Morality, Based On Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” Essay, Research Paper

Moral Maturity

In Charles Dickens’ novel, Great Expectations, the main character Pip undergoes a constant moral maturing. Pip’s original childhood innocence was stripped of him when he began to desire material wealth and influence. His fear of certain characters like Mrs. Joe and Magwitch inspired him to do some undesirable things. Next, when Pip was in London being supported by his convict, he spent his money recklessly in an attempt to gratify himself. Finally, after Pip realized the truth about people, his formerly selfish attitude turned altruistic and he accepted others for whom they are: not for what they look like. In Charles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations, Pip experienced three basic stages of moral maturity: fear, self- satisfaction, and altruism.

The first stage Pip went through relative to his moral development was fear. in this stage, Pip’s main excuse for his actions was his fear of punishment. Fear can inspire a person to think irrationally and make him/her aware only of themselves. Reacting out of fear is natural, but it must be overcome sooner or later to spur on further growth as a person. Pip displayed this weakness because Mrs. Joe was constantly beating and threatening him. This kind of behavior made Pip very sensitive and easily swayed in his thoughts. In this quote, Pip is inspired by fear to lie to his sister and Mr. Pumblechook, ‘7 was perfectly frantic – a reckless witness under the torture – and would have told them anything.” (ch. 9 pg. 97) Another specific example of Pip acting out of fear was when he met Magwitch, his convict, on the marshes and was told to bring him a file and some whittles or else Pip’s liver would be ripped out by the convict’s friend. This incident spurred Pip on to steal from Mrs. Joe and lie to his family. Acting out of fear is the least mature response to a situation. This response of Pip’s signifies his inability to manage his own life in the future.

Next, Pip’s actions are encouraged by self-interest. This stage of maturity is probably the most common stage displayed in people. Pip’s desire for self-satisfaction leaves him eventually with a broken heart, no money, and distance from his dearest friends, Joe and Biddy. This stage in Pip’s life was brought about primarily through his infatuation with Estella and ultimately by his new fortune which Magwitch secretly bestowed upon him. Even though Pip had almost everything he could desire materially, he was not truly happy as one can perceive from this quote, “‘…Fortune alone has raised me; that is being very lucky. And yet when I think of Estella-

…. I cannot tell you how dependent and uncertain I feel.,, (ch. 30, pg. 269) Sadly enough, Pip still feels as though he must have everything if he wants to be a “gentleman,” so he joins an elite club, Finches of the Grove, buys expensive furnishings and hires a housekeeper. This reckless spending of money does not make Pip truly happy because he is not being true to himself. Pip displayed this haughty attitude up until the point when he discovered that Magwitch was his benefactor, not Mrs. Havisham. This single event seems to shatter Pip’s ever growing ego and turn him into the true gentleman he wants to be.

Finally, Pip’s change from self-satisfaction to altruism is indeed very noble. Pip realizes that he should not judge others based on appearance, but rather on who they are on the inside. This point of change was made only after spending time with Magwitch and realizing how much

he was grateful to him and how much Magwitch loved him. Pip stays true to the end with Magwitch and never abandons him as shown when Pip states, “I will never stir from your side… when I am suffered to be near you. Please God, I will be as true to you as you have been to me.” (ch. 54, pg. 457) This goes to prove that people can change, but only after they experience love. Pip’s unconditional love for Magwitch was definite because he had nothing to gain from him. Only now does Pip realize how much he has missed in life and how sorry he is for missing it. His apology to Joe and Biddy shows that they are forgiving characters and that Pip is now one of them. Pip’s acting out of the goodness of his heart demonstrates that deep down inside, he was a sort of hero to himself.

In Charles Dickens’ novel, Great Expectations, the main character Pip undergoes a constant moral maturing. This development in Pip’s nature is whole and just needed some prodding to show itself. Pip began as an innocent child, became corrupted by fear, pursued wealth through material goods, and finally learned that true happiness came from within. By doing generous and kind acts, people can be even happier than if they owned everything in the world. Pip’s maturing was indeed admirable. Even through all of his hardships and misfortunes of the mind, Pip manages to end up a respectable, true gentleman.