Dickens' True Gentleman.

If Charles Dickens would have written a book called Being a true gentleman for semi-smart lower class boys with girls they need to impress and Pip had read it, this would have made his life much easier. Then maybe he could've realized the true virtues that make a gentleman, and this book wouldn't have been written, and English classes all over the globe could have read something less grueling. Sadly for some this didn't happen, and Dickens had to write this moral-teaching novel about true gentlemaness. A true gentleman, as Dickens would say, would be a person who is compassionate and works hard in life. At the end of the novel, Pip without any doubt becomes a gentleman.

One trait that Dickens sees a true gentleman to have would be he would be a hard worker. Initially, Pip feels ashamed to associate himself with Joe, who is just a commoner, but later he realizes that hard work brings a great deal of honor to a man.

Book illustration from Great Expectations

Copy of a Photograph of Charles Dickens

Joe Ceci in crowd at Marlborough 1

Joe is a perfect example of a true gentleman. His hard labor and strong work ethics cause him to be this, even though he may not have the proper etiquette. When Pip inherits Magwitch's fortune and is training to be a gentleman, he doesn't labor very hard at all, and this causes him to not achieve accurate gentleman status, even though he is in his special training and has a great amount of cash.

A true gentleman in Dickens' eyes would also be compassionate and loving. Joe can also help argue this point. Joe had always been kind and caring, no matter what pain Pip caused him. For example: even though Pip is horrid to Joe after he inherits his money, Joe still comes to his side to care for Pip when he is...