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We get a look inside Pip's brain to answer the earlier question: Why is Pip ashamed of his life, his family, and his impending future?
If Joe has shown him all of the good in life, why is he embarrassed of Joe? Why isn't he embarrassed of his own sister?
This chapter shows a recognition on Pip's part that he is at a crossroad in life. This is an important benchmark for Pip. What are your thoughts about his thoughts? What advice would you give him?
After reading this chapter, what do you think about Pip as a character? Does it matter that he readily admits his shortcomings and faults?
7 comments:
Pip is turning out to be an inward brat, as I see it. He does attempt to teach Joe, but it is done to try and educate Joe enough that he will not be a heavy embarassment upon Pip. The friendship felt between Joe and Pip seems to be slipping away as Pip begins to see that he is common, that Joe is common, and that his future is common. All of these fears of the common life are due to Estella, the beautiful hater, and her haughty views instilled in her by Miss Havisham. Pip's charachter is falling in my opinion. Admitting is the first step, but fixing it is the next step, and Pip seems to be too settled with step one to move on. I hope by the end of the book he redeems himself by correcting his wrongs with Joe, Biddy, and tells Estalla what's coming to her.
I think Pip is ashamed of his life because he now knows what other people in higher social classes are living like. Another reason may be that he feels if he were more educated he would have a chance with Estella, who is educated a lot more than Pip ever could be. Pip is embarrasses at Joe because he isn’t very well educated and he spoke to Pip instead of to Miss Havisham. I think this made Pip embarrassed because Joe was associated with him, which in Pip’s mind could have made him seem less educated which could decrease his social status. He isn’t embarrassed about his sister because she knows social graces and appears as if she cares about social status, so she seems better to him than Joe because of her superficiality. At this point Pip is growing more as a character in the novel, but I think he might be changing for the worse.
Chapter 14 was just a waste. I understand that Pip wants to be upper class and stays with Joe because Joe is a nice guy. It’s not that complicated, and it was stupid that I had to read through two whole pages just to realize that that was all that was going to be said. These names just get more and more laughable. I think Alice in wonderland utilizes more real words than this book. “Pumblechook must go over in his chaisecart, and bring the Hubbles and Mr. Wopsle.” It’s adorable, like something my nephew would tell me, as if it was the most important thing in the world, regardless of how silly it sounds. The wordiness is what really gets me. I like things that are spoken well, not things that are spoken excessively. Actually, sometime I like it. “It inscrutably appeared to reason, in the minds of the whole company, that I was an excrescence on the entertainment.” I think that’s actually really good, it’s funny, but it isn’t very pleasing to read a whole book this way. Sometimes simple things need to be said simply. It’s like the author tries really hard to write things with a lot of words, and just prays that he can get it right once in a while. I suppose it works well enough but I don’t really care anyways it’s just a book, the author can write it in all caps for all I care.
I have to disagree with both Jessica and Ryan. Looking back, there are some moments in my life where, I am ashamed to say, I have been embarrassed of who I am and where I come from. I feel like this is just a normal part of growing up and finding yourself and that Pip will come into his own at the end of the novel, just as I recently have. As the novel began, it was flat out told to us readers that this is a coming of age piece, and that this insecurity is just a part of Pip's growth as a person.
I also enjoy the way the novel is written, and in my eyes chapter 14 is completely necessary in order to fully understand Pip's mindset and where he is at this point in his life.
I agree with Myranda. Everyone has something about their life that they are ashamed of weather its something we have done or something about our life like how Pip is ashamed of where he comes from. I think that this shame will help Pip try to make a better life for himself because he wants to become "uncommon." I just hope that he doesn't become a self-centered person like most of the upper class members in this book such as all of Miss Havisham's family who only came to visit her because they wanted to see how much longer she would live so they could get their inheritance.
Pip may be going through growing pains, but he is still needs to move on. Pip is ashamed of everything about his life. During his time with the Havisham’s, Pip had slowly begun to stray away from his former life; he believed that Miss. Havisham was going to create a new life for him, a better life. So when that new life was so violently stripped away from him, Pip was forced to return to his former life. To Pip, that status fall was shameful and the he now would have to associate with the people that he had tried to grow away from. I think that Pip is embarrassed of Joe because Joe is satisfied with his status and his life. Pip dreamed to one day have status and wealth and does not understand how Joe could be satisfied where he is now. I do not think that it matters that Pip admits his faults. If a bank robber admits that robbing a bank is bad, but still does it, what does that change? I agree that Pip could be going through changes in his life, and that is acceptable, but you cannot help but dislike him at the moment.
Pip is ashamed of Joe's "commoness" but not Mrs. Joe. I'm not sure but I think that Mrs. Joe actually tries to act better than everyone else so that she appears to be uncommon. She got really haughty when Mr. Joe and Pip were invited to Miss Havisham's, and she probably felt insecure. Also, Pip's only insight into the upper class was at Miss Havisham's where she and Estella were constantly putting Pip down. Joe was always good to Pip, so maybe Pip thinks that uncommon people are better because they disappoint him, unlike Joe.
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