Great Expectations Thematic Essay

Thematic Essay
Temptation and self-indulgence can obscure one’s priorities in life, leading to irremediable consequences. In the story, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, such consequences affect the characters- some less and some more. One victim is the protagonist, Pip. Tempted by his greed, Pip embarks on a journey to pursue his goal to become a gentleman in order to win over his love- Estella. However, he must sacrifice almost everything in able to accomplish his selfish goal. Provoked by the overwhelming influence of Miss Havisham and Estella, he chooses to leave his loving family to pursue a delusional dream that simply does not exist. As Pip learns his trade in London, he encounters many different people and begins to mature by
Despite being “common” and poor, Joe is still able to be “proud of himself… and is quite happy with who he is” (Dickens, ). This happiness is because he prioritizes love and conscious before wealth and social status. By prioritizing love, Joe is able to be content despite being poor and having an abusive wife. This is because he sees the bigger aspect of life and is able to expand upon the love he has for his trade and family in order to be satisfied with his life. Without the complications and stress of having to rise in society and become wealthy, Joe is able to maintain an innocent and pure conscious of the world, allowing him to become a manifestation of all good. Due to his personality, Joe is able to rise in society because of the personality and reputation rather than the wealth. Like Pip, many lose their dignity in pursuit of wealth, but because Joe is not prone to self greed due to his personality, he is able to maintain his dignity. With a healthy conscious, Joe is able to expand on himself and see the good in others, helping them to become the man he is- ridding him of enemies. Although Joe is a poor man, he is still able to be the happiest man in the book due to his ability to follow the