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... who is simply villainous, is knocked down by Joe "as if he had been of no more account than the pale young gentleman", and Pip knows of no-one who could stand up long against Joe, although Joe is not at all aggressive. In defending Pip's interests before Jaggers, he becomes menacing but Jaggers swiftly placates him. Chapter 27, occurs after Pip has discovered his expectations. He has gone to London to be brought up as a gentleman. Dickens, in the novel, exploits the ambiguity of the term gentleman.
One idea is that a gentleman is made what he is by his social status or class: this is measured in terms of his understanding of rules of social etiquette, habits of dress and speech and the standing of his family; of course, wealth is important, too. Even a "poor" gentleman, such as Mr. Pocket employs a number of servants. Early in the novel Pip forms this idea: meeting Estella makes him desperate to be her social equal; at the same time he becomes ashamed of his honest master, and disgusted by the recollection of his dealings with the convict, Magwitch. A quite different standard is apparent to the reader from early in the novel, and eventually to Pip: that being a true gentleman is a matter of virtue and honesty, of having a station in life which one can fill with dignity, as Biddy says of Joe. Pip is embarrassed by Joes arrival, who senses this and leaves.
He promises never to return to London. Pip is aware he is patronising Joe and abating their friendship, but cannot help it. This chapter shows Pips transition to this fabricated class, has accelerated him in his snobbery and vanity. This chapter also portrays Joes unease as he addresses Pip as sir; Us two being now alone, Sir.
Well, Sir Page 205, Penguin Popular Classics However, Joe is typically a gentle giant. He does what he can to protect Pip from "Tickler", but sees that too much interference will lead to more trouble later. The reader is amused by the picture of Mrs. Joe's constant assaults upon this great man, who never retaliates, for fear of becoming like his bullying father. Joe's great size is a metaphor for his moral stature. He knows what he can do well in life and does it.
He sees what is wrong with Pip's fantasy existence in London long before Pip does. He is always faithful to Pip, but for long allows Pumblechook to take credit due to him. Though Joe, in Chapter 27, tells Pip he will never see him again out of his forge and his working-clothes, he is man enough to go once more to London when Pip is ill and in danger of prison. His money, earned by honest toil, pays off the immediate debt. Joe wants no thanks and is embarrassed when Pip alludes to it: he does not give the matter a second thought, just as there is no question whether he will take time off from his business, and so lose income, to look after his friend. Both the older Pip and Biddy (at the time of the events narrated) point the reader to Joe's virtues.
There are touches of sentimentality in the depiction of this honest, simple but deep character; but they are only touches, and Pip, remember, aware of his earlier ingratitude to Joe, can be excused for indulging them. The portrayal of Joe is convincing and very moving. Abel Magwitch, the convict, also has a very profound relationship with Pip. Abel Magwitch is one of Dickens' greatest inventions in this novel - he leaps out at the reader at the start, haunts Pip as he grows up, and returns to explode his illusions.
He is intimately linked with other characters in the novel, and does not realize this himself. Dickens uses Magwitch and his daughter, Estella, to show that social class is an artificial creation of man, and that we are all equal in truth and in the sight of God. Magwitch is thematically linked with Estella from the start. Pip's horror of Magwitch is often expressed as a fear of what Estella would think if he knew Pip had helped him.
Repeatedly, convicts, the courts or reminders of Magwitch appear in scenes in which Estella is present. Magwitch is also contrasted with Miss Havisham. Pip supposes her to be his benefactress and hopes that she is, since Estella may also be included in her design, when in reality his money comes from Magwitch. There is a paradox here: Miss Havisham with money for which she has not worked can do what is impossible for Magwitch's honestly gained wealth.
This symbolic friendship can be compared to that between the principal characters in Of Mice and Men. The principal characters are George Milton and Lennie Small. Lennie is enormously strong. He is simple, in the implication that he has a learning difficulty, though he is physically well co-ordinated and capable of doing repetitive manual jobs, bucking barley or driving a cultivator, with dexterity. Lennie has a man's body, but a child's outlook: he gains pleasure from putting's oft things, even dead mice, and loves puppies and rabbits.
He is dependent, emotionally, on George, who organises his life and reassures him about their future. Firm but calm instructions can easily control Lennie, as Slim finds out. But panic in others makes Lennie panic: this happened when he tried to pet a girl's dress, in Weed, and was presumably accused of sexual assault. Georges subtle threats about Weed towards Lennie are always used as a warning; An you aint gonna do no bad things like you done in Weed, neither. Page 7, Arrow Classics Here, we can see George tells Lennie, as opposed to questioning him about this issue. This shows the scholastic relationship they retain is always used when George needs to impart a vital point to Lennie.
This also happens again twice in the narrative: first, when he is attacked by Curley, and second, when Lennie strokes the hair of Curley's wife. Lennie's deficiencies enable him to be accepted by other defective characters: Candy, Crooks and Curley's wife. He poses no threat, and seems to listen patiently (because he has learned the need to pay close attention, as he remembers so little of what he hears). As a child is comforted by a bedtime story, so George has come to comfort Lennie with a tale of a golden future.
To the reader, especially today, this imagined future is very modest, yet to these men it is a dream almost impossible of fulfilment. As George has repeated the story, so he has used set words and phrases, and Lennie has learned these, too, so he is able to join in the telling at key moments, again, as young children do, which reinforces the parental influence George has over Lennie. George is a conscientious minder for Lennie but is of course not with him at all times; and at one such time, ...
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