Great Expectations: Character Analysis

“You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone. Just be you and the right people will love you for it,” Mandy Hale mentions. Mandy Hale, an author of best-selling books, is a person that digs and sees what is more than just the appearance of people. People can change, sometimes for the good and sometimes the opposite is true. With different experiences, a spark is lit and there is a different view on the world than before. From there, there is a little change of heart and personality. The change allows the person to see a different view on things and try to show that they are right. Even without the change, the proving of oneself is there especially during adolescence. This is shown in Charles Dickens's Great Expectations. Pip’s journey starts

His point of the trip is to become a gentleman, to impress his crush Estella. Similarly, “Araby” by James Joyce contains a young boy as the protagonist. He is passionate about one of his friend’s sisters and when a special task comes his way, he tries to accomplish it. However, there is an obstacle that does not allow him to fulfill his wish. As everything goes dark in the market, so does his beliefs. In a snap, everything could change. An individual learns many things to grow from childhood to adulthood. As both characters progress through the story, it becomes more and more clear how their experiences shape the way they are at the end. As people grow up, they must prove themselves worthy to others.
Initially, the young protagonists must realize that they need to show that they are worth of themselves. Both characters have a turning point when they realize that they can do something to prove themselves worthy. Pip and the boy from “Araby” both try to impress their crushes and they have the moment where they know what they need to do. From tasks ranging very important to miniscule, they will do anything to please the girl. These moments are very important because it is where they figure out how they can prove themselves to the people they

Both Pip and the boy from “Araby” will show their true colors no matter how hard they try to change themselves for others. The best is to be themselves and that will be the way to get the girl. “No man who was not a true gentleman at heart, ever was, since the world began, a true gentleman in manner... no varnish can hide the grain of the wood; and that the more varnish you put on, the more the grain will express itself." (Dickens 209) This clearly illustrates the opposite of Pip’s beliefs. Pip believed that the money, education and the success of a man makes him a gentleman. It is the character of ones and how he treats others makes a person a gentleman. On the other hand, the main protagonist from “Araby” goes to the market after a long day. His dad came home drunk and late; and he was supposed to give the money to him. He finally arrived at the bazaar late. “Observing me, the young lady came over and asked me did I wish to buy anything…I looked humbly at the great jars that stood like eastern guards at either side of the dark entrance to the stall and murmured: 'No, thank you.'” (Joyce 27). This lead him to have ‘anguish and anger” in his eyes as he leaves the market. There could have been a realization of anything, but there is one that stands out. He could have observed that him buying something for his crush will just impress his crush, but it will not allow him to win her