The moral evolution of Pip
Change occurs constantly. This can happen unbeknownst to people; yet, at the same time, people can induce changes within themselves. This concept is obviously noticeable with Pip, the main character and narrator of the book Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. A major theme in Great Expectations is the definition of a true "gentleman." The notion of what a gentleman is metamorphosizes and develops within Pip's mind throughout the story. In time, Pip will eventually become one in the true sense that he displays an understanding of proper morals and attitudes, acting accordingly. Great Expectations traces the change in Pip's moral development as he becomes a gentleman. This transformation is marked by three distinct stages: guilt/fear, self-interest, and altruism. In tracing the development of Pip's character, one discovers that Pip's morals are in need of development when he is young, for he acts out of fear and experiences guilt. At the beginning of Great Expectations, Pip is seven years old. Pip is vulnerable at such an early age. Like clay that is not yet hardened, he is to be molded by "potters' hands" - the people and other influences around him. Pip's first profound initiation of fear, which dictates his thoughts and a
The change in one's moral character takes time, but nonetheless, it is not an impossible task to accomplish. Just as Pip has shown, the moral development of a person into someone who is truly just does not occur overnight. Often, it requires stages, and one must often go through tough times and learn from mistakes in order to develop. The concepts of change itself and the change in moral development are essential themes not to be overlooked in Great Expectations, A reader with an awareness of these things will realize that he or she too can, in time, change himself or herself. In conclusion, Charles Dickens' Great Expectations chronicles the change in Pip and his moral development into a gentleman from the time he was a boy to the time he was a man. The final stage in Great Expectations is marked by Pip's growth in altruism. Pip becomes softened and develops into a true gentleman with proper morals. One example which demonstrates Pip's change is his attitude toward Magwitch, his benefactor. Pip has transformed in that he once felt disgust for him but now feels a genuine concern and compassion for him. His reverence for appearances is gone and he is able to give himself to a man who appears ignoble, as demonstrated during a scene in the courtroom: were removed, and while the audience got up and pointed down at this criminal or at that, and most of all at him and me." (Ch. 56, pp. 467-468) "But I ran no further than the house door, for there I ran head foremost into a party of soldiers with their muskets: one of whom held out a pair of handcuffs to me, say
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Approximate Word count = 1060
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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