and social beliefs of Pip undergo complete transformations as he interacts with an ever-changing pool of characters presented in the book. Pip’s moral values remain more or less constant at the beginning and the end; however, it is evident that in the time between, the years of his maturation and coming of adulthood, he is fledgling to find his place in society. Although Pip is influenced by many characters throughout the novel, his twoRead MoreGreat Expectations By Charles Dickens1622 Words   |  7 PagesIn Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, a conflict between a young boy named Pip and his sister s husband named Joe formed complex father-son relationship. This relationship has many ups and downs that result in Pip s journey to becoming an exper ienced adult. The conflicting feelings between Pip and Joe contribute to the long lasting nature of this book because of their similarities to life in the real world. Whether it is Pip s embarrassment of Joe s common blacksmith social class, or aRead MoreAnalysis: Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens951 Words   |  4 Pagesprovide their children with a lots of care and a happy and loving childhood. Children growing up in this environment will describe their youth as a time of wonder and laughter; they will enjoy the experiences as a child. However, in the Victorian age, this is a completely different story as most children had to go through many hardships and sufferings, in order to satisfy the needs of their family. Great Expectations is set in the Victorian age and Charles Dickens portrays the years of childhood asRead MoreAnalysis Of Charles Dickens Great Expectations3684 Words   |  15 PagesComposition 27 January 2014 Analysis Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations â€Å"And as to the condition on which you hold your advancement in life—namely, that you are not to inquire or discuss to whom you owe it—you may be very sure that it will never be encroached upon, or even approached by me, or by any one belonging to me.† (Dickens, 177). This excerpt foretells the main theme of the novel, Pip’s journey of self-improvement. The main theme of the novel, Pip’s journey for self-improvement, has been playedRead MoreGreat Expectations By Charles Dickens1390 Words   |  6 PagesGreat Expectations Great expectations can be summarized in one word, bildungsroman. It’s a big word just how Great Expectations is a big book, about 400 pages to be exact. Bildungsroman is a word used by many English teachers and scholars to describe a story about growing up. Great Expectations comes to follow a young orphan, whose name is Pip, going from boyhood to manhood. The book also isn’t about watching a character grow older; it’s about watching how a character changes, hopefully for theRead MoreEssay on Happiness and Social Status in Great Expectations1520 Words   |  7 Pagescharacters in Great Expectations. The novel is written from the point of view of the protagonist, Pip. Pip guides the reader through his life, describing the different stages from childhood to manhood. Many judgments are made regarding the other characters, and Pips views of them are constantly changing according to his place in the social hierarchy. For instance, Pip feels total admiration that , later, turns to total shame for the man who raised him, Joe Gargery. The primary theme in this novel questionsRead MoreEssay on Great Expectations by Charles Dickens2121 Words   |  9 PagesGreat Expectations by Charles Dickens In Great Expectations, Dickens wants to explore what it means to be a gentleman in the rapidly changing Victorian England. He suggests that money is not everything, but you need some to get yourself started in the world. Being a gentleman means that you have to be moral, kind, courteous, hard working, financially independent and educated. Pip’s experiences of social class, in some ways mirror those of Dickens’ childhood. Dickens’ parents were middleRead More The Bildungsroman Genre Essay4241 Words   |  17 PagesINTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 1- BILDUNGSROMAN NOVELS......................................................................................... 2- TWO BILDUNGSROMAN NOVELS............................................................................. 3.1- Great Expectations..................................................................................................... 3.2- Emma.......................Read MoreAchieving Measure of Contentment in Charles Dickens Great Expectations4413 Words   |  18 PagesAchieving Measure of Contentment in Charles Dickens Great Expectations Works Cited Not Included Great Expectations is a novel that not only satires the issues of Victorian society, such as status and crime, but additionally centres on the rites of passage for a child living in that society. It is through this central