Redemptive Rewards: The Progression Of Pip
...nineteenth-century London. Throughout Great Expectations, he faces many internal and external struggles, along his path of becoming an educated, wealthy and well-respected gentleman. While he reaps many benefits of being among the upper class of society, he damages several relationships with people who truly care about him. He leaves them in his past and has no intentions of returning to them for anything, all because their position in life is below his. When he becomes a gentleman, he finds that it is improper to associate with the common. His viewpoints from the beginning of the novel and his viewpoints when he finally attains his goal of becoming a gentleman are vastly contrasted. Pip's development can be divided into a stage of innocence, a stage of sin, and a stage of redemption.
Growing up at the forge with Joe formed Pip's stage of innocence. His life at the forge was somewhat peaceful and content, despite Mrs. Joe's violent outbursts. While Pip was not fully satisfied with his lifestyle, because of his harsh sister, he was not concerned in any way with being wealthy or becoming someone of importance. He was generally comfortable and at ease with his life, because he was born and raised as a commoner and knows not of the pleasures of being amongst of the upper-class society. In the household, the only person Pip could really talk to on his own level was Joe. Mrs. Joe was a hard woman to express one's inner most thoughts with and it was by far, much easier to talk to Joe about certain things. Pip exhibits the reason behind why he admires Joe by stating, “I loved Joe- perhaps for no better reason for in those early days than because the dear fellow let me love him" (Dickens 40). His relationship with Joe was very strong but he often worried what the consequences would be if he happened to lose Joe’s confidence or trust. He reveals his worry about the...
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