MR Pip

Throughout the novel Mister Pip, Matildas attitude towards Mr Watts and Dolores changes.
Matildas attitude towards her mother changes considerably throughout Mister Pip. Whilst Matildas attitude towards Mr Watts stays virtually unchanging during the course of Mister Pip. At the beginning of the novel, Matilda and the rest of the village have no respect for Mr Watts. Everyone called him Pop Eye. (Page 1) Matilda and the villagers enjoyed mocking him because he was the only white man in the village and so he seemed out of place. White is used as a proper noun and capitalised throughout the book, but black is used as an adjective and is not capitalised. This suggests superior status of whites. The villagers blamed white men for the blockade and maybe thought making fun of Mr Watts was a way for them to get back at white people in general. This would obviously have had an impact on Matildas attitude as well as her behaviour towards Mr Watts. Matilda almost immediately develops respect for Mr Watts when he starts teaching the kids. And for the first time in all the years Id seen dragging Mrs Pop Eye behind in that trolley, he smiled. After that I never called him Pop Eye again. (Page 15) Matilda only made fun of Mr Watts because she didnt know him personally and so could only prejudge him. This was all the villagers did anyway, so Matilda was only following the example of the adults in the village; this meant making fun of him. When hed smiled I think Matilda had seen him as a real person and not as the village clown. After seeing Mr Watts in a different perspective, her attitude towards him changed from bad to good and this is how it stays for a large majority of Mister Pip. I want this to be a place of light. No matter what happens (Page 14) Mr Watts uses a metaphor of light in the sense that it means enlightenment and hope for the future. It introduces Mr Watts and Great Expectations to Matilda which ultimately affects the lives of all the people in the village. Matildas relationship with Dolores is very tense and its obvious that theyre not comfortable around each other. This was one of the few times she was seriously interested in my opinion and, like the questions concerning her age, I always knew what to say to cheer her up. (Page 7)This quote implies that Dolores doesnt really listen to Matilda and that their relationship revolves around the concept of only Dolores talking and only Matilda listening. Even in the rare times that Dolores actually listens to and is interested is Matildas point of view, she has to say what she thinks Dolores wants to hear. This means that Matilda doesnt feel comfortable enough to tell the truth to her mother and this therefore results in a tense mother and daughter relationship. When Dolores stole Great Expectations, Matilda had felt betrayed and I think quite disappointed in her mother. It is hard to put into words my feelings of betrayal at that moment. (Page 93) Evidently, Matilda still couldnt put into words how betrayed she felt even years later after the incident. Matilda had made her feelings towards Great Expectations clear and it was very obvious that she was in love with the novel. For her mother to hide the book with no intention to tell anyone that she had had broken Matildas heart and had changed her attitude towards her mother immensely, although her behaviour didnt really change. This would have made the barrier between Matilda and Dolores even larger than it already was. After Mr Watts dies, Dolores finally starts to see the god in him, but it is too late and as Dolores starts to realise this, she feels guilty. This is one of the reasons for Dolores speaking up for Mr Watts and I think that she was fully aware of the consequences when she does so. In other words, Dolores feels responsible for his death. Another reason for speaking up for Mr Watts was to set a good example for her daughter. She did not scream. I did not hear her utter a word.(Page 175) Dolores was a strong, brave woman and I think this is was what future Matilda wanted to get across; otherwise she would not have included this. I saw how everything in her face had come loose with fear Come here, my darling Matilda. Let me hold you.(Page 177) Dolores has hardly shown any affection towards Matilda throughout the book. My father used to say she had the blood of righteousness running in her veins.(Page 36) Dolores was a proud woman and for her to show any sign of fear on her face was evidence enough that she was truly scared. I think in the moments before Dolores death, Matildas attitude to her mother had changed from hostile to respectful because her mother had given up her life for both herself and Mr Watts.
In conclusion, Matildas attitude towards Dolores and Mr Watts has changed throughout Mister Pip. However, the way Matilda has expressed this has not made it evident. Matilda does not actually state what her attitude is towards Dolores and Mr Watts, but would only

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Throughout the novel Mister Pip, Matildas attitude towards Mr Watts and Dolores changes.

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