Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Assignment 2
Pip's visits to Miss Havisham's caused Pip to changed his ambitions by making him feel insecure about his common life. Pip goes on a walk with Biddy, and opens up his feelings and ambitions to her after keeping his thoughts to himself. He talks about a new life, a life of a gentleman, "If I could have settled down and been but half as fond of the forge as I was when I was little, I know it would have been much better for me. You and I and Joe would have wanted nothing then... see how I am going on. Dissatisfied, and uncomfortable, and- what would it signify to me, being coarse and common, if nobody had told me so!" (128). When Pip was little and prior to his visits to Miss Havisham's, his ambitions were to work along side with Joe in the forge. His whole life he was brought up with the expectation that he would be Joe's apprentice. He planned on working for Joe, someone who has raised him and who he is friends with, because that is what he was brought up to think of as normal. However, Pip's thoughts completely flipped when he started to visit Miss Havisham's. What he was brought up thinking was normal, he was mocked for. Estella teased Pip about his clothes, how rough his hands were, being common, and even how he called knaves, jacks. These constant remarks took a beating on Pip and began to believe and go along with them. Pip started feeling insecure and he started to hate certain qualities about himself. His new ambition started to form, he wanted to fix these problems and live the life of a gentleman. This new life was what he now percieved as being normal, after Estella pointed out specific details of Pip that she considered to be poor and wrong. This caused Pip to feel uncomfortable and dissatisified with his old life because these details were constantly stabbing him from the back of his mind.
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I agree with you because Pip does display a difference in his personality after visiting Miss Havisham. Firstly, Pip had considered his home to be a Haven because of Joe around, and had respect for the forge. However, when he came back from Havishams he stated that, "Now, it was all course and common, and I would not had Miss Havisham and Estella see it on any account." This displays his shame of being the commoner Estella accused him of being. When he mentions about them seeing it, he shows his growing self conscious that he previously had not had.
ReplyDeleteAfter Pip visits Ms. Havishams and meets Estella, he develops a new outlook on life. He realizes that he no longer wants to be the commoner and infact, he cannot be the commoner any longer. Since he desires Estella's love, he wants to be whatever she thinks is acceptable. "i never shall, or can be comortable- or anything but miserable-there, Biddy! unless I can lead a very different sort of life from the life i lead now," (128). When Pip, speaks with Biddy he tells about his misery with his current life, and desire to lead a different life, otherwise he will never be content. This different life, is the life of a gentleman, which he wants to become to please Estella.
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