Pip and Joe’s Wild Friendship
~Blog Post #1~
Topic C
April 17, 2015
by Henry Sledz
The relationship between Pip and Joe is much more like that of two brothers than an adoptive father and his son. Joe and Pip are equals under “Mrs. Joe” who commands them both around like they are her children.
Part of why Joe and Pip have such a good relationship is because they treat each other as ;equals and friends. Joe is not the most sophisticated or intelligent or wealthy man, he can’t even read or write, but he is the most caring and compassionate person in Pip’s life. Being an orphan from a young age, Pip is lacking in role models but the simple blacksmith Joe can be just what the little orphan boy needs in his life.
They can also bond through dealing with the same obstacles that Mrs. Joe deals them. She is a very demanding and bitter woman who holds things over the heads of Pip and Joe, giving them another way to relate to each other and form a bond. Mrs. Joe treats Joe more like her child than her husband and Pip more like her child than her brother. Joe comforts Pip and is one of Pip’s only escapes from Mrs. Joe’s mean-spiritedness, and cruelness. Joe is Pip’s biggest support from Mrs. Joe, so Pip and Joe naturally become close.
The relationship between Joe and Pip is the most developed one at this point in the books and is very heartwarming to read. In a world with the pompous, cruel, and conniving all around them, Joe and Pip are able to form a respectful and healthy relationship.
I agree with Henry's post addressing the relationship between Pip and Joe. Living with each other day after day, under the scrutiny of Mrs. Joe, see themselves as equals. They are forced to put up with the same things from the same meal of bread and butter, to punishments with tar water and tickler. Having experienced the same treatment and living conditions, i think they can both understand one another better and bond over similarities in their everyday lives.
ReplyDelete