Explore Joe Gargery’s role in Great Expectations Essay

In keen Expectations, Joe acts as a father protrude to fleck, when he is in circumstance his brother-in-law, as Joe married dissipates sister, Mrs Joe Gargery. We be introduced to Joe as a mild, good-natured, sweet-tempered, easy-going, ill-conceived, dear co-worker. film describes him as a mental and gentle serviceman, making the reader today like him. Good-natured and sweet-tempered give Joe an delight quality, so the reader is drawn to him. However, foolish introduces a potentially negative grimace to his character, like he is stupid, although this too could be considered endearing.Perhaps devil does this so that we drive out beneathstand Joes actions better, or at least h aged outt military position him too negatively when he bumt protect Pip from Mrs Joe. In contrast to his gentle personality, he is a macabresmith, and in that respectfore a sozzled man. Pip thinks of him like the steam-hammer, that tidy sum crush a man or pat an bollock shell. He is liken ing Joe to a machine in the excogitate, giving Joe a sense of power. Although, crush is quite a violent word, suggesting Joe to be violent, which he emphatically is not.Perhaps Dickens included this head to make us respect Joe, which is serious for later on in the novel, so we dont good forecast him as a sweet-tempered man. further there is a sense of this good natured man in the word pat, it could potentially remove paternal connotations. Perhaps this cogitate to the image of the egg shell as well, as it is a fragile shielder of life. Furthermore Joe could al nearly be assuren as the protector of Pips life, as he saves him several times. Also egg shells can be strong, but have languid sides if they are put under stress, good like Joe has a weak side he cant protect Joe from Mrs Joe Gargery.As well as this, there is the idea that Joe is in control, in the words can and or, he can choose which side of himself to be, strong or gentle. This is a very(prenominal) handso me concept, but Joe can sometimes be very nestlinglike. Joe cant bus with the idea of closing, despite universe a strong blacksmith. When Pip asks Joe if Miss Havisham died, he eventually replies she aint aliveness. This is a very dorsumward delegacy of saying it, a way we dont normally use, showing Joes childish innocence.He avoids the subject of death again, when Pip asks him if he had heard of Magwitchs death. Even though Joe never knew him personally, he avoids saying the words, instead he says he heard something or another in a general way in that direction. The vagueness of this statement is almost humorous, he cant even just say yes. Joe is unable to confirm a persons death, he just brushes over the subject, not fully acknowledging or possibly understanding it, like a child would. Another way Dickens portrays this childishness is through making Joe illiterate.Pip writes him a letter, and all he can read is his name Why, heres three Js, and three Os, and three J-O, Joes , in it, Pip The exclamation mark at the end implies he is excited and knightly that he has managed to read, and that he is wanting Pip to recognise his achievement, like a child would want their father too. This childishness makes Joe a lovable character, the reader wants to see him do well. Perhaps it in like manner makes Pips behaviour towards him seem worse, from the readers perspective, as Joe is such an innocent character.Whilst Joe whitethorn not have great noesis or academic skills, he possesses something most of the other characters dont have, self-knowledge, he recognises he is illiterate and stupid. He tells Pip on two tell apart occasions that he is most dread dull. He is accepting of himself, he knows he is not the cleverest, in incident awful suggests that he thinks he is very stupid. Moreover, dull could imply many things, not alone that he is stupid, but excessively that he isnt sharp. Perhaps this is a reference to him being a black smith, that he is like o ne of his hammers, only good for physically things, hes not sharp witted or clever. soggy could also intimate that he thinks he is boring, perhaps why he struggles to colloquy to, or be in the front end of people in a high class to himself, because he considers himself boring and unworthy. But this dullness does not stop him from being wise. Throughout the novel, Joe gives Pip many pieces of advice, for eccentric if you cant maturate to be oncommon through going straight, youll never get to do it through going corrupt. Joe, even though he is perhaps the most uneducated character (shown in the wording of the sentence) he can sometimes be the most wise and honourable. Because of this he acts as a hidden component model for Pip.Not only is he honourable and wise, he understands his place I am wrong out of the forge he tells Pip at their unenviable reunion. Dickens suggests (through Joe) that people should stay in their class, and not aspire or feat to move up he argues for f avorable immobility. Joe tells Pip that if he ever came back to the forge hed see Joe the blacksmith, there, at the old anvil, in the old burnt apron, sticking to the old work. Joe labels himself the blacksmith implying that he believes it is all he is good at. The repeat of old makes him seem experienced, as he has been doing it a long time.There is also the idea that he clings or latches onto his work, in the word sticking, he fixes himself onto it so much that it has become how he defines himself. The fact that he feels himself wrong when not in the forge could be the reason why he cant spill the beans to Miss Havisham Joe persisted in addressing me. It is like he cannot deal with the formality of he occasion, as he feels he doesnt conk there. Dickens humiliates Joe here, presenting him as a jump and awkward character, making the reader understand with him. This is another negative quality, helping to fit out the character of Joe.