Great expectations- morals

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorHigh School, 10th grade February 2008

download word file, 4 pages 3.0

Morals play an important part in everyday life. Morals are lessons taught by exhibiting goodness or correctness of character and behavior. I believe that the purpose for Pip to tell his story of Great Expectations was for it to be used as a moral guide for people to follow. It was a way for Pip to show the readers about moral maturation, how people change, and to warn them about money, love, and what really matters.

In Dickens' novel, Great Expectations, the main character Pip undergoes a constant moral maturing. Pip's original childhood innocence was uncovered when he began to desire material wealth and influence. Pip spent his money recklessly until finally, after Pip realized the truth about people, his formerly selfish attitude turned considerate. He accepted others for who they are, not for what they look like or how much power and money they have. Pip shows us the importance of how to use your morals to become a better person.

I believe that Pip's telling of the story is pvitaols because it teaches us right from wrong.

The first stage Pip went through in his moral development was fear. In this stage, Pip's main excuse for his actions was his fear of punishment. Pip displayed this because Mrs. Joe was constantly beating and threatening him. This kind of behavior made Pip very sensitive and easily swayed in his thoughts. A specific example of Pip acting out of fear was when he met Magwitch, his convict, on the marshes and was told to bring him a file and some whittles or else Pip's liver would be ripped out by the convict's friend. This made Pip steal from Mrs. Joe and lie to his family. This shows that morally, his fears are taking over, making...