After Pip's charity to the "man in coarse gray," Magwitch, who
has been a mere product of the streets of London, never forgets the human kindness of little Pip
who has felt pity for the man who shivered on the marshes, wearing a heavy leg iron. So, after he
is sent to New South Wales, Magwitch, who is alone in the world, saves his wages and sends Pip
money. When good fortune finally touches him with the death of the man for whom he has worked,
the old convict then amasses a small fortune which he bestows upon
Pip.
But, it is through his inadvertent acts that Magwitch truly
teaches Pip to become a gentleman in the Victorian sense of the word. That is, Pip matures and
becomes a man, gentle and sympathetic to others. In much the same way that he reacted in the
graveyard as a child, Pip is initially repulsed by the appearance of the old convict. When
Magwitch takes his hands, puts them to his lips, and tells Pip that he, in fact, is the young
man's benefactor, Pip is dismayed and sickened:
The abhorrence in which I held the man, the dread I had of
him, the repugnance with which I shrank from him, could not have exceeded if he had been some
terrible beast.
However, once Pip
realizes the cruel past of Magwitch, his sympathies are aroused, again much as they were in the
graveyard so many years prior to this meeting:
He regarded me with a look of affection that mede him
almost abhorrent to me again, though I had felt great pity for
him.
In further sympathy for Magwitch,
Pip worries that Compeyson should discover his return to London; therefore, he solicits the aid
of Herbert in getting the old convict out of London. Unfortunately, their attempt to get him out
via the river fails and the hapless Magwitch is badly injured in a terrible struggle overboard
and underwater with the heinous Compeyson. Pip takes his place by Magwitch's side as he is put on
board and reflects, "I felt that that was my place henceforth while he lived." With great
compassion, Pip tells Magwitch,
"I will never stir from your side....Please God, I will be
as true to you as you have been to me!"
This, then, is Pip's true initiation
into the state of being a gentleman. From Magwitch, then, Pip has learned to appreciate the love
of another human being; he has learned compassion, and he has learned that the bounty of a heart
can be in the poorest and most wretched of men. Again Pip learns the difference between
appearances and reality; Magwitch has taught him this valuable lesson that no clothes or money
can ever demonstrate.
No comments:
Post a Comment