Victorian Fiction

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Minghao Xu
School of Foreign Studies

Shanghai 2022
Background of Bildungsroman
In the 17th century, The Adventurous Simplicissimus written by Grimmelshausen is known as
the founder of Bildungsroman.

Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship is commonly recognized as the model of

Bildungsroman. Since Germany was in a strong religious atmosphere in the 18th century,
German Bildungsroman was paying more attention to the moral shaping and spiritual
purification of teenagers.

After the introduction of English version of Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship to England,

Sartor Resartus by Thomas Carlyle absorbs a lot from German Bildungsroman and develop its
unique features in England. Instead of religious influence, Bildungsroman in British lands
focus more on social influence on the individual.
Background of Bildungsroman
When it comes to social influence, we could not avoid discussing utilitarianism which
prospered in 1860s of England. Why utilitarianism was promoted?

The Victorian era was the most prosperous period of the British economy. The completion of
the first industrial revolution made the United Kingdom enter the “mechanical age” and
became the first industrialized country in the world.

Under this circumstance, the philosophy of utilitarianism emerged to provide a basis for the
rapid development of capitalism. It justifies the rationality of the entire cycle chain of the
capitalist economic system, especially the rise of the industrial and commercial middle class.
（萧莎 2018 ： 169 ）
Background of Bildungsroman
According to Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill who hold firm belief in maximization of
benefits and personal interests, the moral essence of behavior is utility, and the process of
behavior is the process of calculating and obtaining utility. （密尔 1957: 59 ）

It is regarded as a driving force for everyone to seek personal interests and contribute to
society objectively. ( 侯维瑞 2005: 213)
Background of Bildungsroman
As Bildungsroman, Great Expectations tells the twisted and legendary life journey of how the
poor orphan Pip grew into a gentleman of high-class society. His experiences witness “social
climbing” in the mid-19th century: from the countryside to the cities (mainly London), from
the bottom to the upper class.

Through the growth of Pip, it deeply pondered the expansion of utilitarian thoughts, criticized
those who pursue fame and fortune by unscrupulous means, and had deep sympathy and
praise for the lower-class working people. （汪顺来 2018 ： 117 ）
Pip in Children of Innocence
Environment of Growth
Pip was an orphan who has never saw his parents. He grew up in the forge of a village with
her sister and her sister’s husband Joe Gargery who was the blacksmith.

· Sister of temperaments
Pip has a sister Mrs. Joe Gargery who was kind enough to bring Pip up by hand. There is no
doubt that Pip’s sister gave Pip endless love but the form it takes may not well be understood
by Pip.

“Through all my punishments, disgraces, fasts, and vigils, and other penitential performances,
I had nursed this assurance; and to my communing so much with it, in a solitary and
unprotected way, I in great part refer the fact that I was morally timid and very sensitive.”
Pip in Children of Innocence
· Joe of tender care
Joe was a man with a spirit of fraternity, although poorly educated and improperly behaved. It
plays the role of being a father in raising Pip. For Pip, Joe, who became the spiritual
sustenance, was the only person that could relied on. With Joe’s loving care and consideration,
Pip grew up healthily either physical and mental. During Pip’s innocent age, Joe’s influence
on him was mostly on the moral side.

Here’s an example, when Joe told that he couldn’t start learning because his dad who was a
wine bibber. Pip feels annoyed and unforgivable. But Joe said “rendering unto all their doo,
and maintaining equal justice betwixt man and man, my father were that good in his hart don’t
you see?”
Pip in Children of Innocence
Sympathy with the poor
During childhood, Pip has good nature of being willing to help others which could be
presented by his adventure in the churchyard of the swap. Pip help the fugitive by getting him
a file to break the iron on his leg and some food, which saves this starving man.

Pitying his desolation, and watching him as he gradually settle down upon the pie, I made
bold to say, “I glad you enjoy it.”
“I am afraid you won’t leave any of it for him.”
Pip in Children of innocence
Admiration towards the goodness
As the example I showed just now, Pip regards conscience as a dreadful thing due to his
stealing and cares more about the moral legitimacy. When Pip was a child, he didn’t know
what did the social status mean to him. Instead of what are pursued in secular world, what he
tends to follow are merits of human nature.

Joe said “Pip; I wish there warn’t no Tickler for you, old chap; I wish I could take it all on
myself”.
Young as I was, I believe that I dated a new admiration of Joe from night. I had a new
sensation of feeling conscious that I was looking up to Joe in my heart.
Pip in Children of innocence
Positive and tender attitudes towards the world

Contentment with a poor and simple life

• During childhood, Pip was not aware of the worldly evaluation mechanism of the individual
in the adult world.

• Despite the single life style, low-quality of clothing and housing and the lack of concrete
goal, Pip was satisfied with the current poor and simple life without any complain.
Pip in Children of Innocence
Tolerance of the Violence from Others

• Confronted with the Estella’s contemptuous treatment like her unwillingness to play cards
with him, denouncement for a stupid and clumsy laboring boy, being handed out with bread
and meat Pip felt strong damage to self-esteem but chose not to directly show his sadness
and silently tolerated everything into his heart.

“But when she was gone, I looked about me for a place to hide my face in, and got behind one
of the gates in the brewery-lane, and leaned my sleeve against the wall there, and leaned my
forehead on it and cried. As I cried, I kicked the wall, and took a hard twist at my hair; so
bitter my feelings.”
Temptation
Frequent visits to Miss Havisham

• Actually, Pip’s frequent visits to Miss Havisham’s aroused his inner desire for wealth, self-
esteem, status. Such environment greatly influenced him even he doubted it in his heart.

“What could I become with these surroundings How could my character fail to be influenced
by them”
“In the hope that she might offer some help towards that desirable end. But she did not; on the
contrary, she seemed to prefer my being ignorant.”
Temptation
The Attraction of Gentlemen’s Society vs the Monotonous Blacksmith’s Life

• Apparently, he was fascinated by the world of rapid capitalism in the industrialized age,
symbolized by money and desire, and was dissatisfied with poverty and ordinaryness. His
dream became clear and concrete: being a gentleman.

-“Once, it had seemed to me that when I should at last roll up my shirt-sleeves and go into the
forge, Joe’s ‘prentice, I should be distinguished and happy. Now the reality was in my hold, I
only felt that I was dusty with the dust of small-coal, and that I had weight upon my daily
remembrance to which the anvil was a feather.”
- “I now fell into a regular routine of apprenticeship life, which was varied beyond the limits
of the village and the marshes”
- “I continued at heart to hate my trade and to be ashamed of home.”
- “Biddy,” said I, after binding her to secrecy, “I want to be a gentleman.”
Exodus
• Mr. Jaggers was instructed to communicate to inform Pip that he would come into a
handsome property and must be immediately removed from present sphere of life and would
be brought up as a gentleman.

• What is impressive is that Joe approved of Pip’s decision even encouraged him and wanted
nothing as compensation.

• It can be seen that Pip’s originally pure heart had now been occupied by the endless desire
for material things. But Joe still acts for the sake of others, not the pursuit of self-interest.
Test
The luxurious gentleman world
• Faced with the sensual pleasures that wealth brings, Pip quickly falls into vortex. He forgot
how hard to make money was when he was a blacksmith. He started spending money, caring
about the extravagant things: clothing, room decoration, hiring servants, tipping.

“He has grown accustomed to my expectations, I had insensibly begun to notice their effect
upon myself and those around me. Their influence on my own character I disguised from my
recognition as much as possible, but I knew very well that it was not all gold.“
Test
The luxurious gentleman world
• Faced with the allure of the gentleman's world, Pip indulges in it. For example, in the
institution called "The Finches of the Grove", what he learned was not the improvement of
personal knowledge and self-cultivation, but frequent gatherings and eating, drinking and
having fun.

“I understood nothing else to be referred to in the first standing toast of the society: which ran
“Gentlemen, may the present promotion of good feeling ever reign predominant among the
Finches of the Grove.”

“But there was a calm, a rest, a virtuous hush, consequent on these examinations of our affairs
that gave me, for the time, an admirable of myself.”
Test
The appearance of Abel Magwitch

He was a hired-out shepherd and got money from his master which died. He treated Pip as his
son due to Pip’s kindness on the marshes and spent all the gains on Pip for the purpose of
getting Pip rich and making him a genuine gentleman.

“Yes, Pip, dear boy, I’ve made a gentleman on you! It’s me wot has done it! I swore that time,
sure as ever I learned a guinea, a guinea should go to you.”
Test
Changes in mental activity

A. Pip feels disgusted by his apperance, unable to accept that his wealth came from a fugitive.
It also caused great damage to Pip's reputation, station and fortune.

B. Pip then becomes full of gratitude and sympathy. Pip regards Magwitch as a wretched man
after loading wretched him with gold and silver chains for years and had risked life to come
to him.

C. Pip begins to miss the ordinary but happy past. But he thinks he would not have gone back
to Joe and Biddy for any consideration.
Test
The truth of Estella

“Miss Havisham’s intentions towards, all a mere dream; Estalla not designed for me.”
Estella was set to wreak Miss Havisham’s revenge on men.

Sending her out to attract and torment and do mischief, Miss Havisham sent her with the
malicious assurance that she was beyond the reach of all admirers, and that all who staked
upon that cast were secured to lose.

Q: Why Miss Havisham did like that?

Epiphany-Cognition of life and self
Disillusionment with Great Expectations

1.Magwitch’s presence tells Pip that the so-called gentleman world is money constructed and
full of hypocrisy. The fame and status he currently possesses is the result of a fugitive. Since a
gentle can be built, he can also be collapsed.

2.After Magwitch was arrested, all of Pip’s property was confiscated. He had scarcely any
money and was left wholly to himself, which made the stark contrast to the prosperous and
luxurious life of his past.
Epiphany-Cognition of life and self
Disillusionment with Great Expectations

3.In the past, people respected Pip not out of sincerity but his money, fame and fortune. So
after falling into the trough of life, hypocrisy of people around him could be exposed. For Pip,
he could recognize the illusory beauty created by money.

“The tidings of my high fortunes having had a heavy fall had got down to my native place and
its neighborhood before I got there. I found the Blue Boar in possession of the intelligence,
and I found that i made a great change in the Boar’s demeanour. Whereas the Boar had
cultivated my good opinion with warm assiduity when I was coming into property, the Boar
was exceedingly cool on the subject now that I was going out of property.”
Epiphany-Cognition of life and self
Gratitude towards Magwitch
It was Magwitch’s selfless humanity for Pip that touched Pip and drove him to have gratitude
to Magwitch. Through a series of measures, Pip didn’t only repay for Magwitch’s kindness,
but also a rejection of the self full of desires in the past, a reflection of Pip himself who
pursues fame and fortune, dislikes the poor and loves the rich, and this helps to rebuild his
spiritual world.

·Pip planned to help Magwitch flee abroad despite the final failure.
·Pip met Magwitch everyday who lay in prison very ill.
·Pip took the initiative to write out petition to men in authority for saving Magwitch.
·Pip accompanied him to the last moment of life and prayed the lord to be merciful to him a
sinner.
Epiphany-Cognition of life and self
Gratitude towards Magwitch

In helping Magwitch, Orlick lured Pip to the sluice-house and hoped to kill him because Pip
gave Orlick bad name in front of Biddy and drove him out of the country.
At this dangerous moment, Pip were full of thoughts, and he began to reflect deeply on
himself.

“Joe and Biddy would never know how sorry I had been that night, none would ever know
what I had suffered, how true I had meant to be, what an agony I had passed through”.
Epiphany-Cognition of life and self
Changes in values about money and friendship

1.·After Magwitch was taken to the police, his possessions would be forfeited to the Crown.
Mr. Jaggers asked that Pip should try at all events for some of it. But Pip had no claim.

2.He asked Miss Havisham to spare the nine hundred pounds to do Herbert a lasting service in
life. It’s his emphasis on Herbert’s friendship and his self-redemption for past mistakes during
friendship with Joe and Biddy.
Epiphany-Cognition of life and self
Recognition of human nature

During the illness of Pip, Joe was the only one who persisted in accompanying Pip from day
to night and tenderly giving Pip endless care.
But Pip also apologizes to Joe in person, unraveling the knot of their friendship which is the
secular judgement standard in the world. Their friendship was re-established.

“O Joe, you break my heart! Look angry at me, Joe. Strike me , Joe. Tell me of my ingratitude.
Don’t be so good to me!”
“Which dear old Pip, old chap,” said Joe, “you and me was ever friends. And when you’re
well enough to go out for a ride - what larks!”
Epiphany-Cognition of life and self
Recognition of human nature

For Pip, he had hundred and twenty-three pound in debt to the Jeweller. After his recovery
from illness, Joe departed from Pip for no further disruption and helped Pip pay the debt in
case of potential harm to Pip’s fame and safety.

Joe’s action of letting bygones be bygones and forgetting of Pip’s ruthlessness deeply infected
Pip, which made Pip fall into deep thought and self-reflection.

In the gentleman’s world where materialism is rampant, the warm-hearted inquiries of the
people around them are nothing but hypocrisy and playfulness.
Epiphany-Cognition of life and self
Recognition of human nature

However, only Joe is the one who sincerely cares for Pip. He is the guide of Pip’s growth and
the beacon on the road of Pip's self-redemption.

Joe symbolizes the truth, goodness and beauty of human nature, which does not only concey
the author’s criticism of the pursuit of fame and fortune and the loss of human nature in the
real society, but also a good expectation for the future world.
Epiphany-Cognition of life and self
Return to the forge
Return symbolizes the new beginning. After the turbulent journey, Pip returned to the the
forget in the country. This is his search for the original self, for the purest humanity that he
gradually lost in the process of growing up, and to ask for forgiveness from Joe and Biddy.

“They awakened a tender emotion in me; for my heart was softened by my return, and such a
change had come to pass, that I felt like one who was toiling home barefoot from distant
travel, and whose wanderings had lasted many years.”

To Pip’s surprise, Joe and Biddy fell in love with each other and got married. Although, Pip
also secretly loved biddy but luckily never breathed this baffled hope to Joe. Pip’s blessings
for Joe and biddy’s marriage also exchanged for their spiritual forgiveness for Pip.
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