How Does Joe Gargery Influence Pip's Life

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Throughout Pip’s life, he is influenced by many people. From his isolated youth, to receiving his expectations in London, to finally working with Herbert in the Middle East. Some of these influences are negative, but all are important in Pip’s development into adulthood. Joe Gargery, Pip’s brother-in-law, is one of the first characters introduced in the novel. Pip describes Joe as being a ‘mild, good-natured, sweet-tempered, easy-going, foolish, dear fellow.(39-40)’ Everything that Joe does in the novel proves Pip’s description is accurate. It’s obvious that Pip grows up in a physically and emotionally abusive household by his descriptions of how Mrs. Joe would hit him if he was gone from the house too long, and using the fact that she took…show more content…
She decides to take out her pain on the entire male gender, and uses her adopted daughter, Estella, to do this. She raises Estella to break hearts, and throughout the novel, encourages Pip to love Estella in order for Estella to break his heart. Although she later regrets this, the damage is already done. Estella is the reason Pip wants to become a gentleman. Before he is introduced with wealthy members of society, he is content with his life. His love for Estella is what motivates him to become a gentleman, as it would ludicrous by societal standards for a lady of Estella’s wealth to be with a lowly blacksmith, as Pip was. Magwitch provides Pip with the means to become a gentleman. He’s so touched by Pip’s kindness when he gives him food and a file to get his chains off, that he decides to pay Pip back. He gets money by sheep farming and puts it towards giving Pip a good life. He even starts to think of Pip as his own son, and Pip feels a close connection to him as well. Magwitch unknowingly gives Pip the access to the bad influence of Mr. Jaggers. This shows the evil in Magwitch; his grudge against Compeyson is an example of his evil. Once Pip and Magwitch are reunited, however, Pip sees that Mr. Jaggers isn’t a good influence on…show more content…
Jaggers was Pip’s guardian when he was in London, and the person who passed on Pip’s allowance to him. Although the money wasn’t from Mr. Jaggers, he was the one giving it to Pip, and that was what allowed Pip to have access to education and wealth. Pip picked up Mr. Jaggers’s ‘gentleman’ traits. Although he negatively influenced Pip, Mr. Jaggers was a heavy influence on Pip’s life for a period of time. Pip’s positive influences throughout the novel are not gentlemanly or proper. When Joe is at Miss Havisham’s house, he doesn’t know how to act and speaks to her through Pip, while Estella laughs at him. Biddy is first described as a messy little girl, and she later grows into an intelligent woman. Magwitch is missing teeth, he’s dirty, and he eats in a messy way. On the other hand, Pip’s negative influences are wealthy and proper; Miss Havisham and Estella are wealthy, and Mr. Jaggers is a gentleman. Although Pip lives for a short period of time corrupted by his negative influences—his time spent in London—he eventually gets back into contact with his positive influences and returns to his naturally good morals. Coming into contact with people who influenced him negatively, and having an internal battle due to his morals, is important to Pip’s character development throughout the

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