The problem with Pip is that, while very secure in the belief that he is of the utmost importance to the world, he is incredibly susceptible to the thoughts and opinions of others. No matter where he goes, Pip judges himself based on the actions of those around him, as well as their opinions of him; when living with Joe and Mrs. Joe as a commoner, he judges himself against their lack of manners and Miss Havisham's perceived grandeur. When living in London, he is bombarded by the scorn of high society and the unavoidable fact that he is not, in fact, of their class. This causes him to readjust his character in order to play to this newer and better stage. However, the very fact that Pip tries so hard to "fit in" makes him even more of an outsider, because his actions are so obviously an attempt to tear himself away from his past that they are crass and almost pathetic. 

His treatment of Joe is despicable, even though he once associated Joe with goodwill and kindness; Pip doesn't want this tangible evidence of his common beginnings messing up his new life, but even though he acts as though he has risen far above Joe on the social totem pole, he fails to gain the respect of those around him. Even as he is repeatedly humiliated in London, Pip completely fails to see the parallels between his treatment of those he sees as below him and the treatment he himself is subjected to. He doesn't seem to realize that Jaggers, Estella and co. look down on him just as much as he looks down on Joe and his somewhat grubby roots. This willful blindness is, of course, fed by his fervent belief that he and Estella are meant for each other, which makes it much harder for Pip to understand his position as the permanent outsider in her world.

Pip as an Outsider

I will say this for Pip – he certainly tries hard to fit in. Ultimately though, I think he is unsuccessful. When he comes into money, he seems to think that the way to be a “gentleman” – the way to fit in with the London crowd – is to turn his back on everything that he once knew. Joe and Biddy get pushed to the side to make way for new, higher class acquaintances. However, none of these “higher class” people seem to think of him as a gentleman. To them, Pip is simply a common boy who somehow came into a bit of money. First impressions are hard to shake, and especially in the cases of Miss Havisham and Estella, I think that they believe “once a common boy, always a common boy”. It doesn’t matter how he dresses or how quickly he learns social niceties, because they will always see him as poor, orphaned Pip. Because he tries so hard to fit in with the high class crowd and turns his back on the people he grew up with, Pip seems to alienate himself even further, because now, he doesn’t even really fit in with Biddy and Joe, nor does he want to fit in with them (which is something Biddy implies when she tells Pip at Mrs. Joe’s funeral that she does not believe he will come back to visit Joe as he says he will). Some of the London people he is surrounded by seem to accept him, but they are the ones who seem to lack the power that the others have (Wemmick is not as good at his job as Jaggers is, and Herbert has to be helped by Pip to secure a job). The ones who seem to have power, or control over others (Miss Havisham, Estella, Jaggers), seem to regard him in the same condescending way that Pip has come to regard Joe and Biddy. Perhaps if Pip seemed to expect something different of his time in London, he might be considered to “fit in” – after all, he does make good friends in Wemmick and Herbert. However, Pip’s own definition of fitting in and being a “gentleman” seems to involve impressing people who remain mightily unimpressed by him, and so unless he changes his own definition of what it is to be a gentleman and live up to his great expectations, he will continue to be an outsider.

Being a Gentleman (Superficially)

Pip’s outsider status grows substantially as he goes to London to become a gentleman. He seems to be in some strange middle ground between the classes. He is not part of the lower-class anymore since he “came into property” and now has “expectations” (on whole the lower-class seems more complacent while the upper-class is always striving to gain societal status). This is really seen when he is afraid to let the townspeople see him in his new clothing and when the tailor’s boy mocks him.

Pip of course doesn’t want to fit into the lower-class anymore and tries desperately to enter the upper-class. He can never fully enter since there is always an emphasis on his mysterious benefactor and the fact he was not born rich and with a title. But this does not dissuade the little idealist and Pip only tries harder to emulate a gentleman. His idea of a gentleman seems to include having unsubstantial manners, spending money, and living lavishly.

I say unsubstantial manners because table etiquette and the other menial pleasantries Pip learns from Herbert don’t seem to carry any weight compared to qualities such as loyalty and compassion that a “true gentleman” (if we want to also be idealistic and romantic) should develop. This lack of true manners is seen in how he condescends to Biddy, Joe, and Magwitch. I suppose this is also, in a slightly twisted way, part of Pip trying to be a gentleman and overcome his outsider status. By rejecting his past connections with the lower-class he can somewhat rise socially.

I was surprised by how much debt Pip was in due to his “lavish habits” that “corrupted the simplicity of [Herbert’s] life.” How did Pip suddenly develop these habits? He grew up as an orphan, he didn’t have anything lavish. I suppose his spending is an overcompensation as he tries to fit into his idea of a gentleman. I found the section about him and Herbert reviewing their debt equally ridiculous. They apparently only need their debt to be neatly ordered in a symmetrical pack to feel better. This idea of order and structure fits into the greater scheme of being an established gentleman with place and purpose.

Place is also emphasized in the young gentlemen’s club, Finches of the Grove. They seem to imitate everything Pip thinks is gentlemanly since they follow menial rules and traditions in order to “dine expensively once a fortnight, to quarrel among themselves as much as possible.” Although Pip seems like he has overcome his outsider status at the meetings, it is only because he is with among other boys trying to become gentlemen. His friction with the wealthy and titled Drummle also shows how he is still very much on the outside of high society.

Pip

While I’ve been reading, I’ve been thinking about Pip (both the younger Pip presented to us through the unfolding plot and the older narrator), and the reader’s relationship to him. I think that it is somewhat natural to relate to the main character of a novel, because it is through his (or her) eyes that we are seeing the story’s events. And while there are certainly aspects of Pip’s character or his circumstances that make you want to root for him, he also proves to be very unlikeable at times. He’s an orphan raised by a horrific older sister who, given the choice, would have nothing to do with him – and this certainly engenders some pity. But he is so singularly obsessed with becoming a “gentleman” that he lashes out at Biddy (and I think Biddy, along with Joe, is one of the two truly likeable characters in this novel). Biddy, who is nothing but kind and thoughtful, is attacked by Pip, seemingly for no other reason than a jealousy stemming from the fact that she has a greater aptitude for learning than he does (and education is closely linked to higher societal status for Pip). And though Pip values Joe’s friendship, he seems to regard him with an attitude bordering on condescension at times. And even more frustrating, these actions arise as part of a desperate bid to become a gentleman to impress Estella, who has been, on the whole, rude, condescending, and manipulative. Estella loves to make Pip feel lowly and common, and Pip then treats Biddy and Joe in similar fashion, as if trying to convince himself that because he is less common than them, he actually belongs in Estella’s world and not theirs. It’s been interesting to read Great Expectations so far, because I vacillate between rooting for Pip and wanting him to be taken to task for his behavior. He’s definitely a complex character, and how he negotiates the situation he has fallen into is at the heart of the tension in the novel. Pip is stuck between two worlds, and through his bleak portrayal of Estella, Miss Havisham, and the “higher society”, Dickens seems to suggest the latter world is less grand than it may appear to Pip. His desire to be a part of this world, however, is what drives some of his less-than-admirable behavior, and I can’t help but feel that he will learn his lesson. It will be interesting to see how and when that will happen.

Social Class in Part I

Part I of Great Expectations deals very directly with social class, and specifically to the way in which Pip is able to upset the balance of social power that each character derives for themself. Although one can say that the backbone of the class structure in the novel is based on the wealth of a given character, there is also great deal of power assumed by some characters based solely on their psychology, and is thus easily subject to change.

There appears to be two distinct social levels at the novel's outset. The higher of the two is made up of Mrs. Joe, with the later addition of such characters as Mr. Pumblechook and Mr. Wopsle. The lower of the two is headed primarily by Mr. Joe. This distinction is a psychological one; wealth is constant among all the characters at this point, but social dominance is assumed by Mrs. Joe and derived from her psychological dominance in the household.

Later, a third social tier is added, to be inhabited by Miss Havisham and Estelle. This tier is separated from the other two by both wealth and psychological factors. It may be important to note that the members of this tier are also physically separate from the other two, and no one with the exception of Pip is allowed to cross the divide that exists at the gates of Satis House.

There is also the hint of a fourth tier, or at least of a sub-level, present in part I. This tier would consist of such characters as the Camillas and Miss Sarah Pocket. This division is psychological, and is apparent in the way in which these characters appear to grovel in the presence of Miss Havisham, and in the disgust with which the latter treats the former.

Pip is the wildcard of the group. He quite clearly starts out at the very bottom of the pile, lower even than Mr. Joe. However, certain events soon accellerate his rise to the very top group. His education pushes him above poor Joe's level psychologically, and his close dealings and monetary gift from Miss Havisham bring him into the sphere dominated by Mrs. Joe and Pumblechook. Elements outside the social network such as the prisoner, the stranger, and the mysterious benefactor, also serve to separate Pip from the the normal rigidity of the class structure and he is flung suddenly into the very highest tier by his "great expectations", to join the ranks of Miss Havisham and Estelle.

As a note: if one admits the existance of the sub-level of the Camillas and Miss Pocket, evidence exists to suggest that Pip has transcended that group as well. In his last meeting with Miss Havisham, he runs into Miss Sarah Pocket. Her speechlessness at his appearance and her look of "jealous dismay" at his "great expectations" gives the indication that Pip has now surpassed her psychologically, if not monetarily as well.

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.

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.