good and evil in Great Expectations is that between Magwitch and Miss Havisham. Pip believed and hoped, through much of the novel that it was Miss Havisham’s intention to marry Pip to Estella and to make his fortune, these were his “great expectations.” His expectations were further encouraged by the fact that he believed, and Miss Havisham led him to believe, that Havisham was in fact his secret benefactor. He associated the upper-class nature of Estella and Miss Havisham with good, and thus sought to elevate himself to their rank.Evil, on the other hand, Pip associated with Magwitch and Pip’s helping the convict escape. His deed often haunts him, as he becomes paranoid and imagines everything to be images of the punishment he will soon receive for his act: handcuffs, gallows, police. Pip’s clearly defined line between good and evil begins to unravel, however, when Magwitch re-enters his life. Magwitch informs Pip that he is in fact Pip’s benefactor, and not Miss Havisham. In response to this, Pip is disgusted and no longer wants anything to do with his riches, as their source is the same place he associates with evil and guilt. However, Pip soon begins to see Magwitch’s inner kindness and helps the old man, eventually plotting his escape with Herbert.Furthermore, when Pip finds out Estella is Magwitch’s lost daughter, he is all the more devastated. Having associated her for so many years with good, and innocence, and a position to strive for, Pip realizes she has come from a lowlier place than his own—she is the daughter of a convict. This further confuses the lines between good and evil in Pip’s mind, as his embodiment of good has risen from his embodiment of evil.Dickens, by merging the plot lines and showing that Pip can no longer distinguish clearly the difference between right and wrong, demonstrates that although humans may attempt to draw a clear line between...
