Mirror Images in Great Expectations PDF

Mirror-Images in Great Expectations
Author(s): Karl P. Wentersdorf

Source: Nineteenth-Century Fiction, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Dec., 1966), pp. 203-224
Published by: University of California Press
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Mirror-Images in
Great ?Expectations
KARL P. WENTERSDORF
kR ECENT YEARS have seen a reappraisal of the methods of

characterizationused by Dickens. The view that his heroes are for
the most part typesor at best melodramatic caricatures of human
beings has given way to a realization that in the mature works,the
major charactersare psychologicallyconvincing portraitsin depth,
theircomplexity being revealed by a diversityof methods. Notable
among these methods is the Doppelganger technique, in which
Dickens exposes the conflicting elements in the make-up of a
Faust-like character through the introduction of psychological and
even physical doubles. The outstanding Dickensian example of
the Faustian hero is Pip in Great Expectations.
The novel tells the storyof the demoralizing effectwhich ma-
terialistic expectations have on Pip as he passes from boyhood to
manhood. The ambition to lead a life of luxurious ease, the
gnawing passion stirredin him by the beauty of Estella, the feeling
of shame at his humble origins,the overpowering sense of personal
guilt arising partlybut not primarilyfromhis contact with numer-
ous criminal elements all conspire to bring forth his latent
weaknesses: vanity,snobbery,ingratitude,and vindictiveness.This
dark side of Pip's character, as recent critics have demonstrated,
is partially exposed in the person of the villainous Dolge Orlick.
"Ambition," says Julian Moynahan, "as the instinctof aggression,
as the pitiless drive for power directed against . .. authority-figures,
is both coalesced and disguised in the figureof Orlick. And Orlick
is bound to the hero by ties of analogy as double, alter ego and
dark mirror-image."1 Harry Stone similarly asserts that "Orlick
Karl P. Wentersdorfis an associate professor of English, Xavier University,
Cincinnati.
'Julian Moynahan, "The Hero's Guilt: The Case of Great Expectations," Essays
in Criticism,X (1960), 70.
[203]

204 Nineteenth-CenturyFiction
is both an objectifiedfragment of Pip's self,a projectionof Pip's

darker desires and aggressions,and a manifestationof primal
evil"-a Satanic figurewhose forge-fire is a symbolof hellfire.2
But just as Pip is much more than merelya personification of
the false values of the Victorian dream, so is he more than a
superficiallygood and attractivepersonwho is basicallyevil and
repulsive.It is true,as Moynahanputsit,that"we are dealinghere
withan art whichsimultaneously disguisesand revealsits deepest
implicationsofmeaning,witha methodwhich... presentsthrough
patternsof analogya dramaticperspectivein whichthe apparent
oppositesare unified"and that the villainous journeyman"be-
comes part of a complex unit-we mightcall it Pip-Orlick-in
which all aspectsof the problemof guilt become interpenetrant
and co-operative." 3The methodused to illuminatethe depthsof
Pip's characteris, however,considerablymore complicatedthan
Moynahan'ssimpleformula(Pip-Orlick)indicates.
Accordingto Stone,Pip is juxtaposedand contrastedprimarily
"withhis darkshadow,Magwitch-the criminaland outcast,"but
also withnumerousotherpersonswho are used to throwlighton
or extendthe hero'spersonality:
He is contrastedwithEstella,who has been distortedby the same

agencieswhichtwisthim; with Biddy,who resiststhosedistorting
forces;withJoe,who also remainsuncorrupted; withHerbert,a su-
periorversionof himself-andthusthe male counterpart of Biddy
and thecontemporarycounterpartofJoe;withMissHavisham,whose
sin,and punishment,are linkedto his; withDrummle,who is a de-
generateversionofhimself-thenegativeimageof Herbert;and with
Orlick,whois Pip'smostterrifying
extension,an extension
of nascent,
inexplicablemalignancy.
Stonegoes on to argue thatthese"resonances"are complicatedby

furthercontrasts-JoewithOrlick,Estella withBiddy,Magwitch
withMiss Havisham,HerbertwithDrummle,Estella withClara,
Magwitch with Compeyson,Compeysonwith Miss Havisham,
Miss HavishamwithMatthewPocket,and JaggerswithWemmick
and he adds: "throughthisintricatecounterpointDickensgives
structureand meaningto his novel."4
2 Harry Stone, "Fire, Hand, and Gate: Dickens' Great Expectations," The Kenyon
Review, XXIV (1962), 669-670.
3 Moynahan, p. 70.
4 Stone,pp. 668-669.

Mirror-Images in Great Expectations 205
While Stone'sobservationsas to the existenceof the contrasted
pairsare certainlyvalid,theveryextentof the listing(not to men-
tion the linkingof Magwitchwith Orlick and Herbertas Pip's
"extensions"5) tends to blur the twofoldprinciplebehind their
creation.Some ofthemare used to throwlighton Pip's personality
in hiscapacityas "son" and lover:theseare theparent-figures-Joe
and Mrs. Joe Gargery(fosterfatherand mother),Magwitchand
Miss Havisham(fairy-tale godparents)-andthewife-figures, Biddy
and Estella. These charactersare contrastednot merelywitheach
otherbut also withPip.
The second and more importantprincipleis that which gives
riseto pairsofcontrastedcharacterswho are literallyextensionsof
Pip in thattheyare bothpsychological and physicaldoubles.6They
are conceived in the traditionof the original Faustian hero, a
traditionwith which Dickens must have become acquainted
throughhis livelyinterestin the theater.In place of Marlowe's
Faustus,with a good angel and an evil angel at each shoulder
symbolizingthe warringelementsin the protagonist'sheart and
soul, we findPip mirroredin sets of "right"and "wrong"twins
who embodythe diametrically opposed aspectsof his characterat
various stages in his development.7The evil twin of the most
prominentpair is, of course,Pip's boyhoodbugbear Orlick; the
good counterpart, who also comesinto the storyduringthe hero's
boyhood,is thepale younggentleman,HerbertPocket; and these
two oppositesare unifiedin Pip. Behind these major Doppel-
gangersof the hero,in a perspectiveof diminishingdramaticsig-
nificancebut witha similarthematicfunction,are twofurther con-
trastedpairs of twins:Drummleand Startop,who enterthe scene
when Pip becomesa student;Pepper and Trabb's boy, who re-
flectPip's role as a gentlemanof wealthand leisure.It is the pur-
pose of thispaper to examinethesethreesetsof mirror-images.
5Ibid., p. 669. Stone devotes the bulk of his essay to a studyof the roles of Orlick
and Magwitch.
6Magwitch belongs to both groups. For a very perceptive discussion of his role
as Pip's "father" and as a projection of the hero's innermost self, see Stone, pp.
675-690.
7A broad hint of Dickens's intention is given by the manner in which the split
personality of Wemmick is presented. The law clerk is thought of as a pair of
twins: the gruffperson employed at the gloomy law officein Little Britain is the
"wrong" twin; on his way home to the Castle at Walworth, Wemmick's official
self evaporates into the evening air, and he changes imperceptiblyinto the "right"
twin.

II
An important facet of Pip's character is the desire, conscious or
unconscious, to be revenged on those authority-figureswho have
hurt him. It is Orlick who implements this desire: the older sister
who raises Pip with cruelty instead of love is struck down not by
her young victim but by her husband's journeyman; and it is
Orlick, too, who finally humiliates, robs, and beats Pip's other
great tormentor,the hypocritical Pumblechook.
When Orlick enters the story, in the fight with Joe, the
existence of a strange connection between him and Pip is im-
mediately made apparent. It is the argument preceding the fight
which provides the first textual indication of the connection.
Orlick discovers that the boy is to have a half-holiday,and he de-
mands equal treatment: "I'll do as much with it as him...." The
comment is pregnant with dramatic irony. Orlick will do as much,
he says,as Pip would do; and while Pip is spending the holiday in
town and Joe is also absent fromthe forge,the journeyman returns
unobtrusively and strikes down Mrs. Joe.
That the murderous attack is the fulfillmentof the hero's sup-
pressed urge to punish his sister is indicated by the circumstances
in which Pip spends the evening during which Mrs. Joe is attacked,
and by the manner in which he reacts to the crime. While he is
in town, he is compelled to be present while Wopsle entertains
Pumblechook with a reading of the tragedy of George Barnwell,
the London apprentice who viciously murdered his master. Pip
feels indignant at the way in which his tormentorsidentify him
with the young criminal, "as if it were a well-known fact that I
contemplated murdering a near relation...." Immediately after-
wards, the attempt to kill his sisteris discovered. Though Pip sub-
sequently suspects that the journeyman was the unknown as-
sailant, his firstthought,characteristicallyenough, is that he him-
self was somehow guilty: "With my head full of George Barnwell,
I was at firstdisposed to believe thatI must have had some hand in
the attack on my sister....
The second symbolicallymeaningfulact of violence occurs when
Orlick breaks into the house of Pumblechook, steals his cash-box,
and assaults him. The episode is a counterpart to the scene early
in the novel in which Pip (who has just stolen the victuals for the
starvingconvict) is taunted by Pumblechook and Wopsle during
the Christmasparty: "I might have been an unfortunatelittle bull

in a Spanish arena, I got so smartinglytouched up by these moral
goads." The thematic links between the two episodes are typical
of Dickens's fondness for structural parallelism and antithesis. In
the earlier scene, when Pumblechook downs the brandy, Pip is re-
duced by fear and shame to a state of immobility ("I held tight to
the leg of the table") and speechlessness. In the later scene, it is
Pumblechook who plays the unenviable role once filled by Pip, as
he watches the unwelcome guest drinking his wine; for Orlick
ties the pompous seedsman to his bedpost and silences him by
stuffinghis mouth full of floweringannuals. The humiliations to
which Pip longs to subject his tormentorsare various: he would
like to have pulled Mr. Wopsle's Roman nose until he howled,
and he wants quite painfully to punch Pumblechook all over.8
These humiliations are literally effectedby Orlick when the rob-
bers slap Pumblechook's face, pull his nose, and "giv' him a
dozen." Thus, the revenge yearned forby the hero is again realized
by his alter ego.9 As a parallel to the predictions that Pip would
end in prison, Orlick is finallycaptured and jailed; and with this
symbolic suppression of evil, he disappears from the story.
The manner in which Pip's good counterpart is introduced into
the novel provides another example of Dickens's structural paral-
lelism and antithesis: the introduction of Herbert likewise in-
volves a fight,that with Pip in the garden of Miss Havisham's
house, and on this occasion (the earlier of the two pugilistic epi-
sodes) it is the good alter ego that is overcome. Herbert is "a pale
young gentleman with red eyelids and light hair"; he is slender,
taller than his opponent, and does not look very healthy. Taking
Pip fora prowler,he challenges him to a fight:"In a most irritating
manner, he instantly slapped his hands against one another,
daintily flung one of his legs up behind him, pulled my hair,
slapped his hands again, dipped his head, and butted it into my
stomach." 10 Pip is astonished at the agility of the other boy, who
begins "dancing backwards and forwards," and despite a secret
fear of the challenger's dexterityfollows him to a retired nook of
the garden. The pale young gentleman fightsstrictly"according to
8 This referenceto Pumblechook is froma later but related scene.
9 For detailed accounts of Orlick's role as Pip's evil alter ego, see Moynahan, pp.
64-76, and Stone,pp. 669-674.
10 Pip's comment that this was a "bull-like proceeding" reveals that the situa-
tion in the garden reversesan earlier one at the Christmas party. There, too, he
was being provoked; then it was Pip who was the "unfortunatelittle bull," and
he was unable to defend himself,but this time he is in a position to retaliate.

form": he asks if Pip is satisfiedwith the choice of ground, he pro-
vides water and a sponge dipped in vinegar, and he strips to the
waist before squaring up. Yet he is no match for Pip, much to the
latter's astonishment.
His spirit inspired me with great respect. He seemed to have no

strengthand he never once hit me hard, and he was always knocked
down; but, he would be up again in a moment,sponginghimselfor
drinkingout of thewaterbottle, withthegreatestsatisfactionin second-
ing himselfaccordingto form,and thencame at me with an air and a
show that made me believe he really was going to do for me at last.
He got heavilybruised,forI am sorryto recordthatthemoreI hit him,
the harderI hit him; but, he came up again and again and again, un-
til at last he got a bad fall with the back of his head against a wall.
Even afterthat crisisin our affairs,he got up and turnedround and
round confusedlya few times,not knowingwhere I was; but finally
went on his knees to his sponge and threwit up: at the same time
pantingout, "That means you have won."
Neither the courage nor the agility of the pale young gentleman
have availed him in the fight, but the winner derives only a
gloomy satisfaction from the victory. Pip feels sympathyfor his
opponent as one "brave and innocent," while regarding himself as
"a species of savage young wolf or other wild beast." 11The theme
of Pip's savagery is immediately linked with the motif of the
forge: night has fallen on the garden scene, and as Pip returns
home from Satis House he sees "Joe's furnace ... flinginga path
of fireacross the road." And the antitheticconnection between the
garden fightand the later one at the forgeis established when Pip
comments on the journeyman's equally decisive defeat: "Orlick,
as if he had been of no more account than the pale young gentle-
man, was very soon among the coal dust, and in no hurryto come
out of it."
When Pip and Herbert meet for the second time, in London, it
is as fellow students. Herbert proves to be a friendly,communica-
tive, if impecunious young man, and Pip recognizes in him im-
mediately a person of great integrity: "I have never seen any
one... who more strongly expressed to me, in every look and
tone, a natural incapacity to do anything secret and mean."
11 The image is used again by Orlick when he repeatedly addresses Pip as "wolf"
in the sluice-house episode, threatening to kill him "like any other beast" and
recalling the time when Pip was "so small a wolf" that he could easily have been
choked with Orlick's fingerand thumb.

Herbert tells Pip of Miss Havisham's distorted goal in life and
warns him against the heartless Estella. He becomes such a close
friend that, when business takes him abroad, Pip is lonely, "dis-
pirited and anxious," sadly missing his "cheerful face and ready
response." With characteristic generosity,Herbert offersto help
Pip get Magwitch safely out of England; when Wemmick warns
that Magwitch is in danger, Herbert spirits Pip's benefactor away
to temporarysafety; and after having rescued Pip from a brutal
death at the hands of Orlick, he plays a leading role in the dra-
matic flightdown the River Thames in which Magwitch almost
succeeds in escaping from England. Finally, when Pip has been
stripped of his expectations and deprived even of the hope of
marryingBiddy, Herbert provides Pip with a job in his own firm
and thus with an opportunity to achieve a moderate degree of
worldly success on his own merits.
The contrastsbetween Orlick and Herbert are manifold. Orlick
is a broad-shouldered, loose-limbed, brutish fellow of great
strength.Herbert is tall, of slender build, and gentlemanly in ap-
pearance; as a boy, he seems unhealthy; as a young man, his figure
is "a little ungainly" and not "indicative of natural strength."
Orlick is ill-favoured and sullen, swarthy,and with ragged hair;
Herbert is pale and light-haired,and his face, though not hand-
some, is "better than handsome: being extremely amiable and
cheerful." Orlick is lethargic in temperament, slow in his move-
ments; his characteristicgait, slouching along with his eyes on the
ground, is referredto repeatedly. Herbert is agile and energetic,
though with "a certain conquered languor about him in the midst
of his spirits and briskness." The evil alter ego gives Pip the im-
pression that he hardly ever thinks, and he growls rather than
talks. His opposite is mentally alert, high-spirited,good-humored,
and fond of laughing. The one is hostile, treacherous,and threaten-
ing; he hovers in the shadows, moves in from behind, and attacks
brutally. The other is frank, patient and scrupulously fair; he
frequently takes the lead, but is delicately anxious to avoid en-
croaching on anyone's privacy and always ready to apologize if
in the wrong. Orlick is envious of Pip's close though platonic as-
sociation with Biddy; Herbert pities Pip for his unfortunate in-
fatuation with Estella. The one is an avenger; regarding the other,
Pip remarksthat he cannot picture Herbert as an accessory to any
retaliations. Orlick causes Pip great anguish and finally tries to

210 Nineteenth-Century Fiction
kill him; Herbert comforts Pip in various ways, saves his life,
helps to heal his injuries, and gives him a new start. In brief,
Orlick is a destructive force, inimical to happiness and to life it-
self, and as such he embodies evil. Herbert's function is to help
others,to preserve life,and to heal; and in doing so, he personifies
goodness.
Pip stands midway between the extremes personified in these
two mirror-images:he partakes of the qualities of both, though
in less extreme forms. His passionate love for Estella is on a
higher plane than the sensuality which prompts Orlick to dog
Biddy's footsteps;his streakof cruelty,in evidence during the fight
with the pale young gentleman, is mild compared to the vicious-
ness with which the journeyman bludgeons Mrs. Joe or taunts a
man facingdeath; and the urge forrevenge which Pip undoubtedly
shares with Orlick does not lead him to commit overt acts of evil.
In a similar way, many of Pip's traitsand actions are seen to be
pale reflectionsof those of Herbert Pocket. Both characters seem
to have franklymaterialistic hopes and expectations; but whereas
Pip's yearnings ("all those wretched hankerings after money and
gentility") are serious and a source of embarrassment to him,
Herbert's avowed aim of making a fortunethrough the investment
of his as yet nonexistent capital is not to be taken seriously and
is belied by his possession of an unremunerative job. Both look
forward to a successful future; but while Pip's head is turned by
his expectations, Herbert remains modest ("I felt quite grateful
to him for not being puffed up"). Both young men are generous
to their friends; Pip secretly buys Herbert a partnership with a
shipping-broker,and at the end of the novel Herbert is in a posi-
tion to offerPip the job which leads the hero ultimately to a part-
nership ("I became third in the firm"). Pip's final rise in the
mercantile world aftermany years of hard work is symbolic of the
moral progresshe has made-a progressthat brings him to a level
of near equality with Herbert in the ethical sphere.
III
Dolge Orlick and Herbert Pocket were created by Dickens not
merelyor even primarilyfor the purpose of showing Pip in conflict
with his environment: comparable to Pip in occupation (black-
smith's helper, student-clerk-broker)and in motives, they ob-
jectify the opposing poles of the hero's character. Dickens found

this techniqueof characterization so intriguingthat he did not

stop at the creationof one pair of mirror-images: he introduced
twofurther setsof twins,withone memberof each pair represent-
ing or exaggeratingsome of Pip's weaknessesand evil urges,the
otherembodyingsome of his favorabletraits.
The more conspicuousof the subsidiary"wrong"and "right"
twins,Drummleand Startop,belong originallyto Pip's world as
a student.They are comparableto Pip in age and vocation: all
threeare readinglaw under the guidanceof MatthewPocketand
have roomsin hishouse; all threedine withJaggers;all threekeep
a boat on the Thames.
For theevil alterego in thestudentpair of twinsDickenscoined
a name thatwould recall to his readersthe foppishness, extrava-
gance,and ultimateruin of "Beau" Brummell.BentleyDrummle
is "an old-lookingyoung man of a heavy order," and in many
respectshe provesto be reminiscentof the youngman who calls
himselfOld Orlick.12Drummleis strongif round-shouldered and
slow in his movements.Unfriendly, aggravating, and insultingin
conversation, he loseshis self-control
easily,picksquarrelsswiftly,
and resortsto violencewithoutwarning.With "nothingto recom-
mend him but money,and a ridiculous roll of addle-headed
predecessors," he is mean and scornfulof the generosityof others.
Pip regardshim as deficient,ill-tempered, despicable,and stupid:
"Heavy in figure,movement,and comprehension-inthe sluggish
complexion of his face, and in the large awkwardtongue that
seemedto loll about in his mouthas he himselflolled about in a
room-he was idle, proud, niggardly,reserved,and suspicious."
Jaggerscharacterizeshim as a "blotchy,sprawly,sulky fellow,"
nicknameshim the Spider,and takes an interestin the "block-
head" only because he suspectshim of criminalproclivitiesand
anticipatesthathe will end badly.
As with the firstpair of mirror-images, the good twin of the
second pair is less emphaticallydelineated. Drummle's counter-
part, Startop,who has been broughtup by a weak mother,is
"youngerin yearsand appearance" than Drummle. He has "a
woman'sdelicacyof feature"and, thoughfondof rowing,is evi-
12
Both Moynahan and Stone recognize the thematic function of Drummle. Ac-
cording to Moynahan, p. 74, "Drummle is a reduplication of Orlick at a point higher
on the social-economicscale up which Pip moves with such rapidity...." Stone, p.
668, paralleling Moynahan's concept of the Pip-Orlick unit, states that "Pip is con-
trasted... with Drummle, who is a degenerateversionof himself...."

dentlynot nearlyas physicallyimposingas Drummle. Startopis,

however,"a lively,brightyoung fellow... Drummle being the
exact opposite."In manyrespects,his characterreduplicatesthat
ofHerbert:he is diplomatic,slowto takeoffense, willingto concili-
ate "with some small pleasantry,"and quick to forgetinjuries.
Herbert'sopinion that Startopis "a good fellow,a skilled hand,
fondof us, and enthusiasticand honourable"is well-founded.
The verbal and thematiclinks between Pip's behavior and
attitudesand those of his two studentcounterpartsparallel the
fundamentallikenessesbetween Pip and the firstpair of twins.
Drummleis high on the social ladder ("actuallythe next heir but
one to a baronetcy")which Pip wishes to climb as a "London
gentleman";and the snobbish disdain the Spider feels toward
thoseon a sociallylowerlevel is reflectedin Pip's shame at being
related to a clumsy,ignorantfellow such as Joe. Like Orlick,
Drummleis a creeper;he followsin the wake of Pip and Startop
on the riverand "would alwayscreep in-shorelike some uncom-
fortableamphibiouscreature."Drummle'saggressiveways(while
at dinnerin Jaggers'house he tries to throwa glass at Startop's
head) and his brutality(he treatshis wife"withgreatcruelty")are
paralleled,less seriously,in some of Pip's actions: Pip heatedly
challengesDrummleto a fightduringone of the meetingsof the
Finchesof the Grove,and he administersan unnecessaryamount
of punishmentto Herbert during the encounterin the garden
("I am sorryto recordthatthe more I hit him, the harderI hit
him"). Above all, Drummle'sdoggedpursuitof Estella ("he had
begun to followher closely,and ... was alwaysin pursuitof her
... in a dull persistent
way")is a sinisterparodyof Pip's despairing
attemptsto win Estella'slove; and whenDrummlemarriesher,he
achievesthegoal on whichPip had set his torturedheart.
Startop-again nomen est omen-exemplifiesthe man whose
worthis unknownalthoughhis heightbe taken.Startopis said to
have been pamperedby his doting mother(to whom he is "de-
votedlyattached")and keptat home when he oughtto have been
at school; Pip is anythingbut devotedto his foster-mother, who
insiststhathe is not to be what she calls "Pompeyed,"and who
keepshim at home not out of overprotective love but in orderto
put him to work,his onlyformaleducationbeing at the primitive
eveningschoolkeptby Mr. Wopsle's great-aunt. Both Startopand
Pip make up for their inauspicious educational start. Unlike

Drummle,who is a "blockhead" and not interestedin learning

("he even tookup a book as ifitswriterhad done him an injury"),
Startopis studious;and his desireforknowledge("he was reading
and holdinghis head,as ifhe thoughthimselfin dangerof explod-
ing it with too stronga chargeof knowledge")is shared by Pip
("throughgood and evil I stuckto mybooks. . . [and] goton fast").
In lending moneyeven to the niggardlyDrummle,Startopdis-
plays the generositywhich Pip later emulates when he secretly
helps Herbertfinancially. At the dinnergivenby Jaggers,Startop
triesto smoothoverthe disagreementbetweenPip and Drummle,
just as Pip latertriesto reconcileMiss Havishamwithher cousin
MatthewPocket; afterthe dinner,Pip and Herbertwatch their
two fellow-students leave and go down the street"on opposite
sides;Startopleading,and Drummlelaggingbehindin the shadow
of the houses,"just as Orlick followsPip like a sinistershadow.
Above all, Startopis remarkableforhis willingnessto help others
withno thoughtof the cost to himself;he joins naturallyenough
withHerbertin the rescueof Pip fromdeath on the marshes,and
he playsa characteristicallyunselfishrole in the arduous attempt
to spiritMagwitchout of the country,even thoughthe latteris a
strangerto him.
Willingnessto help othersis also one of Pip's endearingquali-
ties; he bringsfood to the starvingconvictnot solelyout of fear
but partlyout of compassion;his firstthoughtwhen he receivesa
largesum of moneyon his twenty-first birthdayis to aid Herbert
secretlywithpart of it; afterhis initial repugnanceto Magwitch
has worn off,he makesa determinedeffortto get him to safety;
and when theconvictis recaptured,he staysby the injured man's
side during the trial and conviction,triesdesperatelyto obtain
a reprieve,and does all in his powerto comforthim in the prison
hospital.In the beginning,Pip's generosity is maskedby fearand
shame; by the end of the novel,he has overcomehis timidityand
snobberyto the extentthat he can publiclydisplayhis affection
fortheconvictedcriminalwho was also his primebenefactor.
IV
The thirdpair of twinsis mirroredless distinctly
thanthe other
two,and the imagesare distortedso thattheyappear as grotesque
caricaturesof thehero. They emphasizenot so much the frighten-
ing as the ludicrousaspectsof his character.

The "wrong"twin,correspondingto Orlick and Drummle,is

Pip's London servant,a boy in top bootswhomhe calls the Aven-
ger.Pepper-"such," commentsPip, "was thecompromising name
of theavengingboy"-does littleand eats a greatdeal. Of obscure
origins(coming"out of therefuseof mywasherwoman's family"),
he is a "monster"who haunts the existenceof his youngmaster
because of the lack of anythinguseful to do and because of his
unusual appetite. In appearance he burlesques the fashionable
Regencydandy,clothedas he is, in accordancewith Pip's flam-
boyant taste,"with a blue coat, canary waistcoat,white cravat,
creamybreeches,and thebootsalreadymentioned...." The Aven-
ger is expensive,vain, and lazy (he "neverattendedon me if he
could possiblyhelp it"). When Pip visitshis home town,he leaves
the Avengerin London because he fearsthat the servantwould
acutelyembarrasshim. Later,when Herberthas falleninto debt,
Pip oftensuffersa twinge"to think that I had done him evil
servicein ... placingthe canary-breasted Avengerat his disposal."
The counterpartto Pepper,also a servant,is Trabb's boy.This
"right" if bizarre twin is employed by the prosperous,elderly
tailorfromwhomPip ordersa fashionablesuit of clothes.In con-
trastto the obsequious tailor,his boy is an "audacious" miscreant
who treatsthe prospectivegentlemanwith undisguiseddisdain:
whilecleaningtheshop he sweepsoverPip and knocksthe broom
againstall possibleobstacles"to express(as I understandit) equal-
itywith any blacksmith,alive or dead." Trabb pandersto Pip's
vanityby orderingtheboy to showthecustomerout: "Door!"
This lastwordwas flungat theboy,who had not the leastnotion

whatitmeant.ButI sawhimcollapseas hismasterrubbedmeoutwith
his hands,and myfirstdecidedexperienceof the tremendous power
ofmoney, was,thatit had morallylaid uponhis back,Trabb'sboy.
But the boy is not really defeated:his undiminishedscorn for

Pip's conceit is exhibitedin the hilarious account of his triple
histrionicperformance when theymeetagain on the High Street.
As Pip advanceswitha look of "sereneand unconsciouscontem-
plation"intendedto overawehis enemyand "quell his evil mind,"
Trabb's boy tremblesviolently,feigns"to be in a paroxysmof
terrorand contrition,"and "witheverymarkofhumiliation"pros-
trateshimselfin thedust; thenhe confronts Pip a secondtimeand
staggersaround him "with upliftedhands as if beseechingfor

mercy";momentslater,he reappearswearinga blue bag in the
mannerof Pip's greatcoat,strutting along,smirkingextravagantly,
"and drawlingto his attendants,'Don't know yah....'" Behind
thisseemingexhibitionof envyis the positivequalityof scornfor
Pip's affectedbehaviorand ostentatiousdress.Trabb's boy is ener-
getic,inquisitive,and possessedof a livelysense of humor.He is
conspicuousby his absence at the funeralof Mrs. Joe-the cere-
monies of which are directed by the hypocriticalMr. Trabb.
Finally,in guidingHerbertand Startopto the sluice-houseon the
marshes,he is motivatednot merelyby curiosity("it was in his
constitutionto want varietyand excitementat anybody'sex-
pense") but also by a fundamentalseriousnessin his character.13
The pointsof resemblanceand dissimilarity betweenthe hero
and the two grotesquetwinsare readilydiscernible,if not as ex-
tensiveas theyare with the otherpairs. The real name of Pip's
servantis not merely,to use the narrator'sexpression,"compro-
mising": it suggeststhe structuralrelationship,since Pepperis
unmistakably an echoicversionof Pip and Pirrip.The mannerof
Pepper'sappearancein the novel is in itselfsignificant:Pip hears
thatJoe is about to visithim in London, and he is filledwithem-
barrassment and mortification-areactionwhichis called forthby
thesnobberywhichhe has nurturedwithinhimselfand which (as
he laterrealizes)revealsone of his "worstweaknessesand mean-
nesses."It is as this point thatDickens choosesto introducethe
Avengerand to let Pip comment:"I had made this monster...."
Pip had once feltlike a "youngmonster"whenfilledwithremorse
forhavinglied to Joe,but his presentbehaviortowardthe good-
heartedblacksmithis moremonstrousthananychildhoodoffense.
Money has transformed the "littlecoarse monster"(the phraseis
Estella's),externallyat least,into an elegantgentleman.But the
appearancebelies the reality:behind the facadeis a new monster
ofhisowncreation.
The relationshipbetweenPip and Pepper is made clear in nu-
merous other parallels. Young Pip is warned against gluttony,
thoughhe is seldom able to satisfyhis hunger; the Avengeris a
heavyeater.Pip is ashamedof his commonboots and wishesthey
were not so thick;the top-bootedAvengertakespride in the im-
posingfootwearprovidedbyhis employer,and the latterenvisions
13 He is the firstto comment on Pip's condition after the rescue: " 'I think he's
all right!' said Trabb's boy in a sober voice; 'but ain't he just pale, though!'"

him "publicly airing his boots." The extravagantcolors of the

clothesin whichPip dresseshis servantconjure up the pictureof
a chaffinch-acommonBritishbird with blue crown feathers,a
yellowish-green rump,and conspicuouswhitebars on its wings-
and suggestthattheirweareris a gaudyreflectionof the Finches
of the Grove.It is hardlysurprisingthatwhenJoe visitsPip and
Herbert,he is confusedby the servantto the extentof trying"to
make thatyounggentlemanone of the family."Pip is satisfiedto
be withoutusefulemployment, and is morethana littlevain; the
Avengeris equally unwillingto workand capable of puttingon
airs and graces.Pepper's veryexistenceis a source of embarrass-
ment to his master,just as Pip's own actionsand attitudescon-
stantlynourishwithinhim a gnawingsense of shame.Above all,
Pip feelsthatfarfrombeing the masterof Pepper,he is "in bond-
age and slavery"to him; and on the occasion when he wishesto
confidein Herbertand has to get rid of the boy temporarilyby
sendinghim to a play,Pip commentsthat "a betterproofof the
severityof my bondage to that taskmastercould scarcelybe af-
forded,thanthe degradingshiftsto whichI was constantlydriven
to findhim employment."Pip's enslavementto his servantis sym-
bolic of his bondage to his own passions.This mysteriousconnec-
tion betweenthe hero and his servant-bondmaster is underlined
by the latter'scuriousnickname;because Pip has no good reason
forhiringa servant,he is hauntedby the boy's presenceas by an
Avenger.It is, of course,Pip who deservesthe sobriquet,since it
is he who yearnsforvengeanceand who, throughthe instrumen-
talityof Orlick,actuallyachievesrevenge.'4
If Pip feelsimposedupon by his servant,he experienceseven
greaterdiscomfortin the presenceof Trabb's boy. The latter's
anticspublicize Pip's hidden shames.Afterthe confrontation in
Trabb's shop, in which Pip is insultedby the boy but mollified
byseeinghis enemy"morallylaid upon his back,"Pip refersto the
incidentas a "memorableevent." In his own eyes,he has won a
moralvictoryoverhis opponent,but it is a triumphin everyway
as equivocal as thatearliervictorywhichhad leftthe pale young
gentlemanliterally"lyingon his back." Unlike the Avenger,the
tailor'sassistantdetestspretension.Again unlike Pepper, he has
14 It is perhaps worth noting that afterwitnessingWopsle's
amazing performance
in the supreme example of the Elizabethan revenge play, Pip dreams of himself as
playing the role of the avengingDane.

"muchsparevivacity";his speedymovementsand strangecontor-
tionsin theHigh Streetepisoderecallthesimilarlyenergeticcapers
of Herbertin the garden scene; but theyalso constitutean au-
thorialtravestyof the various paroxysmsof fear and contrition
fromwhichPip suffers at severalpointsin the novel,and suggest
thatDickensregardedTrabb's boyas thevoice of Pip's conscience.
At the narrativelevel, Pip is anxious to avoid one who ruthlessly
exposestheweaknesseshe would like to thinkhidden; at the sym-
bolic level, the hero is tryingto suppressthe promptingsof his
betternature.He is, therefore, unable or unwillingto recognize
thatthe boy has any favorablequalities. In the end he does con-
cede grudginglythat the miscreantis not really "of a malignant
nature"; and the admissionis made when the boy,now an "over-
grownyoungman," appearswithPip's friendsat the sluice-house
and participatesin the defeat of Orlick. In assigningTrabb's
youngman a role in the dramaticrescueof Pip fromnear-death,
Dickens is unmistakablyaligninghim with Herbertand Startop
as a third"good" mirror-image.
There is no correspondingincident involvingall three evil
alteregos. In fact,even the two more importantsinistercounter-
partsof the hero are broughttogetheronly once, and then in a
casual fashion.Afterarguingwith Drummlein frontof the fire-
place at the Blue Boar, Pip looks out into the yardand observes
his hated rival "seizing his horse's mane, and mountingin his
blunderingbrutalmanner.. ." and thencalling fora lightforhis
cigar.The lightis providedby a man whose"slouchingshoulders,
and raggedhair"revealhimto be Orlick.The connectionbetween
the two evil charactersand Pip is understoodwhen Drummle
leans down fromhis saddle towardOrlick,and thenlaughs "with
a jerk of his head towardsthe coffee-room windows"fromwhich
Pip is watchingthe scene.
It is not by chance that Dickens makes Drummle and Orlick
meet at the Blue Boar: thislocale is closelyassociatedwith Pip's
feelingsof guilt,pain,and hate.'5It is herethatthe "greatfestival"
is held afterPip has been apprenticedto Joe-the festivalin which
`5 The name of the Blue Boar may be linked with the concept of vengeance and
thus of symbolic significanceif, as seems likely, it is euphemistic for Bloody Boar
(compare the unnamed convict's imprecatory"Blue Blazes"): Shakespeare's Richard
of Gloucester, known to his enemies as the "bloody boar," is one of Wopsle's
favoriteroles, and there are no less than three referencesto Richard III in con-
nectionwith Wopsle.

the "diabolical" seedsman Pumblechook "fiendishly"congratu-
lates the companyon Pip's "being liable to imprisonment"if he
commitsvariousoffenseswhichhis indentures"appeared to con-
templateas next to inevitable."It is at the inn thatPip spendsa
sleepless,agonizednightafterfirstseeingthe beautifulEstella on
herreturnfromFrance.And thefireplaceof theBlue Boar'scoffee-
room is the scene of Pip's heated clash with Drummle, in the
courseof whichPip suggests,"in a stateof smoulderingferocity,'.'
thatthey"hold no kindof communicationin the future."In view
of theseassociations,it is revealingthat when he is considering
whetheror not to take Pepperwithhim on one of his tripshome,
he smuglyenvisionsthe Avenger"publiclyairinghis boots in tlle
archwayof the Blue Boar's posting-yard...."
Finally,it is noteworthy thatin the sinisteratmosphereof the
innyard,each alter ego is engaged in a symbolicallysignificant
action.The Avengeris seen (in Pip's imagination)in a typicalatti-
tude of vanityand indolence. Drummle is observedtreatingan
animal withbrutality.Orlick slouchesinto view bearingfireand
raisesthelightto Drummle'sface,just as he laterraisesthe flaring
candle to Pip's facein the sceneof the attemptedmurder.
V
Perhapsthemostinteresting aspectof themirror-images created
by Dickens to objectifythe varied and frequentlydiametrically
opposed qualities of the centralcharacteris theirfunctionin ex-
posing the strugglein the heart and soul of the hero, a struggle
thatis goingon constantlyeven thoughhe is only intermittently
awareofit. The struggleis revealedpartlyby Pip's own references
to his mixed feelings("the singularkind of quarrel with myself
whichI wasalwayscarrying on") but chieflythrougha wholeseries
of conflictsin whichthe hero and his Doppelgaingersare involved
as thenarrativeunfolds.These conflicts rangefromphysicalfights
and attacks,throughverbal quarrels that stop shortof violence,
to clashes and confrontations imaginedor seen in dreams.And
theyare oftwokinds-those betweenPip (or his counterparts) and
variousauthority-figures,and thosebetweenPip and his alteregos,
good and evil.
The moststrikingof the incidentsin the firstmajor group are
thosein whichOrlick is the aggressor:the humorouslyrelatedas-
sault on Uncle Pumblechook,the murderousattack on Pip's
foster-mother, and above all the fightwith Joe Gargeryin the

forge.In the firsttwo of theseinstances,it is obvious thatOrlick

functionsas a substituteforPip, wreakingthe vengeancethatthe
hero secretlydesires.16Furthermore,all three are paralleled by
mirror-incidents in whichPip himselfis involved.Orlick'sassault
on the cornchandleris prefiguredby the briefepisode in which
Pip daydreamsof flyingat Pumblechookand pummelinghim all
over.The attackon Mrs.Joe has its counterpartin Pip's struggle
with Miss Havisham when he saves her fromdeath by burning.
And Orlick'sbout withthe blacksmithis paralleled by the strug-
gles whichPip has withJoe duringthe deliriumthatfollowsthe
deathof Magwitch.The alreadymentionedlinksbetweenthe two
Pumblechookianepisodesare self-explanatory; thosebetweenthe
othertwo pairs of mirror-incidents are complexand not immedi-
ately apparent.
The attackon Pip's firstmother-substitute takesplace just after
the fightbetweenJoe and Orlick,and duringWopsle's readingof
thetragedyof Barnwell,theferociousapprentice-murderer who is
convictedand "happily hanged." A similar linking of themes
(fist-fight,
deathbyhanging)precedesthemirror-incident in which
Pip himselfis involved;in thisconflict,however,the opponentis
not his foster-mother, who has been removedfromthe scene by
Orlick'saction,but hissecondmother-substitute. While wandering
throughthe brewerygardenafterlearningof Estella's marriage,
Pip recallshis fightwithHerbertand thenhas a secondhallucina-
toryvisionof his supposedfairygodmotherhangingfroma beam.
It is on his returnto Miss Havisham'sroom thather clothescatch
fire,Pip throwsher down,and the conflicttakesplace: "we were
on the ground strugglinglike desperateenemies .., the closer I
coveredher, the more wildlyshe shriekedand tried to freeher-
self.... I doubt if I even knewwho she was,or whywe had strug-
gled... ." The hint here is broad: comingas it does immediately
afterthe vision of the hanging,the struggleis desperate,as if be-
tween enemies,because althoughPip consciouslywishesto save
Miss Havisham,he subconsciouslywishesto punish her for the
suffering she has caused him.'7Both Mrs. Joe and Miss Havisham
16The series of incidents in which Pip vicariouslyachieves revenge on those who
have caused him intense sufferingalso includes, as Moynahan (p. 90) recognizes,
Drummle's beating of his wife: as "Pip's vengeful surrogate," Drummle is "em-
ployed to break a woman who had in the tritephrase, broken Pip's heart."
17As Moynahan (p. 91) suggests,there is "an analogy between that part of Pip
which wants Miss Havisham at least punished, at most removed from this earth
for which she is so profoundlyunfit,and the destroyingfire itself."

are gazingat the firewhendisasterstrikes:both are leftwithonly

a briefspan of life-Mrs. Joe speechless,Miss Havisham"wander-
ing in herspeech"; and just as Pip's strickenfoster-mother
mutely
shows "everypossible desire to conciliate" her attacker,so Miss
Havishamrepeatedlyasks Pip to forgiveher.
In the thirdpair of struggleswith authority-figures, it is Joe
Gargerywho is the antagonist.The fightbetweenJoe and Orlick
followsan acrimoniousinterchangebetweenthe journeymanand
Mrs.Joe: Orlicksayshe would chokeher if she werehis wife,she
screamsand makesa dash at him (brieflyforeshadowing detailsof
the strugglebetweenPip and Miss Havisham),whereuponOrlick
and Joego at one another"like twogiants"until Orlickfindshim-
selflyingin the coaldust.The correspondingincident,in which
the hero himselfstruggleswithJoe,takesplace in Pip's imagina-
tion duringthe deliriumfollowingthe death of Magwitch:
That I sometimes struggled

withreal people in the beliefthat they
weremurderers, and thatI wouldall at once comprehend thatthey
meantto do me good, and thensinkexhaustedin theirarms,and
sufferthemto lay me down,I also knewat the time.But, above all,
I knewthattherewasa constant tendency .. . in all thesepeople,sooner
or later,to settledowninto thelikenessof Joe.
This imaginarystruggleis precededby anotherhallucination,in

whichPip feelsthathe is "a steelbeam of a vast engine,clashing
and whirlingover a gulf" and begs "to have the engine stopped,
and [his] part in it hammeredoff."The image of the beam is in-
terestingnot merelybecause the engineof whichit formspart is
evidentlya symbol of the mechanistic,materialisticsocietyto
whichPip no longerwishesto belong,but because it clearlylinks
the strugglein the deliriumwith the earlier episode of Orlick's
fightwithJoe. That struggle,too,is precededby a significant
pas-
sage in whichPip thinksof himselfas a steel bar in the making:
in the courseof the argumentover the half-holiday,Orlick draws
a red-hotbar out of the furnaceand hammersit out viciously"as
if it wereI," Pip feels,"and the sparksweremyspirtingblood."
Presumablythesetwoincidentsare analogousto the otherfour
in whichPip and Orlick executevengeance.But whyshould Pip
findhimselfin conflictwithJoe,much less desireto avengehim-
selfon the "mild, good-natured,sweet-tempered, easy-going"fos-
ter-father,the authority-figurewhomhe loved?It is here thatthe

alreadynoted ambivalenceof Pip's feelings(forexample,toward
Miss Havisham)becomesmoststriking.PossiblyJoeis identifiedin
thehero'ssubconsciousmindwiththeshrewishwomanwho is rais-
ing the boy "by hand," alternatingphysicalbeatingsand doses of
tar-water withtongue-lashings that were inflicted"as if she were
morallywrenching... teeth." The fightbetween Pip's alter ego
and Joe takesplace because thelatterfeelsit incumbentupon him
to defendhis vindictivewifeeven thoughhe does not agree with
her intemperateopinions; but Orlick'srole in the fightmay well
symbolizePip's resentment at Joe's inabilityto restrainMrs. Joe's
tantrums and preventhercruelty.'8In thedeliriumepisode,where
Pip struggleswithpeople who seemto wantto kill him,thewould-
be murdererswho ultimatelycoalesceinto Joe representall those
authority-figures who had seemed to threatenyoung Pip with
death as a boy: Magwitch ("I'll cut your throat"), Mrs. Joe
(pouncingon Pip "like an eagle on a lamb" and wishinghim in
his grave), Pumblechook(shovingPip along "to the scaffold"),
the convictwho deliversthe two one-poundnotes (takingaim at
Pip "withhis invisiblegun"), and above all Miss Havisham (who,
Pip fears,"mightrise in thosegrave-clothes of hers,draw a pistol,
and shoot me dead"). Again it may be that Joe is subliminally
identifiedwith thembecause of his earlierfailureto protectthe
boy adequatelyfromthe torturestheyinflictand the terrorsthey
inspire.Yet the real would-bemurdererof Pip is Orlick; the one
destructive powerhe reallyhas to fearis his own evil self.The de-
lirious struggle,therefore,probablyalso symbolizesthe conflict
betweenthe evil in Pip and the good in the authoritarianworld
thatis anxious to save the youngman fromhimself.Pip finally
comprehendsthat the murderersin the feverishdream "meant
to do me good," and it is appropriatethat theirfaces are trans-
formedand "settledown into the likenessof Joe"-the man who
is the veryepitomeof virtue.
Equally importantto Dickens'spurposein revealingthe hidden
depthsof thehero'scharacteris thesecondseriesof real and imagi-
18 Early in the novel, when Pip is about to ask why Joe does not rise in rebellion
against Mrs. Joe, the blacksmithexplains that he is not, like his wife,a master-mind,
and that he is "dead afeerd of going wrong in the way of not doing what's right by
a woman...." Near the end of the novel, while Pip is convalescing,Joe again re-
fersto his failure to save Pip fromfrequentand unjust punishment,admitting that
his "power to part [Pip] and Tickler in sunders, were not fully equal to his
inclinations."

nary strugglesbetween Pip and his Doppelgangers.Those with

theevil alteregosare again themorememorable.In thefightwith
Orlickat thesluice-house,Pip struggles"ineffectually in thedark"
beforehe is overcomeby his insidiousassailant;bound tightlyto
a perpendicularladder afterbeing caught in a strongrunning
noose,he suffers symbolically thehangingforwhichhe had, in the
eyes of his tormentors, been destinedsince boyhood.When Pip
and BentleyDrummlemeetat theBlue Boar,theystandshoulderto
shoulderin frontof thefireplacein a stubbornbattleof wills that
nearlyeruptsinto violence. There is even a comical episode in
whichPip, as he getsdeeper into debt,findsthathe is no longer
able to endure the sightof his servant'sliveryand one day goes
"so faras to seize theAvengerby his blue collar and shakehim off
his feet... ." Evidentlythis seriesof incidentssymbolizesthe re-
jection by Pip's good natureof his latentviolence,his envy,his
foolishinfatuationwiththe disdainfulEstella,his stubbornpride,
and his vanity.
Parallel to theseincidentsare thosein which Pip clasheswith
his good alteregos.In the fightwithHerbert,Pip givesway to an
increasingly powerfulurge to hurt the otherboy and afterwards
realizes thathe has acted like a "wild beast." When Pip meets
Herbertforthesecond time,beforethe door to the latter'scham-
bersin London, thereis a curiousburlesqueof theirinitialclash.
Pip is furiousat havingbeen keptwaiting,not knowingthatHer-
berthas been out to buy fruitforhis visitor.Herbertis unable to
open the door: he "wrestled"and "combatedwiththe door as if it
were a wild beast.It yieldedso suddenlyat last,thathe staggered
back upon me, and I staggeredback upon the oppositedoor, and
we both laughed." Again Herbert encountersa wild beast, and
once again his discomfiture affectsPip. There is no conflictbe-
tween Pip and Startop,but there is an imaginaryfightwith
Trabb's boy during the episode in which the lattermimics the
hero in public. Sufferinginexpressibleterrorand indignation,
Pip envisagesa humiliatingstrugglein whichhe is routed,and he
commentsruefully:"unless I had taken the life of Trabb's boy
on thatoccasion,I reallydo not even now see what I could have
done save endure.To have struggledwithhim in the street,or to
have exacted any lower recompensefromhim than his heart's
bestblood, would have been futileand degrading."

VI
The strugglesare intendedto show the evil of Pip's naturein
conflictwith the good: brutality,jealousy,hatred,snobbery,and
vanity,as opposed to tenderness, affection,courage,humility,and
selflessthoughtfulness.'9With his good qualities and his failings,
his bad conscienceregardinghis expectationsand his inabilityto
give up his hopes, the hero is a VictorianFaust. In describing
Pip as "a good fellow,with impetuosityand hesitation,boldness
and diffidence, action and dreaming,curiouslymixed...." Her-
bert is, of course,exercisinghis customarytact: the mixturein-
volveselementsthatare much moreextreme.The naked instincts
of brutality,avarice,hatred,and vanitythatlurk withinhim are
not merelymixed but engaged in a perpetual conflictwith the
kindness,love, generosity, modesty,and basic honestywhich real
friendssee in him. Of the evil Doppelgangers,the Avengeris
more ridiculousthan sinister;but Drummle'sactivitiesinfuriate
Pip, while Orlick's malignitymakes him tremble. Drummle
merelydelightsin making Pip envious and unhappy; Orlick is
determinedto destroyhim, and to this end he dogs the hero's
footstepsthroughoutthe novel. Finally, when Pip has been
trappedand bound by his evil alterego,he struggles"withall the
forceuntil thenunknown"thatwas withinhim; and in the same
instant,his threegood counterparts appear and succeedwherePip,
unassisted,had failed. Of these three,Herbert plays the major
role: withhis inherentgoodnessand determination to help, he is
a constantsourceof inspirationto thehero; he suffers somewhatas
a resultofexposureto his friend'sextravagant habits,but his basic
goodnessis unaffected. It is he who is responsibleforPip's rescue
fromdeath,and thisrescueepitomizesHerbert'srole in savingthe
hero frommoral destruction.
Accordingto Moynahan,Dickensis notas successfulas Dostoev-
skyin creatingcomplexcharacterswho finallyrealize the full ex-
'19Similar traits are the theme of that ode on "The Passions" of which Mr.
Wopsle is inordinatelyfond: Pip remarksthat as a boy, he "particularlyvenerated
Mr. Wopsle as Revenge, throwinghis blood-stained sword in thunder down" but
adds: "It was not with me then, as it was in later life, when I fell into the society
of the Passions, and compared them with Collins and Wopsle, rather to the disad-
vantage of both gentlemen." In his ode, Collins personifiesfear, anger, despair,
hope, revenge, pity, jealousy, love, hate, melancholy, cheerfulness,exercise, sport,
joy, and mirth.

tentof theirown weaknessesand of theircomplicityin the crimes

committedby others.
Pip does not recognizeOrlickas a blood-relation,

so to speak.The
meaningremainssubmergedand is communicated to the reader
throughotherchannelsthantheagonisedconfession of a first-person
narrator.Indeed,the profoundest ironyof the novelis not reached
untilthereaderrealiseshe mustsee Pip in a muchharshermoralper-
spectivethanPip eversawhimself.20
If Pip does not realize the full extentof the potentialevil within
him,it is because he shareswithmostpeople a reluctanceto peer
into the remotestdepths of his being. Certainlythe novel has
manyparentheticalcommentsby the narratoron his own ingrati-
tude,shallowness, envy,extravagance, and snobbery.Furthermore,
the hero'sself-identification withOrlick and moral complicityin
thelatter'smajorcrimeis surelyestablishedwhenhe reactsto the
attackon Mrs. Joe with the feelingthathe was responsible,and
withthe guiltyrealizationthathe had providedthe weapon. And
the equally significant graspof his relationshipwith Herbertoc-
curswhenPip understandsthatthe "inaptitude"he had attributed
to Herbert"had neverbeen in him at all, but had been in me."
Finally, Pip's insightinto the complexityof his nature is not
restrictedto the mature narrator:in a momentof honest self-
evaluation,he tellsEstella thateven if she marriesDrummle,she
cannot choose but remain part of this character-"part of the
littlegood in me,partof theevil." It is forherand forthe dreams
ofwealthand statuswhichhe associateswithher thatPip is willing
to sell hissoul; but he redeemsit throughhissufferingand through
the growthof lovingconcernforothers;and when he dies sym-
bolically,in theillnessthatfollowsMagwitch'sdeath,he is reborn,
"like a child," to lead a life of untiringindustry,modestuseful-
ness,and responsibility. The protagonisthas emergedtriumphant
fromthosespiritualstruggleswhichhave been objectifiedin the
clashesof thethreepairsofDoppelgangers;theglittering, feverish,
torturing dreamhas givenwayto a soberbut healthyreality.
20 Moynahan, p. 88.


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How does the author characterize Pip in the novel?

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What role does Herbert play in the story?

What role does Herbert play in the story?

Mirror-Images in Great Expectations

Author(s): Karl P. Wentersdorf

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kR ECENT YEARS have seen a reappraisal of the methods of

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is both an objectifiedfragment of Pip's self,a projectionof Pip's

He is contrastedwithEstella,who has been distortedby the same

Stonegoes on to argue thatthese"resonances"are complicatedby

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His spirit inspired me with great respect. He seemed to have no

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This content downloaded from 116.203.216.97 on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:33:33 AM

This content downloaded from 116.203.216.97 on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:33:33 AM

this techniqueof characterization so intriguingthat he did not

This content downloaded from 116.203.216.97 on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:33:33 AM

dentlynot nearlyas physicallyimposingas Drummle. Startopis,

This content downloaded from 116.203.216.97 on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:33:33 AM

Drummle,who is a "blockhead" and not interestedin learning

This content downloaded from 116.203.216.97 on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:33:33 AM

The "wrong"twin,correspondingto Orlick and Drummle,is

This lastwordwas flungat theboy,who had not the leastnotion

But the boy is not really defeated:his undiminishedscorn for

This content downloaded from 116.203.216.97 on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:33:33 AM

This content downloaded from 116.203.216.97 on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:33:33 AM

him "publicly airing his boots." The extravagantcolors of the

This content downloaded from 116.203.216.97 on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:33:33 AM

This content downloaded from 116.203.216.97 on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:33:33 AM

This content downloaded from 116.203.216.97 on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:33:33 AM

forge.In the firsttwo of theseinstances,it is obvious thatOrlick

This content downloaded from 116.203.216.97 on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:33:33 AM

are gazingat the firewhendisasterstrikes:both are leftwithonly

That I sometimes struggled

This imaginarystruggleis precededby anotherhallucination,in

This content downloaded from 116.203.216.97 on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:33:33 AM

This content downloaded from 116.203.216.97 on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:33:33 AM

nary strugglesbetween Pip and his Doppelgangers.Those with

This content downloaded from 116.203.216.97 on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:33:33 AM

This content downloaded from 116.203.216.97 on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:33:33 AM

tentof theirown weaknessesand of theircomplicityin the crimes

Pip does not recognizeOrlickas a blood-relation,

This content downloaded from 116.203.216.97 on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:33:33 AM

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