Power of Women

In Pip’s life, there are many very powerful women. Starting with his sister, he encounters three that are of particular importance. Mrs. Joe truly “wears the pants,” as she has the ability to control her husband and her brother in every aspect of home life, from when they eat to what time they are expected to be home: even employing The Tickler at times. Later in life Pip meets Miss Havisham and Estella, both of whom are adept at controlling men – as Estella proves by using the lessons taught by Miss Havisham to repetitively lead on the novel’s protagonist. In Dickens’ time, women were just starting to gain their independence. The three major women in Pip’s life show this newfound independence at its extremes, controlling men as women had been previously controlled for centuries.

Helping the Criminals

Throughout the novel, Dickens portrays Pip as an aide to escaped criminals, first the criminals in the graveyard and then Magwitch. However, his reasons for doing so show the marked change he goes through throughout the course of his lifetime. At the beginning of his life, Pip’s facilitation of the criminal’s temporary escape made him anxious: he knew what he was doing was wrong, and yet did it to protect his safety. Later, Pip helps Magwitch because he is responsible for the social climb Pip had undertaken. Pip helps Magwitch, even though he doesn’t particularly care for him, in an attempt to preserve his lifestyle. While Pip is looking out for what he thinks are his best interests in both situations, the younger Pip has a much stronger moral compass – proven by his much more pure and less selfish motives.

EDIT: With these situations, Dickens is proving to readers that it is not always outward appearances that matter. To the people of the Victorian Era, criminals were the low lives of society and yet Magwitch is obviously a noble individual. Through his relationship with Pip, the latter realizes that there are more important things in life than being a gentleman - like being a good person. This is one of the main ideals that Victorian artists aimed to push on their patrons.

“. . . the rich man and the kingdom of Heaven . . .” (141)

The kingdom of Heaven is the promise that is central to all Christian religions: after death, souls have a chance of salvation with Jesus and God regardless of many things, including their social standing on Earth. It is ironic that Dickens includes this as the sermon that Pip hears on his day of departure. It is ironic because even if Pip is able to achieve his status as “a gentleman,” his status in Heaven is apt to be no different than if he were to remain a commoner. In fact, in the reading being alluded to, the rich man does not in fact end up in heaven, because he was so greedy and mean-hearted during his lifetime. Matthew 19:23 plainly states that it is “hard for the rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven.”

Source:

Matthew. King James Bible. Print.

“. . . for their days were long before the days of photographs . . .” (3)

Photography was invented in 1839 by William Henry Fox Talbot and Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre. Pip, who doesn’t even truly understand what his parents’ names are, never specifically states when they died or even what year he is living in. However, by dating them as having lived before photography, Dickens makes it clear that the novel begins as the world was transitioning into the Victorian Age.

Source:

Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free online reference, research & homework help. Infoplease.com. Web. 10 Jan. 2010. http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/ent/A0860364.html.

EDIT: By placing Pip's parents in the days before photographs, the orphan does not even have an image of his parents to connect himself with. He doesn't grasp the concept of a family because he lacks tangible evidence that he has ever had one. In a time when family bonds were considered to be of extreme importance, Pip lacks such connections which undoubtedly impacts his development. Without a family, Pip sees material goods as being an appropriate replacement and therefore spends a good part of his life in the quest for excess that consumed so many of his generation.

“. . . a green farthingale . . .” (261)

A farthingale is a hooped underskirt, all the rage in Victorian England because of the way it pushed the wearer’s skirt out and gave it the appearance of fullness, and therefore made the waist look smaller in comparison: two necessities of style during Dickens’ age. Even Pip, a male, knows about this – proving that it permeated every part of life at the time and therefore is important enough that it deserves mentioning within the novel.

Source:



"Farthingale - definition of farthingale by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia." Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary. Web. 09 Jan. 2010. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/farthingale.

Photo Credits:

Farthingale. Digital image. LJ Johnson. Web. 9 Jan. 2010. http://www.ljjohnson.org/Art/Madrigal/interior/farthingale.jpg.

EDIT: The farthingale is significant because it shows the demands placed by society on citizens to conform. Women and men alike were expected to dress, speak, and behave in a certain manner - like the members of the upper class that so many wanted to be a part of. Even Pip falls victim to this desire to conform as he thinks that "the grass is greener" as a gentleman than as a common man.

“He was tried again for prison breaking, and got made a Lifer.” (221)

In Victorian England, a “Lifer” was an individual who had been sentenced to life in prison – a sentencing that condemned them to do hard labor until they died. In exchange for their lives being spared from hanging, prisoners were sent to British colonies, most notably Australia, from where they could theoretically never make their return. In this way, Dickens is showing the harsh realities of Victorian life for those who made mistakes – while those who followed the rules of society could make amends easily, the penalties were much stiffer for those who broke these rules.

Source:

"A Victorian Prison." The National Archives. Web. 09 Jan. 2010. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/lesson24.htm.

“She’s a Tartar.” (168)

The Tartars – also called the Mongols – are a group of people in Central Asia. Calling an individual a “Tartar” gives the connotation that the individual is mean spirited and gains enjoyment from causing others pain – much like the Mongols who in their prime were known for their vicious spirits and quest for domination. By describing Estella in this fashion, Dickens is alluding to her true nature before there is a chance for it to be explained.

Source:

"Tartars - definition of Tartars by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia." Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary. Web. 09 Jan. 2010. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Tartars.