How Does Joe Gargery Influence Pip's Childhood

Throughout his growth into early adulthood and his new life in London in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, Pip, the protagonist, is influenced by many characters. Joe Gargery, his sister’s husband, who Pip begins to resent once he starts living a wealthier life, but returns to loyally in the end; Miss Havisham, the vengeful old woman that Pip suspects to be his benefactor for the majority of the novel; Abel Magwitch, a convict, and Pip’s actual benefactor repaying him for his kindness as a child. All these characters play crucial roles in Pip’s life and shape him into who he is, but there is only one that arguably impacts him the most: Estella. Estella, raised by Miss Havisham to be a ruthless heart-breaker as her form of revenge on men, infatuates Pip from the moment he meets her, and immediately, he starts to see the differences between them. She is of a higher class, more sophisticated, and better educated; she looks down upon Pip. As a result, he feels shameful of himself and his status. “...and gave me the bread and meat without looking at me, as insolently as if I were a dog in disgrace. I was so humiliated, hurt, spurned, offended, angry, sorry…” (Dickens 75). In this way, Estella is the cause of his …show more content…
Even when she is not there, she lives in Pip’s mind, and is constantly brought up and reminded. Using various literary elements, Dickens helps develop the influence Estella has on Pip. As discussed before, the way she is characterized is crucial to this. Had she been a typical female character and had she treated Pip kindly, the plot would have taken a drastically different direction. By being the way she is, cold and merciless, she makes Pip want to change for her. Estella’s actions and attitude are the main cause of her influence on