The novel shows how Pip, the main character, grows up and matures and how he acts differently when he is a young adult, as opposed to him when he was a child. (Though it is kind of hard to follow how much time has passed during the book, there are occasional brief pieces of information giving an idea about how old Pip is). As Pip grows older, he starts liking girls, learns proper manners, being a gentleman, things like that. But, like some of the other upperclass men in the book, he also begins to become full of himself. Is this a step up or a step down from being a kid? Was it better to be poor and have shame, or have money and be stuck up?
For example, Pip shows his snobbiness at its best when he sees Joe in London. Instead of a happy family reunion, Pip acts as though Joe is inferior to himself. “As to his shirt, and his coat collar, they were perplexing to reflect upon – insoluble mysteries both. Why should a man scrape himself to that extent before he could consider himself full dressed? Why should he suppose it necessary to be purified by suffering for his holiday clothes?” (The quote was on page 221). I thought here, Pip was making fun of the way Joe was dressed. Pip should know better than to do so. He experienced sad feelings when Estella made fun of how he looked, and Joe probably felt the same thing. This clearly shows how Pip acts when he gets older, and how money can make someone behave for the worst.
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