Why do we need money? To pay our bills, to buy food, to have an education, to
support our loved ones and to afford nice things. Money is what keeps society
functioning to a certain extent and what motivates people to go to work every
day. Clearly one must have money to live a comfortable life, but how much money
is really necessary? It seems that people always want more and more money in
order to be happy, but does money really give people happiness?
In “Great Expectations” it appears that money brings the complete opposite to
the main character Pip. Before becoming wealthy, Pip may not have had the
easiest life, but he definitely did not have all of the problems that he ran
into once he was on his way to being a prosperous gentleman. Before moving to
London, Pip may not have had money, but he had two very loving friends who were
always there for him even in his worst moments. These two friends were Joe and
Biddy. Joe has always cared for Pip and has always been right by his side
whenever his sister felt the need to punish him for simply being born. He was
there to suffer with him and he was his voice of reason when he did bad things
like when he lied after returning from Miss Havisham’s. Biddy, on the
other hand, was Pip’s source of education. She accepted his request to teach
him everything she knew without even questioning him or asking for anything in
return. She even listened to his problems and heart troubles.
Pip knew that these people loved him and that they were his only real friends.
So why then, may I ask, did he give up on them? The answer is simple: his need
for money and a wealthier lifestyle to impress Estella drove him to neglect the
ones he loved and to leave them behind while he moved on to greater things. In
my opinion, Pip’s so called great expectations were set up for failure from the
beginning because his motivation was an unrequited love and he
was too blinded by his feelings for Estella to see that she would never be able
to love him back. It is this vain hope to gain her love that led him to push
away those closest to him despite his conscience telling him that his actions
were wrong. By asking Biddy to teach Joe to be more proper, he was admitting that he didn't think Joe was good
enough for his new lifestyle and although he did ask Biddy for help, he did not
see her as good enough either. He also neglected Joe by not taking the time to
visit him and by being ashamed of his status as a blacksmith when in reality
this was Pip’s intended future before Magwitch secretly intervened.
It
seems that Pip knew that he would never be able to court Estella unless he had
all the qualities of a wealthy gentleman, but I wonder if maybe there was an inner
part of him that wanted all these nice things just to make himself feel like
part of a superior group of people. He clearly had an issue with status and was
ashamed with where he came from because of Estella’s very first remarks about
his hands and boots, but I wonder if maybe there was some small part of him
that wanted wealth even without his love for Estella as an influence. However,
it does not quite matter which drove him to neglect his friends and family
because he did so anyways and I think the ending to Pip’s story was well deserved.
We've
all heard the stories and seen the movies where people wish for more money and
better lives, but after realizing that in this new life they've deserted their
friends and family they instantly wish to go back to normal. In the movies this
is possible, but for Pip it isn't. By the time he realizes that his fortune
dies along with his benefactor, it is much too late for him to go and fix
things. Luckily for him, Joe is still a
true gentleman at heart and stays loyal to Pip by helping him when he is ill
and by paying his debts. I think this action gives Pip hope that he can just go
back to his hometown and everything will return to normal just like in our
movies, but such hope was foolish.
Clearly, Charles Dickens most likely had a very dark sense of humour and
enjoyed the idea of irony because Pip’s great expectations ended up, well in
simple terms, not so great… I think that Pip
finding Joe and Biddy on their wedding day was priceless. It might sound harsh,
but I think it was exactly what he deserved because it was only after his loss
of money and of Estella that he decided that Biddy would be good enough for him
and he should just go back and marry her. It was as though he thought she would
just fall into his arms, but instead this woman found her own love and did not
pine over the neglectful Pip. In addition to this, I honestly think Pip should
have seen this coming; he really did push these two together by asking Biddy to
teach Joe and by neglecting them and forcing them into a common situation.
After it all this,
it has become clear to me that relying on money to get yourself to higher
places and to gain someone’s love is a huge mistake. Money has different
influences over us all and as we saw it Pip’s situation, these influences are
most likely negative ones. You’ve all seen how I feel about Pip’s story and on
the influence of money so now let me know how you feel. Do you think Dickens
was too harsh on Pip or that Pip got what he deserved in the end? And, do you
think it is right to rely on money to get you “further up” in society? If not,
what other actions could you take to make your great expectations a reality?
Works Cited:
Image 1:
Grant, Amy. “Money
Spiral Image For Post”. Photograph. July 14th, 2011. gemalto . Web. March 8th,
2014. < http://blog.gemalto.com/blog/2011/07/06/there-is-no-winner-in-the-case-of-bank-vs-customer/money-spiral-image-for-post/
>.
Image 2:
“Unreturned Love”. Cartoon. n.d. Fanpop. Web. March 8th, 2014
<http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/unrequited-love/images/31051498/title/unreturned-love-fanart
>.
I feel as though Pip's situation is a common one. One knows that by acting in a certain way they may be pushing their loved ones away, though this is not their intention. Their are many instances that I recall of my own where I have acted in ways that I suspect will hurt valuable relationships I have, yet I convince myself that I won't let this happen. I am so eager to progress in whatever situation it may be (education, romantic, etc.) that I assure myself that I would never let my communication or attention dwindle with those who care for me. Time and time again I realize that I have failed to keep in touch with some who I value, though I sincerely want to stay in contact with them. Though Pip's situation can probably be considered as more severe, as he took what I have described to another degree, I sympathize with him. He always cared for Biddy and Joe, but I believe that his immaturity and naivety led him to take these relationships for granted. He was blinded by his desires, but one knew that he would come to his senses. Though some may say that he only realized his mistake when his actions caused his downfall, I am optimistic that he would have regretted his treatment of Joe and Biddy no matter the result of his pursuit of Estella.
ReplyDelete"Money's just paper but it affects people like poetry." (Movie- Don't Tempt Me) I thought of this quote upon reading your post. Great post, btw :)
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of undecided concerning how I feel about Pip. In some ways, I understand how and why he ended up throwing everything away. And in other ways, he's kind of a jerk for doing so, and I'm super unimpressed. Mostly, I'm rather frustrated because I would have liked a happy ending for Pip and everyone else involved. I guess I should understand that Pip wasn't given any guidance, or at least, not much guidance when he became a gentleman. No one really told him what to do with all of his money, and it isn't really surprising that he wasted it all. Any rich young man, even now in the 21st century, would spend all of his money on wasteful things if he doesn't have any guidance or plans. And, I believe that's the problem. Pip was so caught up in Estella and his supposed "fate" that he didn't think of his own future. I believe that if Pip worked, or had an idea of what he wanted to do in the future, he would have saved his money or invested it somehow. But Pip doesn't really have much. He doesn't have a goal or dream similar to Herbert's, and he sure as hell doesn't work for his money. So how did I expect him to realize that money has a worth, and it shouldn't be thrown away? Well, my less unforgiving side thinks that Pip is a royal idiot. Not only did he waste his money foolishly and completely destroy a promising future, but he treated those who care the most about him terribly. It irks me that he became ashamed of his past and of his family and friends. Pip had no reason to feel superior. He didn't work for his money, or accomplish something spectacular to become rich. He didn't rise from the struggle and found a billion dollar company or something. He was literally just handed the money. How can he believe himself better than the honest, working, and kind people that are Joe and Biddy?
Anyway, I really do wish that the novel had ended differently. Unfortunately, if I may use such language, Pip royally messed shit up. He could have been great, and maybe even done generous things like Magwitch. (Shoutout to Charles Dickens' ghost, - Imagine a sequel where Pip totally doesn't throw everything away and then becomes the secret benefactor of some poor kid just like him. Someone gets Dickens' great great grandchildren to write this please. ) He could have married and been happy, and should have been forever thankful to Magwitch. But, sigh, that didn't happen.
I definitely think there is poetic justice in the way the story ended and I do not think the ending was too harsh. Pip let his vision get clouded by his desire for Estella and in the process he shunned those closest to him. No matter how far you go in life, no matter how far up, or great you become you should always remember where you came from and those who helped you along the way. There is no such thing as a self-made person. Either people helped you and show you the right way or you become who you are in opposition to your environment either way they are crucial in making you who you are. So I don’t think was wrong to desire greatness or his love for Estella but he should have remember who brought him up by hand. The true gentlemen is not an in the image it is in the character. To come back to the initial question does Pip get what he deserves I think so in both the negative and positive sense. I am referring to how Pip helped Herbert. It was I think Pip’s one and only truly selfless act, at least I cannot remember any others, and in the end it comes to help him.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your view on the role money plays in the world. I think people are just selfish. No one is ever happy with what they have, everybody always wants more. The more people can’t have/get something, the more they want it.
ReplyDeleteLike Pip, he was selfish too, with only wealth on his mind because, like you said, he was blinded by love from a girl he couldn’t have. Pip didn’t care who he hurt in the process of getting what he wanted, and because of this I think he was the total opposite of a gentleman.
I think it was Pip’s longing for Estella’s affection that made him neglect his friends. The idea of becoming a gentleman was only after his visits to Miss Havisham’s. He confided in Biddy that he was ashamed of who he was. Before Estella insulted him, Pip looked up to the blacksmith and was proud to follow in his footsteps.
I agree that Joe is the true gentleman of this story. He stayed loyal to Pip throughout the whole novel. Joe was a gentleman by nature, unlike Pip, who only wanted to impress a girl.
I don't think the ending was too harsh at all; Pip got exactly what he deserves. And after reading Great Expectations it’s clear that you shouldn’t rely on anything, not just money, to get you higher on the social ladder. The only way to succeed in life is by being independent because other people only care about themselves. You have to work hard, and what you deserve will follow. And once your expectations become a reality, always remember where you came from, and your journey on the way.
I find your opinion very well thought out and you back it up perfectly with the examples from the book. Money in my opinion is only worth as much as you want and as much as you need to survive. There is always a baseline for everyone and what they need to simply stay alive, but these baselines only raise as your lifestyle become grander and grander.
ReplyDeletePip doesn't realize this until he is fully in debt from his wildly wasting his money. He sees no point in it, but only wants to appear to have the means of every other gentleman. He is driven quite mad by Estella and allows her to corrupt his thoughts and way of living.
I really appreciate that Dickens didn't make his story have a typical "happily ever after" ending. He depicted Pip and his life in a good balance between the happy moments along with the sad. Pip was never completely in despair, and never completely happy. It was an interesting roller coaster of emotions.
Thanks for your input, I enjoyed reading your post.