Why is Pip so Emotionally Unstable?
Throughout the novel, Pip can been seen as a dynamic character who seems to change frequently and drastically. When I was reading the novel, I thought this was very aggravating because Pip was very hypocritical, but yet I still felt sympathy towards Pip. The way that Charles Dickens was able to elaborate on Pip was astounding and shows the true brilliance of Dickens as an author. Also, since Pip was so complex, he really interested me as a reader. That is why I chose to research why Pip was so emotionally unstable. The first suspected cause of Pip’s instability is the absence of Pip’s parents while he was growing up. Without parents, Pip had to live with his sister, who was not comforting and raised him …show more content…
In the beginning of the novel, Pip’s intentions when he grew up were to work with Joe in the forge. Unfortunately, when Miss Havisham began to meet with him, he started to create false hopes of his future. When Pip was first going to meet her, he had no idea why he was going. Pip said, “Why on earth I was going to play at Miss Havisham's, and what on earth I was expected to play at,” (53;ch. 8). In this quote, Pip was curious about Miss Havisham’s intentions for him. Finally when Pip arrived to her house, he was upset and bitter. Since he grew up in a socially isolated enviornment, when he finally saw someone who was in the upper class of society, he was overwhelmed and confused. Then, once he started to meet the people inside of the Statis House, he felt very self-conscience. Estella commented on everything different about Pip; his game playing abilities, his clothes, the way he talked, and many other insignificant details that had never crossed Pip’s mind before. Pip said,” I was much more ignorant than I had considered myself last night, and generally that I was in a low-lived bad way,” (65;ch. 8). After meeting people who were better off them him, he began to fantasize his own life as if he was rich, too. These fantasies caused him to be angry towards people he loved, including Joe and Biddy. He started to patronize them and act as …show more content…
I personally think that this question does not have one straight answer, but rather of combination of many answers, with some components more predominant than the others. I think Pip’s emotional instability was due mostly to the way he was raised and the lack of nourishment and love expressed to him as a child. It is not that Pip was completely abandoned as a child, but he was developing the same as other children who lived with two, non-abusive parents. I also think that Miss Havisham is a large contributor to Pip’s instability as well because she created an environment for him at a young age that will lead him to temptation, fantasies, and disappointments. Estella also contributed, but I feel that her presence did not upset Pip as much because he loved her so much; it gave him motivation to be productive. But, when he was angry with his and Estella’s relationship, he was also angry at the world and would have a lot of mood swings. Pip had a complex history and was a very dynamic character. My feelings toward Pip varied throughout the book and whenever he would lash out at the people who loved him, I grew curious to know why he acted his way. My conclusion from my research is that he sometimes acts this way because of the lack of parents when he was raised, Miss Havisham misleading him, and the lack of love from
Throughout the novel, Pip can been seen as a dynamic character who seems to change frequently and drastically. When I was reading the novel, I thought this was very aggravating because Pip was very hypocritical, but yet I still felt sympathy towards Pip. The way that Charles Dickens was able to elaborate on Pip was astounding and shows the true brilliance of Dickens as an author. Also, since Pip was so complex, he really interested me as a reader. That is why I chose to research why Pip was so emotionally unstable. The first suspected cause of Pip’s instability is the absence of Pip’s parents while he was growing up. Without parents, Pip had to live with his sister, who was not comforting and raised him …show more content…
In the beginning of the novel, Pip’s intentions when he grew up were to work with Joe in the forge. Unfortunately, when Miss Havisham began to meet with him, he started to create false hopes of his future. When Pip was first going to meet her, he had no idea why he was going. Pip said, “Why on earth I was going to play at Miss Havisham's, and what on earth I was expected to play at,” (53;ch. 8). In this quote, Pip was curious about Miss Havisham’s intentions for him. Finally when Pip arrived to her house, he was upset and bitter. Since he grew up in a socially isolated enviornment, when he finally saw someone who was in the upper class of society, he was overwhelmed and confused. Then, once he started to meet the people inside of the Statis House, he felt very self-conscience. Estella commented on everything different about Pip; his game playing abilities, his clothes, the way he talked, and many other insignificant details that had never crossed Pip’s mind before. Pip said,” I was much more ignorant than I had considered myself last night, and generally that I was in a low-lived bad way,” (65;ch. 8). After meeting people who were better off them him, he began to fantasize his own life as if he was rich, too. These fantasies caused him to be angry towards people he loved, including Joe and Biddy. He started to patronize them and act as …show more content…
I personally think that this question does not have one straight answer, but rather of combination of many answers, with some components more predominant than the others. I think Pip’s emotional instability was due mostly to the way he was raised and the lack of nourishment and love expressed to him as a child. It is not that Pip was completely abandoned as a child, but he was developing the same as other children who lived with two, non-abusive parents. I also think that Miss Havisham is a large contributor to Pip’s instability as well because she created an environment for him at a young age that will lead him to temptation, fantasies, and disappointments. Estella also contributed, but I feel that her presence did not upset Pip as much because he loved her so much; it gave him motivation to be productive. But, when he was angry with his and Estella’s relationship, he was also angry at the world and would have a lot of mood swings. Pip had a complex history and was a very dynamic character. My feelings toward Pip varied throughout the book and whenever he would lash out at the people who loved him, I grew curious to know why he acted his way. My conclusion from my research is that he sometimes acts this way because of the lack of parents when he was raised, Miss Havisham misleading him, and the lack of love from