Identity

One thing that has really bothered me about Great Expectations is the lack of female names. The women seem to only have identities in relation to their husbands or a male family member. This is most prevalent when Pip addresses his own sister by Mrs. Joe. Although she is a powerful and frightening woman who beats her husband and controls the household, she is still only identified with reference to the abused husband. Similarly, Pip’s mother is “Also Georgiana Wife of the Above” and his school teacher is only referred to as “Mr. Wopsle’s great-aunt.” This emphasizes the inequalities in gender and the lack of individual identity in most of the women. Even Miss Havisham with her distinctive personality is still dependant on a man (or lack of) to give her the identity of a perpetual bride.
Conversely, male Pip tries to create his own identity starting with his name when he says, “So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called Pip." This is a very romantic notion and is magnified in Pip’s strong sense of self. This assurance is shaken however when he later allows his identity to be shaped by Estella calling him common. This prompts Pip to try and better himself by getting an education. It is uncertain whether he wants to actually improve or if he just wants Estella’s opinion of him to improve showing that much of Pip’s identity is also influenced by the opposite sex.
Similarly, many of the characters try to create an ideal self for others’ benefit. Joe wears clothes that don’t seem to “belong” to him, Mrs. Joe acts pleasantly in company, and everyone at Miss Havisham’s party seems completely obsessed with appearances. Once Pip becomes aware of his commonness he too becomes rather superficial. He is embarrassed of Joe, a snob toward Biddy, and is completely preoccupied with the idea that Estella might see him doing something “common.” However, in retrospect, Pip seems to realize how horribly he acted so it will be interesting to see when this change occurs.