In the novel Great expectation (1860-1861), Charles Dickens creates Pip, a character who represents Dickens’s coming of age milestone. Charles Dickens is able to display Pip’s coming of age through symbolism. His purpose is to demonstrate Pip’s transition from a poor, innocent boy to a wealthy, superficial man in order to show that one’s environment has the potential to alter a person’s character negatively. The real turning point in Great Expectations occurs when Mr. Pumblechook escorts Pip to Miss Havisham’s home. Miss Havisham introduces herself to Pip wearing an old yellowed wedding dress and a yellowed veil. She is presented as waxwork and a skeleton with dark eyes; not having finished getting dressed, in order to symbolize that many people choose to be stuck in the past and never really move on. Dickens tries demonstrating this to Pip. …show more content…
The day meets Estella at Miss Havisham’s house; his character begins to be tested. From the moment Pip encounters Estella, she is very rude to him and puts him down; making fun of the fact that he’s just a commoner and that’s all he’ll ever be. Estella causes Pip to feel ashamed of whom he is and his origins, thus making Pip determined to no longer be a commoner, but a gentleman. After having spent a lot of time around Miss Havisham and Estella, Pip’s character becomes questionable. Not only does he become ashamed of his origins, but he also begins to treat Joe, his sister’s husband and friend, negatively. He becomes ashamed of Joe and becomes distant with him. Keep in mind, Joe has always had the best intentions for Pip and has been there for