Joe Gargery might not be the smartest or wisest of
Dickens' characters, but he is definitely one of the kindest
and most humane. Although Miss Havisham gets much
attention for being different, I think that you will soon be
convinced that Joe, however simple he may be, is definitely
a unique character. It is my opinion that Dickens made an
effort to raise the readers respect for Joe by the sharp
contrast between him and his wife. Three qualities
belonging to Joe are his affectionate nature, pride, and his
perseverance.
When Joe asks Mrs. Gargery to marry him, he
especially insists that she bring her young orphaned
brother, Pip, to live with them. Joe never reminds Pip of
this fact, except when telling Pip how much he thinks of
him. Mrs. Gargery, on the other hand, is constantly
reminding Pip to be thankful of her 'raising him by hand'.
At one point, Pip decides he will teach Joe to read.
Book illustration from Great Expectations
Joe Ceci in crowd at Marlborough 1
Hey .. Joe !Although Joe has no real aspiration for this, he humors Pip
and lets the boy instruct him. As mentioned before, Mrs.
Gargery is a very cruel person. One would think living
with her would drive even a saint to kill. Even so, Joe
never says a harsh word about his wife and treats her with
the utmost respect. Pip's decision to go to London has a
greater impact than most readers think. Not only was Joe
losing a set of hands around the forge, but he was also
saying farewell to a boy who must have been like a son to
him. Joe knew that once Pip left they would never have the
same relationship. It was clear to Joe that this was Pip's
dream, so not once did he question the decision Pip had
made.
When Pip is asked...