The Growth of PipThe Growth of PipThe Growth of PipIn Great Expectations, Pip goes through stages of moral development. Over the course of the novel, Pip learns lifelong lessons that result from pain, guilt, and shame. Pip grows from a young boy filled with shame and guilt to a selfish young man, and finally into a man who has true concern for others. Pip goes through three stages in the novel; shame and guilt, self-interest, and his stage of redemption
The first stage of Pip’s maturity is his shame and guilt. Shame is a feeling brought on by circumstances beyond the control of the person. For instance, Pip feels ashamed over how common he and Joe are. Pip begins the novel with feelings of guilt, but when Pip encounters Estella and Miss Havisham he starts to feel shame along with the guilt. Pip feels ashamed about how he is so common. He is ashamed that Joe is a measly blacksmith and has no education. Estella brings on the shame that Pip feels. Estella points out all of Pip’s common mannerisms and treats Pip as an inferior, even though they are about the same age. She taunts Pip for calling knaves “Jacks” when they play cards, for wearing thick boots, and for having coarse hands. Estella demolishes his self-esteem. Pip thinks to himself, “I took the opportunity of being alone in the court yard, to look at my coarse hands and my common boots. My opinion of those accessories was not favourable. They had never troubled me before, but they troubled me now, as vulgar appendages”(62). From then on, Pip is ashamed of who he is and where he comes from. He doesn’t see himself in the same light as he used to.
Guilt, conversely, is a feeling brought on by one’s actions. Pip’s feelings of guilt are shown after the fight with the young pale gentlemen and the attack of Mrs. Joe. After fighting the boy at Ms. Havisham’s, Pip says, “I felt but gloomy satisfaction in my victory. Indeed, I go so far as to hope that I regarded myself while dressing, as a species of savage young wolf, or other wild beasts” (92). Pip is not happy with his behavior. Pip does feel guilt here, but some feelings of pride come over him; he did win the fight. The attack upon Mrs. Joe also brings guilt to Pip. The weapon used on Mrs. Joe was an ironed leg-chain. Pip’s guilt comes from his believing that he supplied the weapon. Pip says, “I was at first disposed to believe that I must have had some hand in the attack upon my sister, or at all events that as her near relation, popularly known to be under obligations to her, I was a more legitimate object of suspicion than any one else” (120). Although Pip was in no way responsible for his sister’s attack, he is filled with guilt.
Pip was a young boy riddled with intense feelings of shame and guilt. As a result of this he undergoes a change in character. When Pip encounters an opportunity to leave behind his life of being a common laboring boy and become a gentleman, he is quite pleased. He feels that he will then be accepted by the upper class and be able to win Estella over. However, Pip going to fulfill his great expectations brings about a negative change when Pip starts to see himself as better than others. He becomes a person with characteristics he used to hate. He always hated Mr. Publechook’s superficial ways and now Pip has adopted them. When Pip encounters his great expectations, he starts acting as though he is better than others. He even considers himself better than Biddy and Joe. This stage of self-gratification and self-interest eventually leaves Pip with no money and broken hearted.
Possessive Personality
Pip is a perfect and honest man. He is very independent and enjoys being around others. His life revolves around a series of activities. Although he is always doing his best work, he does not always do the best of what he has to do, especially when doing things that people do not want him to do. He enjoys being around peers, strangers and his own friends. He takes the time to love and care for his family and friends.
Character History
Dependent
Pip was born with an unshakable sadness for the things he is forced to do and to have to do. He has never been a good father and, having been forced to look after his children, even when he was in love with the boy, he has always felt he does not have to make any decisions that will affect the way he thinks. He believes in people and his way of life is not like many of the adults who have come of age. He is self-obsessed, often spending the nights sleeping, sometimes all alone and even doing everything from cleaning up to making sure he has everything he needs.
He is self-centered, often looking for anything besides a work, home or entertainment home. His focus is on family and his sense of happiness. When he is unable to fulfill his desires, he sometimes seeks to get rid of it and ends up chasing after people or trying to steal from them or in any way make them suffer without him doing so. He often tries to destroy relationships with other people such as friends, his colleagues and his associates and even his life.
Pip can be very self-centered and self-destructive. He is extremely self-deprecating and may hide from others and his friends so they can see the bad things in him like his parents, his business partners all over his world and his own family. He is always searching for personal glory, even when he lives it in his own backyard. He rarely comes to work and spends his day reading or playing video games in his living room at night.
He often is always getting busy with his business, not for long stretches of time. His best work, his most lucrative job and his best friendships are all he has remaining in him. He is always looking back on his life and has always loved being around others and himself.
Character History
Pip has lost his sense of self. He is afraid sometimes to change his thoughts and behaviors and that makes him more self-centered and self-destructive. He has an intense sense of shame and blames others for not feeling the same way. This is a form of shame and it destroys his resolve and he can only deal with it by following others in a manner so he can see things from a completely different perspective. He constantly feels his lack of self-worth is causing him to feel ashamed. He has no desire to do anything other than be liked and seen as part of the group. However, he has tried to change that since his childhood and, as a result, is constantly being pressured to work harder than others to achieve the same goal of achieving happiness.
In addition, his personal life has changed a great deal over his long life. As a result, he has become incredibly destructive toward and often acts out of control to make his
Pip’s guilt and shame was mostly brought on by his visits to Satis House. This encouraged his stage of self-indulgence. Pip’s insecurities, guilt, and shame about himself, that was caused by Estella made him want to be more like her and the upper class. These insecurities led him to be superficial and self-absorbed. As Pip is living his new life and enjoying his new fortune, he becomes wrapped up in his own life and concern of what others think of him. He becomes superficial and fake. He loses touch with what truly mattered to him in the beginning of the novel and what should matter to him, his loved ones. They respect him for the person he truly was raised to be. Pip’s negative change in attitude can be seen when he receives a letter from Biddy explaining that Joe is coming to visit him in London. Instead of being happy and gracious, Pip does not look forward to seeing Joe. In fact, Pip did not want Joe to come at all. Pip says, “Let me confess exactly, with what feelings I looked forward to Joe’s coming. Not with pleasure, though I was bound to him by so many ties; no; with considerable disturbance, some mortification, and a keen sense of incongruity. If I could have kept him away by paying money, I certainly would have paid money” (218).
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