Works Cited

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McLeod, John. "Rules of : Beggar My Neighbour." Card Games. 3 Jan. 2007. 22 Jan. 2009 <http://www.pagat.com/war/beggar_my_neighbour.html>.

Perseus Digital Library. 22 Jan. 2009 <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/stories.html>.

"Prison hulks on the River Thames - People and places - Port Cities." PortCities UK Home. 22 Jan. 2009 <http://www.portcities.org.uk/london/server/show/ConNarrative.56/Prison-hulks-on-the-River-Thames.html>.

"The Tragedy of King Richard the Third." Absolute Shakespeare - plays, quotes, summaries, essays... 2005. 22 Jan. 2009 <http://absoluteshakespeare.com/plays/richard_III/richard_III.htm>.

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I went on against it.

"There was a melancholy wind, and the marshes were very dismal. A stranger would have found them insupportable, and even to me they were so oppressive that I hesitated, half inclined to go back. But I knew them, and could have found my way on a far darker night, and had no excuse for returning, being there. So, having come there against my inclination, I went on against it." (Dickens 538).

This quote, from near the end of the novel, shows not exactly how Pip's character has changed, but how he has become aware of his flaws anyway. Here he is aware that the he pressing on although perhaps he should not be. This had been, throughout the novel, one of Pip's flaws; he was rash, fearful, and jumped upon any oppourtunity, for better or for worse. Now, however, after he has learned his lesson and gained knowledge, he is able to recognize it and poke fun at himself.

Why should I pause?

"Why should I pause to ask how much of my shrinking from Provis might be traced to Estella? Why should I loiter on my road..." (Dickens 450).

This quote shows us something about the style of writing used commonly in Victorian literature, and also an important point about Pip's character. The rhetorical device, asking questions of the reader, and the blatant interruptions from the narrator and central character are both devices that were widely used in the Victorian era. Novels became popular in this era, and with them, the first-person voice and orally told story formats. This quote reminds us that it is Pip telling us the story of his life. It also reminds us of an important characteristic of Pip, one that drives the whole novel; his rashness. He consistently makes decisions without thinking about them, and, as is shown here, without looking back or questioning his choice.

A gallon of condescension

"As I passed the church, I felt (as I had felt during service in the morning) a sublime compassion for the poor creatures who were destined to go there, Sunday after Sunday, all their lives through, and to lie obscurely at last among the low green mounds. I promised myself that I would do something for them one of these days, and formed a plan in outline for bestowing a dinner of roast-beef and plum-pudding, a pint of ale, and a gallon of condescension, upon everybody in the village." (Dickens 191)

This quote is interesting because it contains another repetition of a message of the novel, a witticism by Dickens, and perhaps a comment on religion. Dickens, in Great Expectations, warns against pride and greed; this quote shows Pip's pride yet again. He has lived in this tiny village all of this life and has, up until the time he is leaving it for "greater" things, been happy there. Now he thinks that the "poor creatures" who live in the village and in the country must be unhappy because of their lack of wealth and high-class standing. He says he shall bestow a feast upon them, and Dickens jabs again at his pride by adding in "a gallon of condescension" to
the things he proposes to give to the villagers.
I believe that Dickens is saying in this passage that the people who attend the church in fact are happy, and content to be there, living in the village, because Dickens is clearly disagreeing with Pip's point of view in the latter part of this quote. Therefore I think that this is a point on religion on Dickens' part, and in favor of it.

Herbert Pocket

"I began to think with awe, of having laid a young Insurer on his back, blackened his enterprising eye, and cut his responsible head open. But, again, there came upon me, for my relief, that odd impression that Herbert Pocket would never be very successful or rich." (Dickens 235).

Here is another example of Pip being too proud, and also an example of indirect foreshadowing. Dickens warns us against pride and greed and rashness in Great Expectations. Pip, here, is feeling proud that he once beat up Herbert Pocket and Miss Havisham's house. He also states his feeling that nothing great would come of Herbert, that he would never be "successful or rich," probably because he is, at the time, still getting his grounding in money-making, and "looking around him" before he makes any financial moves; thus he is as of yet not wealthy. However, later in the novel it is Herbert, not Pip, who ends up financially well-off, with a good job and a happy marriage.

Looking about me.

"'I haven't begun insuring yet,' he replied. 'I am looking about me.'
Somehow, that pursuit seemed more in keeping with Barnard's Inn." (Dickens 236).

This is another example of a message Dickens is trying to pass on. He is suggesting that people think twice before they make quick decisions, especially ones involving money; Pip does not do this and ends up in debt because of it. At this point, he is in Barnard's Inn, a seemingly cheap, unpleasant place, to Pip. He wants to get ahead and out of it too quickly, whereas Herbert, as he says, is "looking about [him]," before he makes any financial decisions and invests his money. As a result, Herbert ends up happy and successful.