During the novel we see Pip change from a 'small bundle of shivers' who is 'afraid of it all' into a proper 'gentleman'. He becomes a snob after he is corrupted by the very 'proud', 'pretty' and 'insulting' Estella and the 'corpse-like' Miss Havisham, but eventually he realises what really does matter in life. As an orphan Pip has had a very hard start in life. His sister, Mrs Joe Gargery and her husband, Joe, the blacksmith, bring him up. It is not a happy childhood. He is abused by his sister, who beats him with 'tickler', a cane.
Mrs Joe's influence on Pip has not been a good one, but this doesn't matter as Joe is kind, 'good' and 'noble', and he treats Pip like an equal. This makes Pip feel loved, as Joe is a friend to him. Biddy is 'hard-working', and makes the 'most of every opportunity'. She is 'patient' with Pip, and she teaches him to read and write, she is a good friend to Pip, and he likes her. This causes him to be kind to Joe and try to teach him to read. Dickens is satirising the Victorian education system, because it is very hard to get an education unless you are rich.
The perfect example of this is Pip's own school where Biddy, another pupil teaches him to read and write, and the school is not beneficial for the students, because the teacher is incompetent and the school is a 'shambles'. Although this described about in a comical way, read here Dickens is trying to get the message across, and does so well by using humour. Pip is always being put down by his sister and Uncle Pumblechook, which shows how children are thought of, and treated in the Victorian society. Dickens is criticising the way children are treated in the Victorian society, and shows how they are real people with real feelings too.
In the Victorian society they believed that 'children should be seen and not heard' and a popular view based on the Old Testament was that if you 'spared the rod' you 'spoilt the child'. This is what Mrs Joe obviously believes otherwise she wouldn't use 'tickler', the 'wax-ended' cane 'worn smooth by collision' with Pip's 'tickled frame'. When we read the book we despise Mrs Joe for using 'tickler' and beating Pip, although most of the readers in the time this novel was first written would have treated their children badly, and hopefully it would have made them think about what they were doing, and make them change their ways.
In Pip's early childhood, he isn't 'ashamed' to be a 'common labouring-boy'. He has had nothing to compare it with, and he thinks that his life is normal. However, this all changes when he visits Satis House and is looked down upon with 'contempt... so strong that it became infectious' and he 'caught it'. He becomes corrupted when he sees how the other half live. When he hears Estella judging him by his 'coarse hands' and 'thick boots' it makes him feel he is not worthy to be with her, and he wishes he could be a 'gentleman' so that she would love him.
Dickens criticises the bringing up of Estella, the 'cold' as 'stone' life she's been taught to lead by 'broken-hearted', 'sick' and twisted Miss Havisham. Dickens is saying that no matter how much money you have, it is unimportant compared with love, hope, and forgiveness. This is what really matters in life, and Dickens is criticising the aspect of being rich and a 'lady', but in fact it isn't being a lady on the outside that matters it's being a lady on the inside that makes the difference.
The perfect example of this is the rich, but 'weird' and 'sick' Miss Havisham, who is much less of a lady than kind, 'sweet-tempered' Biddy. 'No varnish can hide the grain of the wood; and the more varnish you put on, the more the grain expresses itself' This means that even if you're a gentleman by status, by the clothes you wear, the people you know, and the money you have, you are never a gentleman unless you are a gentleman at heart.
A good example of this is Bentley Drummle, as he has been brought up with a good education, and lots of money, but he behaves in a 'brutal manner' and he hurts many people, including Pip and Estella. When Pip first gets his benefactor, he is very corrupted, and very embarrassed to be even seen with Joe. He is pleased he is no longer apprenticed to him, and he can't wait to get to London. London, the great centre of civilization he's heard so much about. However, it is not what he'd imagined. Dickens is hereby criticising the views people have about the great city, and shows them how things aren't always as they seem.
London is 'exceedingly dirty', and Pip thinks it is a 'dismal', 'shameful place'. Dickens shows this by when Pip first arrives he sees Newgate Prison, a place that was so low even a criminal would have felt out of place, and Smithfield meat market in its glory of gory, with all the 'filth', 'fat', 'blood' and 'foam'. This is a perfect example for Pip to be introduced to London by, as it makes him more aware of what a nice place he's come from, and how many things have much more to them than may first appear.
Herbert Pocket is a good companion for Pip, as he is a good influence on him, and he gives Pip tactful hints, such as advice on table manners by mentioning 'it is not the custom to put the knife in the mouth - for fear of accidents... the fork is reserved for that use'. Herbert is 'amiable and cheerful' and he is so considerate that he teaches Pip a lot about what is important in life. Pip learns to do selfless acts through his friendship with Herbert, like setting Herbert up in a job, and telling Estella she's worthier of a greater man than Drummle.
