Through unexpected outcomes, one’s personalities and perspectives change. In the novel Great Expectations, Charles Dickens demonstrates the element of irony many times, leading the pathway to Pip’s evolution as a character. Several examples of Dickens’s use of this element in the novel include, Herbert’s and Pip’s immediate liking for one another, Magwitch’s revealment as Pip’s benefactor, and Pip’s understanding for the fact that Biddy and Joe married.
In Stage 1, Pip met Herbert at the Satis House. Herbert asked him to a fight, and Pip easily defeated him. Ironically, Pip met Herbert in London, and they became the best of friends, as shown when Pip stated that they, “shook hands warmly”. It was ironic that they got along so quickly after
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Due to Pip’s desire for Estella, his goals turned into a simple chase for Estella, leading his world to be revolved around her. Pip could not help but think that Miss Havisham intended for him to become a gentleman, leading up to the “marriage” of Estella and Pip. This leads the reader to also believe that Miss Havisham was Pip’s benefactor. However, in Chapter 39, Pip learned that Magwitch, the convict introduced in the beginning of the novel that Pip helped, was the founder of Pip’s fortunes. Dickens uses irony in this case by leading the reader into believing that Miss Havisham was Pip’s benefactor, then bringing back an almost forgotten character and stating that this character’s money was the fuel for Pip’s “training”. Pip was shocked by this as well, stating that he, “... stood with a hand on the chair-back and a hand on my breast, where I seemed to be suffocating…” This ironic situation ended up changing Pip’s perspective on his place in his society, and was crucial to his character evolution. This is shown when Pip suddenly felt bad for leaving Joe and Biddy, stating, “Long-suffering and loving, Joe, you never complain. Nor you, sweet-tempered Biddy.” This shows that the ironic situation changed Pip’s perspective and was crucial to his character