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Great Expectations: the characters
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Dickens fills the novel with memorable characters. Many are defined by a single striking detail.
Pip and Joe
Pip narrates as an older man, judging his younger, snobbish self. He tells Biddy: "I want to be a gentleman."
Joe is simple, loyal and loving. He is the novel's true gentleman in spirit, even though he is a working man.
Joe is simple, loyal and loving. He is the novel's true gentleman in spirit, even though he is a working man.
Miss Havisham and Estella
Miss Havisham was jilted on her wedding day. She still wears her wedding dress, the clocks stopped at twenty minutes to nine.
She raises Estella to take revenge on men: "Break their hearts my pride and hope, break their hearts and have no mercy!"
Estella is cold and proud, but later suffers in a cruel marriage.
She raises Estella to take revenge on men: "Break their hearts my pride and hope, break their hearts and have no mercy!"
Estella is cold and proud, but later suffers in a cruel marriage.
Magwitch and others
Magwitch first appears as "A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg". He becomes a loving father figure, calling Pip "dear boy".
Jaggers: a powerful lawyer who constantly washes his hands.
Herbert Pocket: Pip's cheerful, loyal friend.
Biddy: kind and wise.
Jaggers: a powerful lawyer who constantly washes his hands.
Herbert Pocket: Pip's cheerful, loyal friend.
Biddy: kind and wise.
How does Dickens change the reader's view of Magwitch?
- At first he is a frightening convict with "a great iron on his leg".
- Later he is revealed as Pip's generous benefactor who calls him "dear boy".
- Dickens shows that appearances and class do not reveal true worth.
Answer: From a terrifying criminal to a loving, generous father figure, challenging judgements based on appearance.
Pip: narrator, snob who learns. Joe: loyal, the true gentleman. Miss Havisham: frozen in time, revengeful, then repentant. Estella: cold, raised to break hearts. Magwitch: convict and benefactor. Jaggers, Herbert, Biddy.
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