Character Analysis

CHARACTER ANALYSIS
Pip
Phillip Pirip is aptly nicknamed Pip, a word commonly used to
denote the seed of an apple. From early childhood well into
adulthood, Pips budding maturity is the focus of the novel. In
keeping with the Bildungsroman genre, Pip is at first an innocent
young child whose place in this world has not been well defined. He
is an orphan whose only sister finds him a nuisance and a burden;
she resents him to the point of cruelty. Two random events happen
which at first seem like mere episodes in the life of a child:
Pip helps an escaped convict by giving him food and means of

escape, and Pip is called to the home of Miss Havisham to entertain
her and her daughter. The full consequence of these happenings on
Pips life is not fully known until the end of the novel, but they will
determine the next three decades of his life
In true Bildungsroman fashion, the hero must become discontent

with his life and his station in society. The visits to Miss Havisham
are the catalyst for this discontent. Estellas disgust for everything
common introduces young Pip to shame and embarrassment over
his family and his appearance. He becomes obsessed with
uncommon-ness and the desire to overcome his lowly position in
order to impress Estella.
The inheritance he receives becomes the medium for his social

transformation. With the money, he can realize his dream of
becoming a gentleman. Wealth brings with it many vices and soon
Pip starts leading a hollow and purposeless life of luxury. Under the
influence of false pride and vanity that comes with gentlemanly
pretensions, he rejects his background and snaps all connections
with Joe and Biddy. He nurtures the belief that Miss Havisham is his
patron and the reason for her generosity is that she wants Pip to
marry Estella. Though he occasionally questions the
appropriateness of his new behavior, he continues to pursue his
expectations. When the truth is unleashed, Pip is rudely awakened
from his fantasy world.
The reality that his patron is a convict undermines Pips so-called

gentlemanliness. As well, he realizes at what cost he has pursued
his dreams. He comes to accept the fact that his participation in the
old dream of great expectations has hurt genuine people who care
for him. He refuses all undeserved wealth and undergoes the ordeal
of losing Estella to a brute. All these events make him wiser and
more mature. At the end of the novel, he is an ordinary man who
works to earn his keep. He is able to meet Estella one last time and
part as friends, a final testament to the tremendous growth of his
spirit.
Interestingly enough, Pip is the only character in the novel that

Dickens never describes physically. Some outward characteristic,
behavior, or gesture defines nearly all of Dickens characters. Pip,
however, is a character of transformation. He changes so much in
the course of the novel that any attempt to define him by physical
expression or appearance might lessen the impact of his journey.
This internal growth is the final aspect of the Bildungsroman style
Dickens achieves.
Joe Gargery
As the village blacksmith and Pips brother-in-law, Joes
commonness is expressed in his name: simple, short, and
undecorative. He is a thorough gentleman at heart and is always
helpful. He stands out as a loving figure in Pips life. Joe and Pip
share a relationship based on love and trust, easily likened to the
relationship between father and son, or brothers. They play games
and participate in friendly competitions among themselves, in order
to enliven the atmosphere of their home.
Joe is a simple man who looks forward to the day when Pip will
become his apprentice. He has no aspirations other than to be what
he is, and to teach his trade to Pip. This is beautifully dramatized in
the scene, where Miss Havisham insists on paying Pips premium as
an apprentice. Joe had never wanted such a premium, since he was
teaching Pip out of love. He cannot decline the money, but he is
careful to make sure Pip and Miss Havisham both know he is
teaching Pip out of love and concern, not for financial gain.
Joe swells with pride whenever he watches Pip reading or writing.

Pip tries to teach Joe all that he learns, and Joe, despite thinking
himself awful dull, is proud of his learning.
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Joe is loyal and humble. When Orlick argues with Mrs. Joe, Joe and
Orlick get into a fight. And later, when Pip is in financial trouble, Joe
pays his debts. And he is unselfish. He senses that Pip is
embarrassed by his simplicity, so he leaves. Finally, he is forgiving.
He marries Biddy and they name their son Pip, a gesture of love for
the boy who once abandoned them in search of greater things. Joe
Gargery, far from being a mere blacksmith, is one of the heroes of
the novel. Over the years, his forgiving nature and gigantic heart
have made him a personal favorite of the readers.
Magwitch
Magwitch is an interesting character on many counts. For most of
the novel, he is unnamed, referred to simply as the convict or
Pips convict. Coincidentally, it is during these parts of the novel
that he appears menacing and evil. He is a dangerous and
desperate convict who keeps popping up in Pips life. When he
finally reveals himself to Pip, however, he expresses love and
gratitude, admiration and affection. At the same time, he is given a
name: Abel Magwitch. It is as if these human emotions have
transformed him, making him worthy of human distinction.
Magwitch is a remarkable man so filled with gratitude over a small

incident in the past that he devotes his life to repaying the small
boy who helped him. His gesture is so magnanimous that it
transforms Pips initial disgust into ardent admiration. Pip marvels
that Magwitch is a better friend to him than he (Pip) has been to
Joe.
Magwitch is responsible for the changes in Pip, though not as

directly as it might seem. True, his money has made Pip into a
social gentleman. But his kindness and loyalty transforms Pip into
a responsible adult who regrets his own bad behavior. In short,
because of Magwitch, Pip develops into a man who values integrity
over wealth.
Estella
Like Joe and Pip, Estellas name is a reflection on her character.
Estella, like a star (stellar), is cold and distant. After all, she has
been reared from the tender age of three to conduct herself without
emotion. Her bewitching beauty captures Pips heart and as a young
boy, he is infatuated her. Somehow, despite her cruelty to Pip, she
becomes the star of his expectations. Critics have often dismissed
Estella as a two-dimensional character without the tug of emotions.
Quite to the contrary, Estella is the successful product of Miss
Havishams upbringing in that she truly does what the old lady
raised her to do, but she seems to struggle with it. After all, she
seems to warn Pip repeatedly as if she does not want to hurt him. It
seems fair to say that beneath that heart of ice is a simple girl who
is honest enough to try and explain to others her lack of feeling.
Ironically, even Miss Havisham, who has made her the way she is,
finds her coldness and lack of love unbearable.
In the end, Estella is redeemed by this hidden goodness. She

becomes Drummles victim, then overcomes that situation to
remarry. Pip meets her one final time and they part as friends. Of
all the characters, Estella is remarkable for the perceived
commentary she makes on social and class distinctions. She is the
daughter of a murderer and a convict. By all practical considerations
of society in that time, she is a flawed creature. But it is not her
bloodline that tarnishes Estella; instead, it is her vicious and
indifferent upbringing. In short, she is ruined by circumstances and
not by birth.
Miss Havisham
Miss Havisham has lived to be one of the most memorable
characters created by Dickens, both for her bizarre appearance and
her eccentric behaviors. Betrayed by her lover on her wedding day,
she literally freezes time in Satis House. All the clocks have been
stopped at twenty minutes to nine, the exact time at which her
fianc had abandoned her. She wears her wedding dress the rest of
her life, till it is yellowed with age and drooping on her thin frame.
She remains in one shoe, since she had not yet put the other one
on. And the cake is left on the table to rot. She is vivid, dressed in
satins and lace and adorned with jewels. She confesses not to have
seen the daylight in years and has no account of the days or the
months or even the years that she has spent in seclusion.
Embittered by the deception of her lover, Miss Havisham seeks to

take revenge on the male species. She adopts a girl, Estella, and
raises her up with the intention of wreaking revenge on men.
Ironically, Miss Havisham has succeeded so well, Estella cannot
even love her. Toward the end of her life, Miss Havisham repents of
her bitterness and tries to mend the hearts she has broken. She
realizes that she is responsible for the suffering of both Estella and
Pip. She is redeemed somewhat by her decision to sponsor Herbert
Pocket in his career and by the way she begs Pip to forgive her.
Mrs. Joe
What is most interesting about her is that her actual name,
Georgiana Maria, is uttered by chance by a character in the 58th
chapter, long after her death. All through the book she is called Mrs.
Joe. For the most part, she is an unpleasant woman who abuses Pip
and makes him feel like a burden. The serious attack by Orlick
impairs her speech, hearing, and sight, and she is bedridden for the
rest of her life. She is a frustrated woman who has a history of
arguing with others, so it becomes difficult to find her attacker. In a
sense, she is a victim of her own cruelty, much like Drummle (who
is later killed by a horse he abuses). Her illness restores peace and
happiness in the house.
Biddy Wopsle
Biddy is a complete antithesis of Mrs. Joe. She is calm, friendly,
down to earth and loving. She also becomes Pips friend at the
evening school where Pip studies. The school belongs to her
grandmother. Biddy promises Pip that she will help him become an
uncommon gentleman and teach him all that she learns. Pip trusts
her and often confides in her. In the initial stages of her friendship
with Pip, she develops an infatuation for him. She knows that Pip
loves Estella. She remarks that she is glad to be Pips trusted friend
and would be happy to remain so. Pip feels immense admiration for
her. At the end, when Biddy marries Joe, Pip realizes that he is not
worthy of her. Though he had meant to ask her to marry him, he is
glad that Joe did first.
Mr. Jaggers
Jaggers is a powerful and interesting character. As a criminal
defense lawyer, he represents a profession that Dickens strongly
detested. His unsavory career is reflected in the ominous aura of his
office, the dubious nature of his clients, and his mannerism of
frequently washing his hands, symbolic of washing the guilt of his
underworld clients from his hands.
He is a harsh, businesslike man; everything about him seems fierce

and frightening. In the end, though, Jaggers becomes more
complex by his admission that he wanted to help Estella when she
was a child of three. He pleads with Pip not to ruin her life by telling
her who her parents were. Though it contradicts everything he has
seemed to stand for, it enriches his character, making him seem
more real for his paradoxical behaviors.
Wemmick
Wemmick is Mr. Jaggers clerk and one of the most universally good
characters in the novel. Interestingly, however, he lives a dual life.
At the office, he is stern and officious, in keeping with the nature of
his business for Jaggers. At home in Walworth, he is jovial and
friendly. He lives with his father, the extremely hard-of-hearing
man known as the Aged P. And he is in love with a girl, Miss
Skiffins. Wemmick becomes a close friend of Pips and advises him
on the matter of smuggling Magwitch out of England. When Pips life
is gloomy with despair, Wemmick surprises him by escorting him to
his own marriage with Miss Skiffins.
Herbert Pocket
Herbert is a simple and uncomplicated character. He becomes Pips
most loyal friend in London. They first meet as young boys at Miss
Havishams house when Herbert dares Pip to fight, and is promptly
knocked down.
As their friendship develops, Herbert helps and supports Pip through

hard times. He is a hard-working boy with aspirations of business
success that Pip finds unlikely. Later, however, in appreciation of his
friendship, Pip secretly extends financial help to Herbert in order to
make his dreams a reality. Later, when Pip has realized the futility
of his own great expectations, he follows Herberts example and
even works for him as a clerk. All along, Herbert has been practical
while Pip was lost in his dreams. He is a good stabling influence on
Pip.

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Character Analysis

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How does Pip change and develop over the course of the novel?

How does Joe support and care for Pip?

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

Pip helps an escaped convict by giving him food and means of

In true Bildungsroman fashion, the hero must become discontent

The inheritance he receives becomes the medium for his social

The reality that his patron is a convict undermines Pips so-called

Interestingly enough, Pip is the only character in the novel that

Joe swells with pride whenever he watches Pip reading or writing.

Your browser does not support the IFRAME tag.

Magwitch is a remarkable man so filled with gratitude over a small

Magwitch is responsible for the changes in Pip, though not as

In the end, Estella is redeemed by this hidden goodness. She

Embittered by the deception of her lover, Miss Havisham seeks to

He is a harsh, businesslike man; everything about him seems fierce

As their friendship develops, Herbert helps and supports Pip through

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