A True Gentleman

Joe represents the person who is happy with what he/she has. Situations come to him and he makes the best of them. He has a mean wife who then becomes an invalid. He raises Pip to have Pip turn his back on the simple blacksmith life for the life of a gentleman. But Joe remains calm and in control. His self esteem and confidence and pride in who he is can teach us important lesson. Joe never desired to be a formally trained gentleman. He is a self-made gentleman. He does not turn his back on Pip and adapts to the "London" situation very well. Joe is happy where he is in life while Pip is not. Dickens’s takes us on Pip's journey to compare the self-made gentleman with the society produced gentleman and see who comes out on top.