The Second Stage

In the book Great Expectations, Pip goes through some drastic personality changes. By the second stage, Pip has become a “double” of his former self at the start of the novel. During the first few chapters of the book, Pip and Joe are a practically inseparable pair. However, Pip starts to change once he learns that he is going to become a gentleman. With this and his growing older, Pip is losing his innocence and becomes ashamed of his working class family. By the second stage of the novel, Pip is judgmental, and has an “I’m better than you” kind of attitude towards many people he knows, even his best friend in London.

Pip is building upon multiple themes and motifs in the novel Great Expectations. Most of these, however, have originated from the theme “becoming a gentleman”. This starts in the first stage, an example would be Pip’s changed attitude towards biddy. Just like he felt he was better than his good friend, Herbert, Pip is acting rudely to his friend, Biddy in the first stage. Becoming a gentleman starts other motifs, such as Pip's being ashamed of Joe. Pip's changes create a contrast that build upon the theme of becoming a gentleman.