Great Expectations: Pip Essay, Research Paper

Great Expectations: Pip

Charles Dickens’s Great expectations is a story about a boy, Philip Pirrip,

who comes to a point in his life where his life changes drastically from the way

it was when he was growing up. Whenever this change occurs, he does his best

not to let people know about his past life where he was just a ?common? boy.

Throughout the novel, Dickens points out how people sometimes lead two lives

that they want to keep separate.

The change in Pip’s life is characterized in several ways. First of all,

there is a physical change, when he moves to London. That just accentuates the

difference between the two ?lives.? Before, he lived in a small town that was

near some marshes, both of which reflect the ?common? side of his life. London

is seen by Pip as a great and wonderful city which symbolizes his expectations

of what is to come in his future. Another change in his life is that he is

treated better by others. Mr. Trabb, the tailor, takes exception to Pip after

he hears that he has come into a fortune. He measures Pip very quickly, and

gets angry at his son for not showing the same respect of Pip?s wealth. Then,

when he next sees Pumblechook, he repeatedly asks Pip if he may shake his hand,

as if it is some great honor. Before the news, he hardly treated Pip any

differently than any other common boy. Pip also looks to the way his new

acquaintances are treated, most notably Mr. Jaggers. He is treated with a great

deal of respect by everyone, and even invokes fear in some. Pip had never seen

this level of respect for someone that was his direct acquaintance before,

except for Miss Havisham, who he knew had great wealth.

This dual lifestyle is paralleled in Mr. Wemmick, the clerk for Mr.

Jaggers. Mr. Wemmick, when at work, only thinks about his work, and doesn?t let

his personal life affect how he goes about his business. The flip side of the

coin is also true, as when he goes home, he forgets about anything that happened

at work, and concentrates on making his deaf father happy. The scene when he

takes Pip to work shows the change that he goes through on his way to work: ?By

degrees, Wemmick got dryer and harder as we went along, and his mouth tightened

into a post-office again.? Just like Pip, he changes how he acts according to

which role he is playing.

Whenever the two lives come together, it is hard for Pip to determine

what to do about it. He seems not to want his two lives to mix, but is helpless

to prevent it. Whenever Joe says he is coming to London, Pip doesn?t like he

idea, but he ends up coming anyway. Also, when he finds that Orlick is working

for Miss Havisham, he is apparently shocked. He remembers him working for Joe,

and doesn?t think it?s right that he?s now working as Miss Havisham?s watchman.

In society today, people often lead these dual lives. I have known many

people who, when at school, take it very seriously and work hard at it, but when

the weekend comes, they take their partying just as seriously. Another way that

people lead separate lives is when they hide who they really are and pretend

they are someone else. Mostly this happens because that person is afraid that

they will not ?fit in? with the rest of the crowd. Ok, I’ll come clean. At one

time I was one of these people that tried to fit in. I later realized that I

was just denying who I really am. I have a feeling that, by the end of the

novel, Pip will have a better standing of who he really is.