Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Pip & His Personal Transformation Struggle.
We had an interesting discussion in class today about Pip trying to forget about his past and focus on being a gentleman. I like the character Joe for his kind heart and caring personality. But I also think that Pip is not necessarily pushing him out of his life on purpose. Rather, Pip is trying to get away from his past. Let's face it: Pip had a horrible childhood and whether we may like it or not, Joe is part of that old life Pip wants to get rid of. I'm not saying Joe is bad, but sometimes we need to separate from things and people that remind us of painful experiences. It is not fair for Joe because he is not guilty of Pip's destiny as an orphan. However, Pip has all the right in the world to decide who his new family and network of friends are going to be. It is not an easy transformation Pip is going through--change itself is a struggle that requires sacrifice, it's a painful process, and it requires time and patience.
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I think you hit on something very important here: sometimes we hurt people we love in pursuing our dreams. The person may be innocent and wonderful, but there is a kind of violence in growing up and pursuing ambitions and "becoming." I go back and forth on this, but sometimes I think that Dickens sees some of this as inevitable: we love our parents and owe them tremendous amounts, but at some point we have to turn away from them, disappoint them, reject things they want, stop being a little child and start being a self-determining adult. When we marry we must cling to our spouse over our parents--focus on our children instead of them. Even in a less complex situation than Pip's, the process can be rough and hurtful--but it's hard to see how it can be avoided. As an adult you simply have to assume the guilt because otherwise you would stay a child.
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