t her or how he forgets about her and Joe. She is always happy for Pip and seems to care for him unconditionally. She embodies the antithesis of everything that makes Mrs. Joe, Ms. Havisham, and Estella so deplorable. Dickens representation of Biddy as the ideal woman is not a very flattering perspective on women. The fact that she does have all these great qualities and an almost flawless character yet is happy with her small role in life can be paralleled with the ideal housewife of the 1950s. Growing up in that time, a girl was expected to be sweet, obedient, and well mannered. After she graduated from school, a girl would eventually fall in love and marry. At this point she would be considered a woman and ready to start a family of her own. She would maintain the demeanor of a woman that has it all together. She was expected to keep up her appearance along with the appearance of her entire family. The next big step would be to watch her children marry and have kids of their own. There was no thought of a college degree or a high salary. If the family needed money, the housewife could become a teacher, or nurse, or any other position typically designated for a woman. This was the submissive role of the majority of women during the middle of the 20th century. Biddy, as the ideal woman of the 1800s, would fit this model woman perfectly had she lived during the 1950s. Biddy is plain and not very elegant, but can be pretty, and elaborate if it were necessary, as on Sundays to go to Church (59). In the early section of the novel Biddy is Pips teacher and teaches him along his journey. Biddy takes care of all the chores around the house and also the invalid Mrs. Joe. Once Mrs. Joe dies Biddy thinks that she will get a job as a teacher in the new school. She is seen as always content with her life, just as a woman of the 1950s was expected to be. Of course, it is not until the end of the book that Biddy marries the strong,...
