“By this time my sister was quite desperate, so she pounced on Joe, and, taking him by the two whiskers, knocked his head for a little while against the wall behind him: while I sat in the corner, looking guiltily on” (p. 11).
Mrs. Joe is not as carefree as other women her age are because she has had a much harder life. The loss of her parents and her many siblings at a relatively young age toughened her. Not only did she have to care for herself, but she also had to raise her younger brother Pip. From this quote, the reader can infer that Mrs. Joe is very controlling and feels she is responsible for disciplining her family. It also becomes clear that Joe Gargery has a submissive personality and is easily controlled. Because of Mrs. Joe’s and Joe’s opposite personalities, they are able to live somewhat successfully together as a couple. Mrs. Joe’s actions are a window into her mind and to the way she thinks. Instead of calmly reacting, Mrs. Joe erupts with a fit of anger and hits her husband’s head against the wall. Her tough exterior keeps Pip from intervening and her harsh words add fear to both her husband’s mind and Pip’s. Mrs. Joe is doing the best she can to be a strong leader of her family. We can conclude that Mrs. Joe acts with good intentions, even if she does not express her feelings in the best way possible.
I am qualifying your argument. It is true that Mrs. Joe is not as carefree as other women, but it is not true that she has good intentions. For example, when she sends Pip to visit Miss Havisham, it is solely to benefit herself and no one else; she is fascinated by the possibility of becoming wealthier by having Pip visit her, which is ultimately a selfish motive. Clearly, she does not care about Pip's possible benefit from seeing Miss Havisham (which could be becoming a more educated, better mannered person); she only cares about the possibility of accumulating more wealth.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Mrs. Joe is toughened by the fact she has lost her family and feels the responsibility to care for Pip. I also disagree with Nick, because in the society this book was set in, social class is a big thing. I am sure there were some selfish motive behind her sending Pip to Miss. Havisham, but I feel that Pip would benefit the most form anything that came of his visit, and he did.
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