Pip in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations”Great Expectations”, written by Charles Dickens and set in mid-lateVictorian era; is about a boy named Philip Pirrip, better known as Pipand his “great expectations”. As a child he lived with his sister andbrother in-law Joe. Luck brings him to the aid of a convict, and tothe house of a wealthy society lady. After many encounters with her in”Satis house”, he seeks a life as a gentleman.
A Victorian society gentleman is a man of high social status, and isexpected to be wealthy, well educated, come from a wealthy background,and have enough money not to work. This is all Pip’s perception ofwhat the precepts of being a gentleman are. Drummle sets a goodexample of this for him; he was born into wealth, well educated anddoesn’t work for a living. Although Drummle has these qualities, heembraces an unpleasant personality; he is described, by Pip, as”sulky”, “Heavy in figure, movement and comprehension”, “sluggish”,”idle, proud, niggardly, reserved, and suspicious, and has a “largeawkward tongue”.” Bentley Drummle doesn’t seem very pleasant to Pip,the only word Pip uses, that maybe a positive quality, is “proud”, itmaybe good, but Drummle may only be proud of his wealth and socialstatus. Drummle is very wealthy, but yet he is very particular withit, “I wouldn’t lend one of you a sixpence. I wouldn’t lend anybody asixpence.” His speech indicates how he treats people and his money; itimplies that he cares more for his money than to have friends, it alsoshows how unhelpful and uncaring he is. Drummle gives Pip a negativeimpression of high social society.
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A moral gentleman would be hard working, you would expect him to havefriends, not be afra…
…life “ourworst weaknesses are usually committed for the sake of the people whomwe most despise.” So to not look bad in front of others you hidethings, Pip realises what he has done or thought wrong in the past.
In the end Pip is a moral gentleman, he appreciates other people andtheir moral. Pip isn’t afraid to admit things “it is a miserable thingto feel ashamed of home”; throughout the book he has demonstratedthis, the way he describes and explains is more against his image thanfor it. Pip never was a society gentleman, he lacked a wealthybackground, and he was trying to be something he isn’t. Pip hasreached the expectations of a moral gentleman; he is respected andrespectful, hard working, not afraid to admit his wrongs, and he hasfriend.
Works Cited:
Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. Ed. Janice Carlisle. Boston: Bedford, 1996.
