First Impression -Ashley

First Impressions Journal

            Things don’t start off that great for Pip in Great Expectations as the story takes you through the events and encounters Pip faces as he goes through life, and the story allows you to see how Pip sees life through his eyes and what his view and window to the world is like. The way things start off for him as a child lets the reader know that he will have to face many hardships along the way in which will lead up to what will come for him in the future since in the start of the book, Pip was looked down upon and mistreated by some of the adults in the story. For example, he was often hit by his sister when he did something that she didn’t like or that seemed like something “wrong” to her, but wasn’t really something that could be considered as a wrong doing. The adults also scorned him and held a personal grudge against him for not being grateful even though he usually did what he was told. The story takes place in 19^th century England, and is portrayed n the story quite differently from the way it would be seen now. It is also visible in the story that it takes place in 19^th century England due to hints of the language, outfits, lifestyles and occupations of the people such as the way that people are defined by their class and occupations such as Blacksmiths are not things that people do now. This also helps to set the mood of the story and makes it more effective since it would not work as well to set the mood or the events that are taking place if it was to happen in modern day England as of compared to now. Today it is seen as a country that is lively, prosperous, and somewhere that is a huge tourist attraction. In the novel or from Pip’s point of view the setting is seen in a different way like it is rather dreary and someplace that you would much rather be away from. It also makes it seem like you can picture the weather to be depressing and reflect the way Pip’s life isn’t very cheerful or encouraging. It’s almost like you can picture a kind of dysfunctional setting where things are falling apart or there is a sense of chaos and ill will happening in the story. I can see how the building almost seem to be falling apart a bit in places and there’s a dysfunctional society where people do things out of their own ideal and have their own image of what they want. It’s like in this book where in some ways instead of functioning together as a community, separating each other by class and value in a way, and also acts of wrong doing, and things seem like they’re lacking life in a way, especially for a time of celebration since the starts off around Christmas. My first impression of Pip is that he is a good person because even though he stole from his aunt, he had a reason for it, and it had not been for himself. He also felt guilty for stealing which shows that he didn’t want to do it, but he is also very fearful of others which is understandable since he was raised “by hand” by his sister. Joe is kind to Pip and is also much more understanding and forgiving than the other adults so far. He treats Pip with kindness while the other adults stigmatize Pip, and he understands how Pip feels about the way he is getting treated, so he tries to protect Pip in the way he can, but because he is also so forgiving, he doesn’t stand up as much as he could. From the way that Mrs. Joe acts towards Pip, you can tell that she doesn’t really love him, and treats Pip like a responsibility she had to take upon herself but didn’t want to. She also doesn’t care that the other adults talk harshly towards Pip and also does so herself. When Pip went off with the soldiers, she also said that it wouldn’t be her responsibility if he got hurt. From the way she acts towards Pip and Joe, it makes her seem like strict and harsh women. It is also noticeable that she cares about appearances to other people since she puts on an act around others and acts the same way that they do. It also shows how in society, it was important to have a good impression and to be on the good side of others around since you wouldn’t want to be an outcast. Back then it was one of the worst things to do things that were frowned upon by others, and it would have been a lot of pressure to often be in the scrutinizing watchful eye of the public. Mrs. Joe was also a tough woman because she didn’t let things get to her easily and was very much in control. The man in the marshes gives off an eerie feeling because his actions are very threatening, peculiar, and gives a feeling of fear or a feeling of wanting to get away from him as quickly as possible. The other adult who were at the dinner may have been trying to act respectable, but they were rather rude to Pip, like just because they’re older it gives them the right to make fun of or poorly treat someone who they see as “lower” than themselves.