Joe Gargery, one of the main characters in Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations, is a simple blacksmith who is kind-hearted, loyal, and hard-working. Despite his humble background and limited education, Joe possesses a strong sense of moral integrity and values that make him stand out in the novel.
Joe is first introduced as the husband of the cruel and abusive Mrs. Joe Gargery, who often mistreats him and belittles him for his lack of social status and education. Despite the abuse he suffers at the hands of his wife, Joe remains a loyal and devoted husband, showing her kindness and compassion even when she does not deserve it. He is also a loving and caring father figure to the orphaned protagonist, Pip, whom he raises as his own son.
In addition to his loyalty and kindness, Joe is also known for his hard-working nature. As a blacksmith, he works long hours in the forge, using his physical strength and skills to create and repair various metal objects. Despite the difficult and demanding nature of his work, Joe approaches it with dedication and pride, never complaining or shirking his responsibilities.
Despite his many positive qualities, Joe is often overshadowed by the more flashy and wealthy characters in the novel, such as the wealthy and eccentric Miss Havisham and the selfish and arrogant Bentley Drummle. However, as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that Joe's simple, honest, and hard-working nature is a much more valuable trait than the wealth and status of these other characters.
In the end, it is Joe's unwavering loyalty, kindness, and hard-working nature that make him a truly great character in the novel. He serves as a role model for Pip and other characters, showing them the importance of living a virtuous and honest life. His selflessness and humility stand in stark contrast to the selfish and arrogant behavior of other characters, making him a beacon of hope and inspiration in an otherwise bleak and troubled world.
Great Expectations: Joe Gargery
He will not need to write to be a blacksmith, but Joe has helped plant confidence for Pip to elevate his learning beyond his circumstance - a common theme for Pip. And why, do you suppose, above all things, Pip, she left that cool four thousand unto him? Joe instills in Joe trough her reign of terror, Joe is never able to develop his own character. I had begun by asking questions, and I was going to rob Mrs. He had celebrated expectations. Or is there another reason, perhaps that she is afraid of such things? Her redemption is later finalized when her rotting wedding dress catches fire.
Joe Gargery in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
His thoughts and attitudes shape the mind of the reader. Pip was overcome by ambition. He admitted that he had acted as a coward for not doing the right thing Dickens 32. Joe, Pip, and Pip's sister, Mrs. This, of course, draws Joe even closer to Pip, by relation. Joe gone, a piece of Joe's life is again freed up and can slowly be reclaimed, making him into a stronger person.
What are the major themes of Great Expectations?
Ever since that visit to Miss Havisham's home, Satis House, Pip is no longer satisfied with the hard-working life in a forge that Joe represents. Overall, it is clear that, although Pip owes much to his sister for raising him, he also owes to her many of the character traits that ultimately lead to his downfall. Howsoever they come, they didn't ought to come, and they come from the father of lies, and work round to the same. In fact, it's quite an understatement when Pip says that she is ''not a good looking woman. Because Joe's father was an alcoholic when he was growing up, Joe is even more determined to be a better influence on Pip than Joe's father was on him. Joe's self-importance and shallow fuss over appearances probably contribute to Pip's susceptibility towards arrogance and delusions of superiority over those, like Joe and Biddy, who have not received his education in books and manners. What are the themes that Joe embodies In Great Expectations? The tale of brotherhood and forgiveness emanating from the two is decidedly inspired literature and the surrounding events merely the beautiful backdrop to such love.
The Importance of Mrs. Joe in Great Expectations
Compeyson A criminal and the former partner of Magwitch, Compeyson is an educated, gentlemanly outlaw who contrasts sharply with the coarse and uneducated Magwitch. Joe's housekeeping to be of the strictest kind, and that my larcenous researches might find nothing available in the safe. Joe is an angry, punishing tyrant, her husband is compassionate and good. He got threatened that if he did not take food, his heart and liver would be eaten. When he repented and decided to marry Biddy, he found her already married to Joe. Joe tends to berate both Pip and her husband Joe, and she frequently hits both of them with a cane she has named "tickler.