The great expectation is a novel written by Charles Dickens in 1860. It is a “Bildungsroman” novel, which is a novel of development that depicts the personal growth and moral development of an orphan named Pip. Joe and Magwitch are two father figures who contribute to Pip’s moral development and his transition into a gentleman. The essay will discuss how love, loyalty, and sympathy from Joe and Magwitch contribute to the character development of Pip and what role they played into turning Pip into a gentleman.
Joe is Pip’s brother-in-law, who sees Pip as his own son and a friend. He plays a major role in Pip’s development because he knows him more than anyone. He is described as “mild, good-natured, sweet-tempered, easy-going, foolish, dear fellow…” (Dickens [1861] n.d.:7). Joe’s loyalty is seen when he notices Pips’ bread-and-butter is gone and does not tell on him. Therefore, Pip’s loyalty can be said that it is similar to Joe’s because he kept his promise of bringing food for the escaped convict.
Similar to Joe, Magwitch sees Pip as his son and funds Pip’s transition from a common into a gentleman. His loyalty comes from a small incident from the past when Pip brought food and a file for him. “You’re my son-more to me nor any son. I’ve put away money, only for you to spend” (Dickens [1861] n.d.:360). Dickens shows how a small act of kindness came with “Great expectation”, Magwitch’s devotion into the novel opens up with an intense scene, where Pip meets an escaped convict named Magwitch. Dickens describes this man as being “A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg” (Dickens [1861] n.d.:2). Magwitch uses force to scare pip and demands that he must bring food and file for him but does not harm him in any way.
Pip’s kindness can be seen when he steals food and file at home for Magwitch. His kindness can be seen when he says “I felt that I must have something in reserve to my dreadful acquaintance, and his ally the still more dreadful young man” (Dickens [1861] n.d.:9). Pip is considerate and understands other people’s situations without judging them. He is afraid of Magwitch but mainly helps him out of pity
Magwitch does not want the boy who has helped him getting into trouble. He takes the blame when asked by the sergeant and he answers “I took some wittles up at the village over yonder…” (Dickens [1861] n.d.:42). This shows that Magwitch is grateful for Pip’s help and acknowledges his kindness.
Magwitch sees pip as his son and devotes his life to turning him into a gentleman.
In conclusion, The relationship between Pip and Magwitch partly good and partly bad.
References
- Shmoop: Great Expectations
- GradeSaver: Great Expectations
- Wikipedia: Great Expectation
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Great Expectations
- Literary Devices: Great Expectations
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