Pip and his Journey to becoming uncommon
He shows it to Joe, who thinks it’s magnificent, but when Joe tries to read it all he can say is “J. O. JO. ” (44) Pip is surprised, and then asks Joe if he can actually read. Joe replies that he can so Pip gives him a book, but again the only thing Joe can say is, “J. O. JO. ” (44) Pip has looked up to Joe all his life, but now realizes how common Joe is. Pip is determined to teach Joe how to read, in order to make himself feel more uncommon, although Joe is happy with his simple blacksmiths life and doesn’t want to change it.
This is one example of Pip trying to make everyone around him uncommon for his own use. Later in the book, Joe is invited to Miss Havisham’s house with Pip. Joe gets all dressed up and is ready to go, and Pip realizes that Joe isn’t himself when he is dressed up.
While the two are at Miss Havisham’s house, she begins asking questions of Joe, but instead of replying to Miss Havisham, Joe replies to Pip. It appears that Joe feels Pip is a higher class than he is. Pip’s goal is to make Joe uncommon, but by exposing Joe to his own commonness, Pip made Joe feel even more common.
Pip’s plan to make Joe uncommon backfires. Pip does not hesitate to take advantage of people and opportunities if it will help him on his journey to becoming uncommon. He is always looking for a way to push himself further up in society, and when he finds one, he takes advantage of it. Pip makes several visits to Miss Havisham’s house, every time becoming more and more attracted to Estella. Pip is attracted to Estella because of what the relationship would do to his social status. “I have particular reasons for wanting to become a gentleman. ” “You know best, Pip, but don’t you think you are happier as you are?
” (114) He realizes that if he were to marry Estella, he would be rich and high class. With that marriage, Pip’s main goal in life would be completed. Pip also takes advantage of Biddy. Pip thinks that in order to become a gentleman you have to be educated. He knows that Biddy is very smart, and tries to use her to educate himself. Pips fixation with becoming uncommon leads him to use the people he knows as a step up in the ladder of society. In the beginning of the novel Pip is given a choice. Pip can either take the crooked or the straight path.
It is his encounters with people of both higher and lower class that push him towards the crooked path. Pip’s encounters with people of a higher class make him feel jealous, and his encounters with people of a lower class make Pip feel common. Pip’s reactions to these encounters are to push himself further up in society, regardless of whom he hurts along the way. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Great Expectations section.
