Characterization and Analysis Chart
Dialogue
Pip (Protaginist)
"In a word, I was too cowardly to do what I knew to be right, as I had been
too cowardly to avoid doing what I knew to be wrong."
Estella (Antagonist)
“Now?” said she. “You little coarse monster, what do you think of me now?”
“Why don't you cry again, you little wretch?”
Miss Havisham(Antagonist)
“Love her, love her, love her! If she favors you, love her. If she wounds you, love her. If she tears your heart to pieces – and as it gets older and stronger, it will tear deeper – love her, love her, love her!”
Joe (Protagonist)
"But I did mind you, Pip," he returned, with tender simplicity. "When I offered to your sister to keep company, and to be asked in church at such times as she was willing and ready to come to the forge, I said to her, 'And bring the poor little child. God bless the poor little child,' I said to your sister, 'there's room for him at the forge!'"
Magwitch(Both)
"Look'ee here, Pip. I'm your second father. You're my son – more to me nor any son. I've put away money, only for you to spend."
Thoughts
Pip
§ Wants to please Joe
§ Thinks of Magwitch as repulsive and then thinks of him as a second father
§ Thinks he will marry Estella and that is what Miss Havisham meant for him
§ Thinks the person who gave him the money is Miss Havisham
§ Realizes what money has turned him into and tries to better himself
§ Thankful for meeting friend Herbert and others
§ Thankful for Magwitch
Estella
§ Thinks of Pip as lower than herself
§ Trained to break men’s hearts
Miss Havisham
§ Think time stopped when her fiancé broke her heart
§ Thinks all men are evil
§ Thinks she can train Estella to destroy men’s hearts
§ Takes into consideration of what she has done and feels guilty
Joe
§ Only thinks of what is right for Pip
§ Thinks Mrs. Joe is rude and obnoxious
§ Thinks of Pip has a dear friend
Magwitch
§ Is worried about getting caught
§ Thinks of Pip has kind when Pip gets him food
§ Thinks of Pip has a son
Appearance
Pip
Since Pip is not rich he wears probably regular clothes a shirt and trousers, however, as the story progresses and Pip earns his large supplement he begins wearing suits.
Estella
Always looks the best in her dresses and ribbons and wears the finest
Miss Havisham
Always wears a faded wedding dress
Joe
A regular shirt and trousers as he is a common person
Magwitch
Wear prisoners clothes and shackles until he gets free and is clothed by Pip later in the story
Behaviors
Pip
Pip is thoughtful and polite toward others, however, as he grows; he grows into the world of money and becomes rude and snobby. He treats his only friend Joe with disrespect and loses himself for a portion of his life. He then realizes his mistakes and is the kinder Pip.
Estella
Estella throughout the whole novel acts rude, pretentious and heartless towards Pip. Only till the last lines of the book does she act compassionate towards Pip as they go about in their unknown future together.
Miss Havisham
Miss Havisham behaves crazy and eccentric and sometime heartless towards Pip. She then realizes later how she has treated Pip and begs for his forgiveness.
Joe
Joe acts kind and thoughtful throughout the whole novel. He only sticks around to be there for Pip. When he and Pip meet years later he isn’t angry at Pip when Pip treats him with disrespect rather ham he is sorrowful and sad. He acts lonely and tells Pip his final goodbye.
Magwitch
When Pip and Magwitch meet for the first time Magwitch acts hostile and frightening towards Pip. When Pip is kind to Magwitch this changes Magwitch and he acts kind and generous to Pip, working to pay for Pip to get in the higher social class.
Feelings
Pip
Pip’s feelings in this book are pretty direct. He first feels love for Joe. Then he meets Estella and falls in love with her. When he meets Miss Havisam is fear. And then he feels rejection from Estella time and time again, until he finally finds love within Magwitch and later Estella at the end of the novel.
Estella
Estella’s feelings are all cold and cruel. All throughout the novel she puts Pip down and insults him. If she does have any other feelings they are not revealed in the novel.
Miss Havisham
Miss Havisham is heartless and cold throughout the novel; however, the cause of these is sadness and heartbrokenness from her former fiancé’s rejection. She also does see what she has done to Pip and feels regret at the end of the novel.
Joe
Joe’s feelings are always thoughtful. He feels love towards Pip and wants what is best for him. Joe feels sadness though when he meets Pip years later and Pip is cold to him.
Magwitch
At first Magwitch feels rage when he gets set up by another criminal then at the meeting with Pip, due to Pip’s kindness, he begins to feel compassion and love.
Analysis
Pip
As the narrator of Great Expectations, Pip begins the story as a young orphan boy being raised by his sister and her husband, in the southeast of England. Pip is passionate, romantic, and somewhat unrealistic at heart, and he tends to expect more or himself than is reasonable. He is a bit confused at trying to impress everyone though, intelligent at reading other’s personalities and their actions. Pip also has a powerful conscience, and he wants do what is right as his morals and social skills go.
Estella
Estella is Pip’s impossible dream throughout the novel. He loves her , but, she is usually cold, cruel, and uninterested in him. She gives off that she is too classy to be with someone like Pip, though Estella is actually even lower-born than Pip; as Pip learns near the end of the novel, she is the daughter of Magwitch, the coarse convict, and thus springs from the very lowest level of society. As they grow up together, she repeatedly warns him that she has no heart.
Miss Havisham
Miss Havisham is a rich, odd old woman who lives in a manor called Satis House near Pip’s village. She is hysterical and often seems insane, fluttering around her house in a faded wedding dress, keeping a decaying feast on her table, and surrounding herself with clocks stopped at twenty minutes to nine. As a young woman, Miss Havisham was rejected by her fiancé minutes before her wedding, and now she has a campaign against all men. She purposely raises Estella to be the tool of her revenge, teaching Estella to break men’s hearts. Thus explains Estella’s actions toward Pip.
Joe
Magwitch, a criminal, escapes from prison at the beginning of Great Expectations and threatens Pip in the cemetery. Pip is very generous and kind, however, this makes a deep impression on him, and he applies himself to earning a fortune and using it to get Pip into a higher social class.
Abel Magwitch
Joe is the village blacksmith and Pip’s sister’s husband. Joe only stays with his domineering, abusive wife, Pip’s sister, only to watch out for Pip. Joe’s kindness makes him one of the few completely sympathetic characters in Great Expectations. Even though he is uneducated his kindness and compassion makes him a likeable and favorable character.
Conclusion
Pip
In the end Pip wants to change is behavior by helping Magwitch and improving is relationship with his left behind family members. He stops obsessing over Estella and goes off to marry Biddy but he finds Joe has married Biddy. Pip is happy for them and he even ends up with Estella at the end.
Estella
Estella goes on to marry two other men and divorce them still being cold to Pip. Only at the end does she finally accept Pip and it implies that they go on to be with each other forever.
Miss Havisham
After years of being cruel to Pip, Miss Havisham finally realizes what she has done and begs for forgiveness. She later attempts suicide only to be saved by Pip and then die from serious health issues due to the suicide attempt in the fire.
Joe
After saying his final goodbyes to Pip. Joe goes home. Mrs. Joe dies due to an attack by Orlick. Soon after Joe marries Biddy and seems finally truly happy.
Magwitch
After the attempt at escape Magwitch gets caught and sent back to prison where he eventually dies of illness. However, he dies at peace when Pip tells him is daughter is alive and well and her name is Estella.
Dialogue
Pip (Protaginist)
"In a word, I was too cowardly to do what I knew to be right, as I had been
too cowardly to avoid doing what I knew to be wrong."
Estella (Antagonist)
“Now?” said she. “You little coarse monster, what do you think of me now?”
“Why don't you cry again, you little wretch?”
Miss Havisham(Antagonist)
“Love her, love her, love her! If she favors you, love her. If she wounds you, love her. If she tears your heart to pieces – and as it gets older and stronger, it will tear deeper – love her, love her, love her!”
Joe (Protagonist)
"But I did mind you, Pip," he returned, with tender simplicity. "When I offered to your sister to keep company, and to be asked in church at such times as she was willing and ready to come to the forge, I said to her, 'And bring the poor little child. God bless the poor little child,' I said to your sister, 'there's room for him at the forge!'"
Magwitch(Both)
"Look'ee here, Pip. I'm your second father. You're my son – more to me nor any son. I've put away money, only for you to spend."
Thoughts
Pip
§ Wants to please Joe
§ Thinks of Magwitch as repulsive and then thinks of him as a second father
§ Thinks he will marry Estella and that is what Miss Havisham meant for him
§ Thinks the person who gave him the money is Miss Havisham
§ Realizes what money has turned him into and tries to better himself
§ Thankful for meeting friend Herbert and others
§ Thankful for Magwitch
Estella
§ Thinks of Pip as lower than herself
§ Trained to break men’s hearts
Miss Havisham
§ Think time stopped when her fiancé broke her heart
§ Thinks all men are evil
§ Thinks she can train Estella to destroy men’s hearts
§ Takes into consideration of what she has done and feels guilty
Joe
§ Only thinks of what is right for Pip
§ Thinks Mrs. Joe is rude and obnoxious
§ Thinks of Pip has a dear friend
Magwitch
§ Is worried about getting caught
§ Thinks of Pip has kind when Pip gets him food
§ Thinks of Pip has a son
Appearance
Pip
Since Pip is not rich he wears probably regular clothes a shirt and trousers, however, as the story progresses and Pip earns his large supplement he begins wearing suits.
Estella
Always looks the best in her dresses and ribbons and wears the finest
Miss Havisham
Always wears a faded wedding dress
Joe
A regular shirt and trousers as he is a common person
Magwitch
Wear prisoners clothes and shackles until he gets free and is clothed by Pip later in the story
Behaviors
Pip
Pip is thoughtful and polite toward others, however, as he grows; he grows into the world of money and becomes rude and snobby. He treats his only friend Joe with disrespect and loses himself for a portion of his life. He then realizes his mistakes and is the kinder Pip.
Estella
Estella throughout the whole novel acts rude, pretentious and heartless towards Pip. Only till the last lines of the book does she act compassionate towards Pip as they go about in their unknown future together.
Miss Havisham
Miss Havisham behaves crazy and eccentric and sometime heartless towards Pip. She then realizes later how she has treated Pip and begs for his forgiveness.
Joe
Joe acts kind and thoughtful throughout the whole novel. He only sticks around to be there for Pip. When he and Pip meet years later he isn’t angry at Pip when Pip treats him with disrespect rather ham he is sorrowful and sad. He acts lonely and tells Pip his final goodbye.
Magwitch
When Pip and Magwitch meet for the first time Magwitch acts hostile and frightening towards Pip. When Pip is kind to Magwitch this changes Magwitch and he acts kind and generous to Pip, working to pay for Pip to get in the higher social class.
Feelings
Pip
Pip’s feelings in this book are pretty direct. He first feels love for Joe. Then he meets Estella and falls in love with her. When he meets Miss Havisam is fear. And then he feels rejection from Estella time and time again, until he finally finds love within Magwitch and later Estella at the end of the novel.
Estella
Estella’s feelings are all cold and cruel. All throughout the novel she puts Pip down and insults him. If she does have any other feelings they are not revealed in the novel.
Miss Havisham
Miss Havisham is heartless and cold throughout the novel; however, the cause of these is sadness and heartbrokenness from her former fiancé’s rejection. She also does see what she has done to Pip and feels regret at the end of the novel.
Joe
Joe’s feelings are always thoughtful. He feels love towards Pip and wants what is best for him. Joe feels sadness though when he meets Pip years later and Pip is cold to him.
Magwitch
At first Magwitch feels rage when he gets set up by another criminal then at the meeting with Pip, due to Pip’s kindness, he begins to feel compassion and love.
Analysis
Pip
As the narrator of Great Expectations, Pip begins the story as a young orphan boy being raised by his sister and her husband, in the southeast of England. Pip is passionate, romantic, and somewhat unrealistic at heart, and he tends to expect more or himself than is reasonable. He is a bit confused at trying to impress everyone though, intelligent at reading other’s personalities and their actions. Pip also has a powerful conscience, and he wants do what is right as his morals and social skills go.
Estella
Estella is Pip’s impossible dream throughout the novel. He loves her , but, she is usually cold, cruel, and uninterested in him. She gives off that she is too classy to be with someone like Pip, though Estella is actually even lower-born than Pip; as Pip learns near the end of the novel, she is the daughter of Magwitch, the coarse convict, and thus springs from the very lowest level of society. As they grow up together, she repeatedly warns him that she has no heart.
Miss Havisham
Miss Havisham is a rich, odd old woman who lives in a manor called Satis House near Pip’s village. She is hysterical and often seems insane, fluttering around her house in a faded wedding dress, keeping a decaying feast on her table, and surrounding herself with clocks stopped at twenty minutes to nine. As a young woman, Miss Havisham was rejected by her fiancé minutes before her wedding, and now she has a campaign against all men. She purposely raises Estella to be the tool of her revenge, teaching Estella to break men’s hearts. Thus explains Estella’s actions toward Pip.
Joe
Magwitch, a criminal, escapes from prison at the beginning of Great Expectations and threatens Pip in the cemetery. Pip is very generous and kind, however, this makes a deep impression on him, and he applies himself to earning a fortune and using it to get Pip into a higher social class.
Abel Magwitch
Joe is the village blacksmith and Pip’s sister’s husband. Joe only stays with his domineering, abusive wife, Pip’s sister, only to watch out for Pip. Joe’s kindness makes him one of the few completely sympathetic characters in Great Expectations. Even though he is uneducated his kindness and compassion makes him a likeable and favorable character.
Conclusion
Pip
In the end Pip wants to change is behavior by helping Magwitch and improving is relationship with his left behind family members. He stops obsessing over Estella and goes off to marry Biddy but he finds Joe has married Biddy. Pip is happy for them and he even ends up with Estella at the end.
Estella
Estella goes on to marry two other men and divorce them still being cold to Pip. Only at the end does she finally accept Pip and it implies that they go on to be with each other forever.
Miss Havisham
After years of being cruel to Pip, Miss Havisham finally realizes what she has done and begs for forgiveness. She later attempts suicide only to be saved by Pip and then die from serious health issues due to the suicide attempt in the fire.
Joe
After saying his final goodbyes to Pip. Joe goes home. Mrs. Joe dies due to an attack by Orlick. Soon after Joe marries Biddy and seems finally truly happy.
Magwitch
After the attempt at escape Magwitch gets caught and sent back to prison where he eventually dies of illness. However, he dies at peace when Pip tells him is daughter is alive and well and her name is Estella.