In Great Expectations and in life, people can seem to be someone that they are not. This difference can be seen in Magwitch, Herbert, and in my own life. As humans, we are driven by an emotional need to be successful, well-liked or in control of a situation. Sometimes this trait makes us do things that we would normally not do.

Magwitch was a convict. He was convicted of fraud probably because he wanted to be successful. Pip was terrified of the convict. At the beginning of the story, Magwitch was mean and nasty towards Pip. Pip was forced to help him. Pip was very surprised when he found out thatMagwitch was his benefactor. Magwitch was a convict who seemed like a mean person, but he turned out to be a nice guy. The things he did in the past made him a convict but he showed his true heart when he was with Pip.

Herbert Pocket was another character who was actually someone different than our first impression of him. Herbert fought Pip in the garden of the Satis House. I think Herbert wanted to intimidate Pip. Herbert wanted to put Pip in his place. Herbert later becomes Pip's best friend when they meet in London. Herbert seemed like a bully because he wanted to control a situation, but actually turned out to be a great friend.

In seventh grade I met this kid who I thought was really weird. He was kind nerdy and he hung out with the weird kids. I sat next to him in math. I started to talk him and I realized he was not all that bad. We started to hang out and today we are still good friends. He seemed to be weird but he actually turned out to be a cool guy. The irony of first impressions is that our first impressions are wrong a lot. I wanted to be well-liked, so i didnt want to hang out with a nerd. When I relaxed that need, I actually saw a different person.

Our human needs are strong. They make us do things we do not want to do. When we look beyond the surface, a true person emerges different than we expected. It is not the person, It is our mind that distorts how people actually are. Magwitch, Herbert, and my friend all turned out to be someone different than they seemed at first.

Journal 2: Pip as a Narrator

From the beginning of the story, it is clear that Pip is narrating the story from much later in life. Pip talks about his experiences in the past tense and the present tense. This almost makes the reader think of Pip as two characters: Pip the boy and Pip the narrator. I think Dickens chose to write his story like this for a couple of reasons.

First, Dickens wants us to have a deeper understanding of the main character. Pip the narrator's thoughts help us to understand Pip the boy better. When Joe comes to visit London (starting on pg. 231), Pip the narrator tells us that he didn't want Joe to come. This helps the reader understand how Pip has matured. Having Pip the narrator tell the story also helps the reader understand how Pip the boy feels about himself.

Secondly, Pip the boy and Pip the narrator are different ages so we can gain different insight from each of them. We hear the story from a child's perspective and an adult's perspective. For me, as a child I remember things seeming so huge. Places that I now think are close seemed so far away when I was little. This change of perspective is familiar in Great Expectations as Pip matures.

Because this novel is a first-person narrative, readability is improved. First-person narratives also give readers a sense of ownership in the book. I think Dickens really wanted to have this in Great Expectations.

This style of narration was a smart decision on Dickens' part because it brings a lot more depth to the story. I think Pip is a very reliable narrator. Pip brings a lot to the story both as a narrator and as a character.