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What is Pumblechook alluding to when he uses the word "prodigygality"? Is it an apt allusion to Pip's case?
What do you think would have happened if Pip would have told Joe about his "secondly" while they were in London?
Here is the part where it becomes crystal clear that this is a Bildungsroman. In what ways has Pip become a man and a true gentleman?
14 comments:
Biddy and Joe's marriage made me so happy. I think that Pip knew Joe deserved happiness after the death of Pip's sister and Pip leaving Joe for so long. I was so excited and I felt dumb because this is a book lol. Anyways, I think by Pip showing his genuine love for both his friends and letting them be happy, it has proved him a man and a gentleman. Pip has grown so much in terms of being a gentleman since the death of Magwitch. I think he is becoming more responsible by leaving them to be happy and living with Herbert.
Pumblechook is alluding to the parable of the prodigal's son in the bible when he uses the word "prodigygality." In the parable of the prodigal's son, the Lost Son goes away from his father and wastes all his money on needless and scandalous things. When the Lost Son runs out of money, he comes home with nothing and his father throws him a huge celebration feast and welcomes him home with no questions asked. This is almost the same exact thing that happens to Pip. He leaves home after hearing of his sudden fortune, wastes it all, then is welcomed home by Joe with open arms. Pip was lost and then welcomed home with celebration as a new man finally understanding the real meaning of loyalty and love, and the realization that social classes do not really matter. Pip has finally grown up and realized that money is not everything. Life is about the people you love, rather than the social class you belong to. Pip's great expectations have worked out in the long run, though they may not have been what he expected them to be.
I'm so glad that Pip did not tell Joe about the secondly, because Joe and Biddy, I think, would have been way happier rather that Pip and Biddy. If Joe would have found out, he probably would try to let Pip have his way and help him, but Biddy probably would of shot Pip down stone dead and would have ended up with Joe anyway. Seeing how happy Joe and Biddy were, Pip sacrificed his own thoughts and plans in order to ensure the happiness of those around him. He finally started to realize that family and friends are far more important than social standing and pockets of money. He finally gre up and transformed into a decent individual.
At the time that Pip has developed this "secondly," he was still ill in bed. To have announced to Joe his plans of marrying Biddy would have caused an awkwardness between him and Joe, which luckily goes unspoken after the marriage because only Pip had known of his own plans. For Pip to be explained the circumstances between Joe and Biddy would have been even more bad news for an already traumatized Pip, likely causing him a prolonged healing time. And if Pip had really liked Biddy, this rejection from Joe would certainly be an embarrassment once Pip's feelings were out in the open. Would Pip want to come home still to face Biddy?
Pip thinks that to be a gentleman one must have money and connections, but he is wrong, and perhaps in this chapter he starts to see that. In illness Pip seems to have had an epiphany about the values in his life. He has come to value the affection and loyalty of people like Joe, Herbert, and Provis, rather than the money that made him a "gentleman." This is Pip's true coming-of-age -- Pip becomes a gentleman because he gains wisdom, not money.
I'm happy that Pip did not tell Joe about his secondly. Joe never really did have a good marriage, and I think that Joe deserves a wife that is sweet and helpful like Biddy. I think if Pip were to tell Joe about his "secondly", then Joe would have felt terribly about his feelings for Biddy. I think that Pip has really turned into a true gentleman by the way he handles the situation. He tells Biddy that she is so lucky to have a man like Joe, someone who Pip was embarassed of before. Instead of showing his disappointment, he accepts the way things are and has truly changed for the better.
I also am happy for Joe and I'm glad Pip didn't share his secondly with Joe. After Mrs. Joe and her horrible behavior Joe deserves to have a loving wife like Biddy. I also think he didn't tell Joe about it because it wasn't his first choice. Biddy was a fall back for Pip in a way, and I'm not really sure if he really loved her. He loved Estella from the moment he met her and I feel after he lost her and his life started to get confusing for him, then that's when he thought of turning to Biddy and marrying her. I'm glad he kept his mouth shut about it though and congratulated them about their marriage! He honestly seemed happy for them, and that alone shows that Pip has grown into quite a nice gentleman and he never could've gotten that way without Joe's help. I've always been a Joe fan!
I’m so glad Pip didn’t say anything to Joe about Biddy while they were in London. Joe seems like such a nice guy and he probably wouldn’t have admitted anything about him and Biddy and instead let Pip marry her. I’m pleased that they got married because they are both nice people that don’t care about the social classes or money. As much as I dislike the way Pip behaves, it was nice of him to congratulate the couple. I was worried at first that he would’ve said something about coming to marry Biddy. I hoped that he realized after that he shouldn’t marry someone he didn’t love and that he shouldn’t try to change himself to impress Estella because then he wouldn’t have left.
I also am relieved Pip did not tell Joe anything about his intentions with Biddy while in London. Joe is a genuine caring and nice guy who most likely would have stepped aside so Pip could try and marry Biddy. Although Biddy wouldn't be one to take to second place and probably would have rejected Pip's aims. Biddy and Joe seem like a perfect couple for one another. Both have grown up together, are in the same social class, and didn't have the same fascination of climbing the social ladder as Pip did. This also reveals that Pip is a true gentleman because he once he saw that Joe and Biddy were married and happy together, he chose not to disturb this marriage by trying to get Biddy for himself. He also realizes that a high social status will not give you everything in life. Although he was better off than Joe, Pip realized that wouldn't have mattered to Biddy. This shows true maturation of Pip and is a decent way to end the novel.
Joe's engagement to Biddy was a surprise to me. At first I thought it was a little weird, but I would rather it be Joe and not Pip. Biddy deserves someone like Joe, who will always be faithful to the end, and Joe needs Biddy after what happened with Pip's sister. I'm sure that Joe would have instantly felt terrible if Pip told him his "secondly." Pip has grown so much throughout the novel. Now he realizes that money isn't everything and life isn't only about caring for yourself. I especially liked how he tactful he was when he found out about Joe and Biddy.
I was shocked to find out that Joe married Biddy. I would have rather Joe marry her than Pip anyways because Pip doesn't really love her and he was gone for so long. After Mrs. Joe Gargery's death, I feel that Joe deserved to be with Biddy. She seems more of his type and it seems like she really cares for Joe. Pip truely acted as a gentleman when Joe and Biddy told him the news of their marriage. He actually cared about what was happening and he didn't act selfish like he has been in the past. Towards the end of the novel Pip starts to put family and peers first and fortune second, which is a big part of growing up.
When Uncle Pumblechook uses the word "prodigygality", he is probably meaning to say "prodigality", which can mean extravagant wastefulness. Uncle Pumblechook is accusing Pip of wasting all the money Uncle Pumblechook says he gave Pip, and accusing him of wasting it on trivial and selfish things. I think this is more untrue than true. Sure, Pip wasn't too mindful of his money to start off with, but after his first experience with debt, he handled his money differently. He put a fair amount of his money towards Mr. Pocket, and once he found out his actual benefactor, he refused to receive more money from him. I'm sure it was difficult to cut off the money and still pull off such a high standard of living. I felt those reasons were still somewhat selfish, but not in the way Uncle Pumblechook would think. While all of this accusing is going on, it is hard to find any wrong in Pip, while Pumblechook is blatantly and shamelessly lying.
I agree with Elizabeth that "prodigality" is refering to the Prodigal Son story in the Bible. Pip was lost in a superficial world and had to crash completely before he came home downtrodden. Then Joe, being the sweetheart that he is, welcomes him back just glad to have him home again. I feel that if Pip had told Joe of his "secondly" while still back in London, Joe would have told him that it was right from the beginning. Any ties Joe had with Biddy, Joe would had tried to sever. Thankfully, however, Pip did not reveal his "secondly", and Joe and Biddy are happy, two people who truly deserve to be so. Pip has finally changed. He has gone from a selfish person who wants whatever he sees, to a thoughtful and retrospective man, who is content with his place in life.
Finding out about Joe and Biddy's marriage was my absolute favorite part of the novel. They are both genuinely good people who have always been there for each other, and I think they make a perfect match. Pip always treated Biddy as the second best option and Mrs. Joe always tore down Joe with degrading comments and abuse, so I'm extremely happy that they each find the person who loves them for who they are in each other.
If Pip had told Joe of his secondly, it probably would have caused Joe to feel guilt because he has always wanted the best for Pip, so the fact that Pip didn't was definately for the best because Joe deserves to be happy.
It also becomes very clear that Pip has undergone great change throughout the novel. He expresses happiness for Joe and Biddy instead of resorting to the selfish mindset he has exhibited in the past. Along with this, he decides to work under Herbert, showing that he is no longer concerned with being at the height of the social ladder. His boyish dreams finally cease, and he settles into a reality in which he is not the center of the universe.
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