Charles Dickens – Pip’s problems come from arrogance

Charles Dickens Great Expectations is the yarn of one characters troubled journey of self delusion in the chase of false ideals. Pip, the books protagonist, is a morally ethical and honest boy profane by the glitz and glamour of nineteenth century bourgeois society. Although Pips assumption and pretentiousness ultimately make ups a great deal of problems for him, it would be away to claim that they are the central causes of Pips troubles.Instead it is the lack of affirmation and self-worth he experiences in his early childhood that instigates his downward spiral of morality and must(prenominal) be blamed for the cause of his problems. Fortunately, Pip is able to eventually put one over the nobility of humble characters such as Joe and agnise the importance of set such as compassion in gaining true gentility. Primarily, Pips lack of presumption and lowly impression of himself are the most notable aspects of his early childhood. chthonic the tyranny of Mrs Joe, Pip is perp etually made to feel inferior and has his self-conceit destroyed with snipes such as in a low cautionary voice (she said) Do you hear that? Be grateful. . Not solely is he physically abused in the household having been brought up by get through but also there is distinctly a lack of decorous wonder and affirmation in his childhood years, reinforced with the absence of a mother and father. Though Pip is able to find some safety in his friend and father figure Joe, it canvassms hardly enough to figure of speech his self-worth.As well as this, he must contend with the exceptionable and overtly pretentious Mr Pumblechook. The Christmas dinner scene in which Pip is constantly patronized by the mean-spirited adults in his life is almost a fraud of disparagement. Harbouring this sand of inferiority, Pips visit to Satis House evokes in him the fantasy of reinvention that ultimately brings about his downfall. The supercilious Estella, encouraged by Miss Havisham, mocks Pips coar se and common ways, nevertheless playing on his lack of self-worth and eating away at his self-confidence.The highly impressionable young boy, fuelled by this inferiority, sees the glamour of Satis House as his only chance of bettering himself. It is here he forms the illusion that becoming a humans consists of merely assuming the outward trappings of gentility an illusion that result ultimately create a great deal of trouble for him. He is caught up in the allure of Estellas beauty and her lifestyle, yet fails to see that under this exterior lies a loveless and heartless world. Therefore it is Pips dissatisfaction with himself combined with the settle of his visit to Satis House that is the fundamental source of his problems.This beingness said, once he is given the financial means to live out this fantasy his overnice arrogance further distances him from his true and honest childhood values. Debt, bad association and a wasteful lifestyle are the troubles that come with hi s obsession to assist the gentlemanly faiade he has created. Most notably, his pretentious treatment of Joe, If I could bring forth pay money to keep him away I would have paid it, denize him association with this noble character and in turn denize him the ability to pass the importance of the values he stands for.Likewise there is the manner in which he patronizes Biddy You never had a chance before you came here, and see how improved you are The rejection of these noble characters prevents him from being able to gaining true gentility. As Pip himself incredulously states after helping Herbert to think, that my expectations had done some good to somebody, for his expectations combined with his arrogance had succeeded only in creating problems for him.While Pips ability to find out the importance of humility is vital to his redemption, it is his return to compassion and good heartedness that rescues him and allows him to have a better person. Although initially Pips motives f or protecting Magwitch are entirely selfish, attempting to hold on his own credibility in London, he begins to develop a sense of concern for the old man, as his childhood value of compassion is step by step reinstated. This compassion becomes the first step towards obtaining true gentility.From there the loss of his caboodle and his symbolic illness in which Joe appears selflessly nursing him back to wellness and paying off his debts provides Pip with a vital lesson in dandy feeling. Pip can finally understand the nobility of characters such as Joe, Biddy, Clara and Wemmick (Walworth). He embraces the simple lives of these characters and also learns humility, by leaving to work for Herbert in Egypt, living an earnest and hardworking life. After years of such a humble lifestyle, Dickens rewards his protagonist with the love of Estella, who has likewise come to understand the importance of a good Christian Heart. Therefore, the central cause of Pips problems was clearly the result of years of self dissatisfaction caused by a lack of love and affirmation. This self-worth was dealt a mortal blow upon his arrival at Satis House, the consequence being Pips fantasy of re-invention that ultimately leads him to much of the troubles in his life. His boorish arrogance manages to create further problems for him and it is not until his rediscovery of the importance of compassion and fellow feeling that he is able to become a true gentlemen.