Miss Havisham As Pip's Shame
The aim of this essay is to discuss the shame that Philip Pirrip, also known as Pip, has experienced through the novel. Pip is an orphan character, who is brought up by his selfish sister and his sister’s blacksmith husband, Joe. He was abused by his sister. Until he met Miss Havisham, he was not complaining about his life. After his visit to Satis House, Pip becomes ashamed of himself and his home. He is ashamed of his home because his house has the characteristics of low-class features. Pip says “Home had never been a very pleasant place to me, because of my sister’s temper. But Joe had sanctified it, and I believed in it.” And “Within a single year, all this was changed. Now it was all coarse and common, and I would not have had Miss Havisham and Estella see it on any account.” (Chapter 14). It is a very sad thing for a child to think about. Pip never realized he was in low class until he met Estella. Also, he did not realize that he is changing at first. However, as Pip becomes a upper-class member, he had some advantages such as he became a gentleman and disadvantages such as his relationship with Joe got worse.
In the book, it is revealed that the shame in Great Expectations is between Pip and Estella. Estella is Miss Havisham’s adopted daughter and Miss Havisham encouraged Estella to break Pip’s heart. Since the first day they met, Estella despised Pip and deliberately humiliated him. What Estella and Miss Havisham did cause him to feel poorly about himself and Joe. But in response, Pip fell in love with the cruel girl. He is attracted to her beauty and her social superiority. After a year visiting the Satis House, he had exposed to high-class life and be ashamed of his low-class life. Pip spend few months at the Satis House, pushing around Miss Havisham and talking with Estella. Pip hoped that from doing these good deeds, Miss Havisham will help him by giving him money so he can become a upper-class. When Pip started working as an apprentice at Joe’s forge and he was not happy about it. Also, he was ashamed to be working at a blacksmith with Joe. Now, everything Pip believed in seems “all coarse and common.” When Pip got a legacy from an unknown heir, he went to London and tried to live like a gentleman. He acted like he was always a upper-class.
When Pip went to London, behaving as if he were a natural upper-class member, provided him some advantages, for example, he kept up with the life in London. He realized his “great expectations” when he arrived in London. He became friends with Herbert Pocket. Herbert Pocket taught him social manners appropriate to his new status. He took forward his education by studying with the tutor Matthew Pocket, Herbert’s father. He got an education with Matthew Pocket and Mr. Pocket's other students and thus begins to study much more profitably and systematically he appears to pursue a regular course of reading into adult life.
On the other hand, his high-class like life caused a break with the people in his life outside London. When he was living in London, Joe Gargery visited him. Pip expressed his feelings about Joe’s visit as “considerable disturbance; some mortification, and a keen sense of incongruity. If I could have kept him away by paying money, I certainly would have.” Pip hopelessly wants to establish himself as a gentleman to be on the same level as Estella. But Joe reminds Pip his old low-class life. Joe acted and spoke formally and called him “sir”. He called him “sir” because Joe realized Pip’s new life condition. Joe told Pip that he does not belong out of the forge. Pip’s attitudes broke Joe’s heart. He ashamed of himself later but it was too late. He lost his faithful friend because of his desire for high-class life.
However, Pip’s class elevation worked well for another matter. When Pip was in the low-class, he could not make sense of Estella's attitudes. But as he became a member of an upper class, he began to understand these attitudes. Estella's inconsistent behaviors stem from Miss Havisham’s raising style. “Break their hearts my pride and hope, break their hearts, and have no mercy!” (S.93) Despite all this, the pip continued to love Estella. Also, he wanted to be a gentleman because he believed that Estella will accept him.
But, even though Pip thought that he will have more opportunities if he becomes a gentleman, but things did not go as well as Pip hoped in London. It began when he first came to London. He understood that he over-estimated the city. 'I was content to take a foggy view of the Inn through the window's encrusting dirt, and to stand dolefully looking out, saying to myself that London was decidedly overrated.' (p. 183) He had lost himself in his high-class love.
In conclusion, everything started when Pip visited the Satis House. At first, he was ignorant and uneducated but he started to change after his Satis House visits. He began to see himself insufficient and simple because of Estella and Miss Havisham. Miss Havisham represented wealth and social status for Pip. Pip became more upset from day to day about his low-class status. Pip said, “ I wished Joe had been rather more genteelly brought up, and then I should have been so too.” ( Chapter 8). Also, Pip was so sad that Estella sees him as an ordinary person. When Pip went to London he thought that things are going to change. He turned into a gentleman but this changing did not bring him happiness and Estella. At the same time, Pip caused breakdown with Joe Gargery because of his attitudes. Even though Pip had insulted him, crushed him, treated badly against him, Joe still helped Pip in all circumstances and had never turned his back on him. In those times social class was meant everything to people. Especially changing social class would be difficult for people like Pip.
