Pip is the
central character of “Great Expectations”, to the extent that all the events of
the novel are seen through his eyes, he being the narrator throughout.
“Great
Expectations” was Dickens’s 13th novel, published in serial form
between November 1860 and August 1861. Parallels can be drawn between this
novel and his 8th, “David Copperfield”, which appeared in 1849-50. Both novels are first-person retrospective
narratives that follow the main character from childhood to adulthood, but
whereas David’s life can be matched to some of the actual events of that of
Dickens, Pip’s progress can be regarded more in the light of an intimate
spiritual autobiography.
Although both
novels are among Dickens’s greatest achievements, the portrayal of Pip is more psychologically
complex than that of David, with Pip being forced to deal with a wider-ranging
set of moral dilemmas than David.
Pip is
Dickens’s first working-class hero (even Oliver Twist had middle-class roots),
which is central to the plot involving the “great expectations” of the title.
The theme that runs through the novel is Pip’s consideration of self-worth at
being raised up the social ladder, and whether the reader shares his opinion.
Pip
consistently misunderstands his situation throughout the novel, not out of lack
of intelligence but because the circumstances in which he finds himself are
confusing and difficult to set in their proper context, mainly because Pip, and
the reader, do not know what that context is.
The dramatic
opening scene, in which Pip is accosted in a churchyard by Magwitch, the
escaped convict, is a mixture of horror and comedy in which the young boy has
little idea of what is going on, other than that a rough man is making demands
of him and, at one point, holding him upside down by the ankles. However, Pip’s
abiding memory is of how the church steeple suddenly points at the ground
rather than the sky.
A vivid
imagination
The verbal
misunderstandings of childhood, which begin in the churchyard and which Dickens
introduces as comic touches, set the scene for Pip’s much more serious
miscalculations later in the book. Coupled with this theme is Pip’s vivid
imagination, which takes every situation a stage beyond that which is initially
presented. For example, he has no idea what the source of his “great
expectations” might be, so he imagines that his benefactor must be the
reclusive and eccentric Miss Havisham, who has befriended him and invited him
to her house on many occasions, but with a very different motive.
Dreams
The portrayal
of Pip, as a character of recurrent low self-esteem and guilt, is well
presented by Dickens who at this stage of his writing career was a master in
exploring the psychology of a character. It is interesting to note how Dickens
uses Pip’s dreams to reveal aspects of his developing character, albeit in a
different manner to that used, some 40 years later, by Sigmund Freud. Pip’s
dreams bring his guilt home to him, and also multiply his fears, such as when
he is harbouring Magwitch in London
There is an
interesting contrast between Pip’s daydreams of what being a gentleman will be
like and his nightmares, some of which relate to his guilt at having turned his
back on the honest people who brought him up but are now “beneath” him in his
new snobbish persona.
Pip’s “doubles”
The
psychological complexities of the book are partly worked through by Dickens’s
use of “doubles” to draw attention to aspects of Pip’s character. Pip’s
personality consists of conflicting elements, and these doubles often appear in
pairs that contrast with each other. They also interact with Pip and thus
provide symbolic representations of what is going on within the central
character.
Several such
pairs have been indicated by critics and analysts, but the most striking must
surely be Orlick and Herbert Pocket. Orlick is the rough apprentice blacksmith
whose response to Pip is always hostile and who eventually gives way to his
violent nature by attacking (and essentially causing the death of) Pip’s sister
and carer, Mrs Joe. As she had always been very stern in her treatment of Pip,
Orlick’s attack on her could be seen as something that Pip might have been
driven to, had the evil side of his personality been allowed to dominate.
On the other
hand, Herbert can be seen as the “good angel” aspect of Pip who never allows
himself to be turned aside from following the right course. Unlike Pip, Herbert
appreciates the need for hard work in order to succeed, and also knows how to
treat people of all classes with respect. He therefore gains the happiness that
eludes Pip. However, he also stands by Pip in the latter’s lowest moments and,
at the end of the book, provides the security that Pip had been unable to find
for himself.
The fact that
Herbert can be seen as a reflection of Pip is hinted at when they first meet,
with the two looking at each other from either side of a window pane at Satis
House (Miss Havisham’s home). The final realization of this joint nature is
indicated at the end of the book when Pip says:
“… I often
wondered how I had conceived that old idea of his [Herbert’s] inaptitude, until
I was one day enlightened by the reflection that perhaps the inaptitude had
never been in him at all, but had been in me.”
Pip’s earlier
miscalculations and selfishness must, however, have long-term consequences, and
these manifest themselves in the contrast between Herbert’s happy marriage and
Pip’s failure to find a wife. Having treated his true benefactors so badly, he
cannot expect to be rewarded with true happiness and the novel ends with Pip
realising that his life is still a work in progress.
“Great
Expectations” is a flawed masterpiece in several respects, but it is also one
of Dickens’s most interesting works from the psychological aspect, especially
as it concerns the central character. Dickens had achieved a “great
expectation” of his own shortly before writing this novel, by moving into his
house at Gad’s Hill, a fairly large mansion which, since his childhood in north
Kent where that of Pip is also set, he had dreamt would one day be his.
However, it
was also not long since he had abandoned his wife Catherine, preferring the
society of an actress, Ellen Ternan. Catherine had borne him ten children and
stood by him throughout their marriage of 22 years, so he might have had some
lingering feelings of guilt for how he had treated her, although he would have
denied this at the time. One wonders if Dickens preferred to let his character
Pip deal with these emotions when he was unable to express them himself.
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