Great Expectations

When People grow older, their values and goals may change due to influential surroundings. Pip, from Great Expectations, was once a young boy who was selfless, valued honesty and friendship, and dreamed of becoming a blacksmith. Within one year, all of that was changed. He went from being a big-hearted boy to being a proud, selfish, self-centered prat. Many influences greatly impacted Pip's life as he struggled to resolve his internal conflicts.

As a sweet and caring child, Pip had many values and simple goals. One of his values was his friendship with Joe. When Joe told Pip that he cared about him ever since he was a little child, Pip "broke out crying and hugged Joe round the neck: who dropped the poker to hug [him], and to say, 'Ever the best of friends; ain't us, Pip?'" (Chapter 2, page 48) The way Pip acted showed how much he loved Joe and vice versa. Their friendship was very strong and they both cared about each other. Along with having values, Pip had a huge dream of becoming a blacksmith. Looking forward to being apprenticed to Joe, he "believed the forge as the glowing road to manhood and independence." (Chapter 14, page 107) Pip's thoughts show that he felt perfectly happy with spending the rest of his life in the forge, training to become a blacksmith. During Pip's childhood, his sister would beat him if he did anything bad. That caused him to always have a guilty conscience. When he stole food for the convict and knew it was a sin, he felt that "conscience [was] a dreadful thing when it [accused] man or boy." (Chapter 2, page 12) That means that Pip didn't like it when he knew he did something wrong because he felt guilty. Pip was a kind, unselfish boy with simple values and goals. In just one year, however, all of that changed.

As Pip reached his adolescence, his views over his life began to change. He began to hate his house, his relations, and his own course and common self. Some of these influences included Miss Havisham and Estella. Each time Pip visited them, he became more unsatisfied with his own life. Even when he was around his beloved Joe, he "continued at heart to hate [his] trade and to be ashamed of home." (Chapter 17, page 125) Pip was still unhappy even around his best friend. That shows, not only how big of an impact Miss Havisham and Estella had on him, but how his and Joe's friendship was weakening. Now, he valued something much different from love and friendship: money. When Pip came upon his sudden wealth, he immediately began having "grand ideas of wealth and importance." (Chapter 22, page 183) He thought so highly of his future because he was self-centered and cared about nothing but money. He also had many great expectations. Due to all the influences around him, Pip's goals changed from wanting to be a blacksmith, to wanting to fulfill his great expectations and marry Estella. "[Miss Havisham] had adopted Estella, she had as good as adopted me, and,"