The good, the bad and the ugly

At this point (in my opinion), I see Dickens overall theme being that wealth can be corrupting and that there is much good to be found in those who work hard. I find Joe Gargery to be the most likeable character in the novel at this point. He grew up in a home with a alcoholic father and was never able to receive a proper education because he worked to support his mother. Instead of bashing Mrs. Joe with her 'tickler,' which I am sure would not be a difficult accomplishment for a sweaty, muscular blacksmith, he takes her abuse, providing a level of stability in the home, while at the same time being Pip's only true friend. I admire his amiable nature and his loyalty.

Uncle Pumblechook is the revoltingly greedily character who advocates raising a child with a heavy hand, then mistakenly drinks a medicinal tonic after Pip has taken the brandy for the convict. Later Pumblechook is quick to volunteer to take Pip to Miss Havisham's, in hopes there might be some monetary gain in the act. Every act he performs to this point is completely self-serving. This character seems to have no real motivation for being despicable, except for the desire to improve his financial status.

Pip meets an escaped convict and gives him food, in an encounter which seems to be haunting Pip much longer than it should. His behavior sets of a dichotomy of symbolism in the marshes, where we see both childhood innocence and adult peril. I find these images the most beautiful in the novel because it contributes to the gothic feel. Along with the madwoman (Miss Havisham), the villain (the convict?), the hero (Joe), darkness, death, decay, madness, and secrets, this novel has a very Gothic sense.