Great Expectations has a wealth of memorable characters whom appear in the novel and interact with the hero, Pip, influencing his development for better or for worse.
Pip, the central character of the novel, meets many other people who affect his life for better or worse. They influence his upbringing, his attitudes, his emotions and, most importantly, his financial position. Pip knows some of them from his home in a small country village; he comes into contact with many others during his time in London. As Charles Dickens uses a first-person narrative in this book, it is important to remember that all the other characters are seen through Pip's eyes and that this may affect our views of them. more...
Pip is the protagonist of the novel Great Expectations. We follow his journey from being a poor young boy in the countryside to a well-to-do young man in London who moves in high society. Although he is always restless about improving his position, two things really encourage Pip in his efforts:
It is important to understand that Pip is fundamentally mistaken about both these things. He loves Estella but she cannot love him in return and the money comes from an unexpected and 'contaminated' origin more...
Abel Magwitch, like Pip, follows his own rags to riches story and has his own 'Great Expectations'. He has quite a dramatic change in personality between the earlier and later parts of the book. In the first part of the novel, Magwitch is an escaped convict who meets the young Pip while he is on the run. Pip supplies Magwitch with food and a file to help him in his escape. At this point in the story Magwitch is a frightening figure often compared to a hunted animal. Magwitch is recaptured and is transported to Australia so he disappears from the novel for quite a while.
He reappears (under the name of 'Provis') many years later when Pip has grown up and is living in London after coming into money from a mysterious benefactor. By this time Magwitch is a much older and somewhat kinder figure – though he is still tough and determined to achieve his goals. It eventually becomes clear that Magwitch:more...
Joe is the village blacksmith, strong but gentle, kind and forgiving. Though Pip is his wife's (Mrs Joe) younger brother, he treats Pip like a son. He guides him through his childhood years, shielding him from Mrs Joe's spiteful attacks and providing employment to him when he becomes a young man. He is also Pip's truest friend throughout the book, sticking by him in times of trouble and never being critical of the way Pip behaves.
Although Joe has rough and ready manners and looks uncomfortable in formal clothing, he is a true gentleman. The reader realises how badly Pip is going wrong when he feels ashamed of his old friend when he comes to visit him in London. Joe is 'rewarded' at the end of the novel by a second marriage to Biddy who is one of the kindest people in the book.more...