Great Expectations: Suffering

In Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Pip and Estella both teach and learn a valuable lesson: “Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching” (450). All characters experience and learn how to deal with the suffering they face everyday. However, some characters suffer more than others in the book. One character in particular suffers in almost every aspect of his life. That character is Philip ‘Pip’ Pirrip. Suffering plays a large role in Pip’s life throughout Great Expectations. He suffers, especially, throughout his love life, his expectations, and even throughout his everyday life. To start, Pip has leads a life where he suffers through a lot of his everyday activities. Pip starts suffering as a young child he really notices

And what thick boots” (Dickens 63). Estella was raised to make boys like Pip suffer, but Pip does not know of that at that point in the novel. Estella continually puts Pip down to the point where Pip starts to put himself own. This can be the worst type of suffering because it is within one’s self, and is hard to control and take care of. He does not know how to handle it at this point in his life, which makes him suffer even more. Another area where Pip suffers with his everyday life is when Mrs. Joe raises him, specifically, raising by hand. Pip thinks when Mr. Pumblechook is referring to being raised by hand he means Mrs. Joe beating him and being mean. An example of this is when Pip is at the christmas party. Pip recalls that, “My sister made a dive at me, and fished me up by the hair...” (Dickens 16). This thought that Pip has, being brought up by hand, is false and it makes him scared. The scared feeling is yet another form of internal suffering that is hard to control. One last example of Pip struggling and suffering in everyday life takes place over the entire book. We know that Pip suffers throughout because he has lost so many friends and family over the years. The first

The first thing that Pip suffers with as a young boy all the way to, really, the end of the book is simply not knowing what is happening. Pip’s first encounter was the most confusing when the ‘stranger’ was at the Three Jolly Bargemen and gave Pip money. Pip does not know what is happening,so he takes the money, guiltily, and later thinks, “There [the notes] remained a nightmare to me many and many a night and day” (Dickens 78). Instances like this happen often to Pip, where he does not understand, and does not know what to think. This makes him suffer more internally. Another example of Pip suffering with the expectations is when Pip is living on his own with Herbert and they attain debt. Pip evaluates his situation and tells the reader on page 269, “Herbert and I went from bad to worse in the way of increasing our debts…” (Dickens). This makes Pip suffer because of two reasons. The first being Pip doesn’t have the money right now and he can not pay for himself, but he also feels bad because his frivolous spending causes Herbert to overspend as well. The last way Pip suffers with his expectations is because of his convict. A lot happens with Pip’s convict that made them both suffer. For example, Pip tries to help his convict escape, but overall just makes the situation worse for both of them. Pip says on Provis’s death bed, “I will never stir from your side...when I am suffered to be near you”