Charles Dickens presentation Essay

Do you feel that Charles Dickens presentation of Joe Gargery makes him seem on balance a foolish person or someone worthy of our respect? In Great Expectations, Joe Gargery comes into the novel many times. Sometimes he is portrayed as a very foolish person but other times he actually is quite clever and worthy of our respect. At the beginning of the novel, he seems foolish in the sense that he is a very simple man and does nothing to hide it. When Pip is reading him a letter, Joe remarks †Why, here’s a J,’ said Joe, ‘ and a O equal to anythink! Here’s a J and a O, Pip, and a J-O, Joe. † Pip carries on by saying ‘ I had never heard Joe read aloud to any great extent than this monosyllable, and I had observed at church last Sunday when I accidentally held our Prayer-Book upside down, that it seemed to suit his convenience quite as well as if it had been all right. ‘ There are many more examples of his foolishness but there is one important point that must be included to understand why Joe puts up with Mrs Joe’s nagging the whole time. He tells Pip about how his father beat his mother and him constantly: ‘ and he hammered at me with such a wigour only to be equalled by the wigour with which he didn’t hammer at his anwil. – You’re a listening and understanding, Pip? ‘ He then reveals that Mrs Joe doesn’t like scholarly people in her house ‘And she ain’t over partial to having scholars on the premises’ Joe continued, ‘ and in partickler would not be over partial to my being a scholar, for fear as I might rise. Like a sort of rebel, don’t you see? ‘ In this there is a clear sign that Joe doesn’t want any disharmony in his house and he doesn’t want to treat his wife like his dad treated his mum. So for this reason he puts up with Mrs Joe ‘knocking his head for a little while against the wall behind him’ when he steps out of line. For this reason, it seems we must respect him as someone who learns not from his mistakes, but other people’s. There are times in the novel, where Joe seems to be acting really stupidly but is in fact being proud. The first time this crops up is when Joe and Pip go to Satis House to talk to Miss Havisham. Joe, to Pip’s embarrassment, refuses to talk to Pip as though Miss Havisham is not there ‘Pip,’ returned Joe, cutting me short as if he was hurt, ‘which I meantersay that were not a question requiring a answer betwixt yourself and me, and which you know the answer to be full well No. You know it to be No, Pip, and wherefore should I say it? ‘ Miss Havisham has just asked Joe a question and it is strange that he addresses Pip instead. Pip after becoming a gentleman, is very snobbish and looks down on Joe. For this reason Joe tries to act very upper class and tries not to embarrass Pip in front of his friends. ‘Since you are so kind as make chice of coffee, I will not run contrairy to your own opinions. ‘ He calls Pip ‘Sir’ many times and at one point Pip says ‘Joe,’ I interrupted, pettishly, ‘how can you call me Sir? ‘ However even after this scene which Joe looks foolish, he actually regains his dignity; ‘Joe looked at me for a single instant with something faintly like reproach. Utterly preposterous as his cravat was, and as his collars were, I was conscious of a sort of dignity in the look. ‘ Here we have two contrasting statements. Pip tells us that Joe looks extremely foolish in his cravat and collar but under the foolishness is someone who is extremely dignified. Not many people are like that especially when their ‘son’, has just rebuked them for addressing them wrongly. The next time Joe’s dignity really shines through is when he leaves Pip on page 222. He knows he looks stupid in the clothes because and says so ‘I’m wrong in these clothes. I’m wrong out of the forge, the kitchen, or off th’ meshes†¦ I’m awfully dull, but I hope I’ve beat out something nigh the rights of this at last’ The terrible thing is, is that Joe knows Pip looks down on him and is ashamed of him. He says ‘ You won’t find half so much fault in me if you think of me in my forge dress, with my hammer in my hand, or even my pipe. You won’t find half as much fault in me if, supposing as you should ever wish to see me, you come and put your head in at the forge winder†¦ ‘ He knows Pip looks down on him and is embarrassed about him, he feels sorry for Pip and blames it on himself. This is a very honourable thing to do and definitely makes us show respect for him. We see other characters from different pieces of literature placed in similar situations and act very differently and with less patience. For example Eddie Carbone in A View for the Bridge. When Pip becomes ill, due to a number of things: severe burning, a run-in with Orlick and Provis becoming captured, Joe comes to visit him and looks after him. Joe doesn’t want to fall into embarrassing Pip again. Due to Pip’s earlier disrespect towards Joe, Joe is less easy with Pip. ‘ But, imperceptibly, though I held them fast, Joe’s hold upon them began to slacken; and whereas, I wondered at this at first, I soon began to understand that the cause of it was in me, and that the fault of it was all mine. ‘ Joe has regained his dignity so instead of getting emotionally close to Pip, he draws himself away from him as soon as he senses he is getting stronger. Joe, earlier on is obviously trying to impress Pip by learning to write and Pip starts crying because he sees the pride with which Joe has written the letter to him. Pip is very lucky to have an uncle like Joe because Joe is an excellent person. On the surface he seems to be foolish but underneath he is a pure and righteous man. He always forgives Pip for whatever injustice Pip does to him. In the balance, the reasons we should respect Joe Gargery far outweigh the reasons why we should treat him like a foolish character and one that is not worthy of our respect.