How Does Pip Change Throughout The Novel

Every parent wishes the best for the child they raise, and unfortunately, many parents inadvertently raise an inconsiderate kid without moral values. In the book, Great Expectations, written by Charles Dickens, the character Pip is mainly raised by kind and warm-hearted Joe, who exemplifies and tries to impart his moral values into Pip. He opts to create a friendship with Pip rather than a father-son relationship, and Joe watches as his friend descends into a web of misery. While Joe did his best to nurture Pip into a hard working and righteous person, his consistent pampering and inability to act as a father figure indirectly contributed to Pip’s transformation into an arrogant man because Pip was ill-equipped to handle adulthood.
Firstly, Joe acted to protect Pip from the problems in his life from a young age, preventing him from comprehending the consequences he would …show more content…
This can be noticed when Pip is working as an apprentice for Joe, and he asks to take a day off from his studies to visit Miss. Havisham and Estella. As the book reads on page 197, “In brief, Joe thought that if I thought well of it, he thought well of it. But, he was particular in stipulating that if I were not received with cordiality, or if I were not encouraged to repeat my visit as a visit which had no ulterior object but was simply one of gratitude for a favour received, then this experimental trip should have no successor.” Clearly, Joe understands Pip’s wishes of visiting Estella and joining this exclusive club of the rich instead of his current lifestyle but also comprehends that the chances of Pip reaching this state of a gentleman is nearly impossible. As Joe caves into Pip’s demands here with few limitations, he is allowing Pip to experience another lifestyle, which eventually turns into jealousy and hate when Pip is unable to actually reach true gentleman