Topic B
May 1, 2015
As
a character, Pip has changed a lot since he was first introduced. While we
agree in our LC that these changes aren’t good, they are still happening and
they are significant. Pip was a kid that who grew up humbly, but he has taken a
complete turn for the worst. Pip now believes he is better than everyone and
that he is entitled to a new certain kind of lifestyle. The change in Pip’s
mentality is very obvious when he gets a letter from Joe saying that he would
like to visit. Pip is reluctant to have Joe come to London because he is
embarrassed. Joe does come to London but Pip is not happy about it. Pip only
agrees to have Joe come to London because he is “bound to him by so many ties”,
essentially saying that he can’t get rid of him. Pip is so embarrassed of Joe
and engulfed in his new wealthy lifestyles that if he could keep “him away by
paying money, [he] certainly would” (209). Pip’s words show his feelings not
only toward Joe but his former lifestyle as well. In Pip’s eyes, his former
life has become a distant memory that he wants to hide from the people in his
life at the moment. Pip has spent a lot of time trying to conceal the life he
once had lived, as he is extremely embarrassed. The mental change Pip has gone
through has made him believe that he is better than everything and everyone he
used to know. He is caught up in the life he believes is best. While this life
may look good to him, it has changed Pip into a terrible person.
Rachel, I agree with you that Pip is trying to get away from his former lifestyle, but it seems to continue to haunt him. After Joe had left London, guilt began to encroach on Pip. Pip begins to “notice [the] effect upon [himself] and those around [him],” of his attitude (263). He says that he tries to disguise it because he does not want to go back to his old ways, but Pip cannot shake his feeling of shame. Pip even admits to himself that his “conscience was not by any means comfortable about Biddy” (263). The fact that Pip was able to acknowledge his faults shows how hard it is for him to forget about his past life. Soon it becomes too much for Pip, and when Mrs. Joe dies, Pip finally begins to mend his former relations. But who knows how long his promise of returning more often will last.
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