2018-02-11

【Aiden in English】

        Stories are full of good characters. They can be liked, savored, enjoyed by the reader. Authors tend to use these positive characters as protagonists. However, not all characters are made perfect. In fact, most characters have and should have some sort of conflicting trait within. Sometimes, the trait even sways the reader’s position on how he or she feels. Pip, an orphan from Great Expectations, is an example of such. Therefore, unlike many other protagonists, Pip is not as likable due to many flaws within him.

        Great Expectations takes place during a time when society is in such distinct classes that moving up the social ladder is nearly impossible. When Pip is suddenly transported from a life as a peasant up to a gentleman, things are thrown into chaos. Attempting to adapt to city life, Pip becomes gradually more self-centered and spoiled, which by no means is his fault. However, Pip is unable to balance his life, forgetting his past all too quickly. The first major sign of this negative change in Pip occurs when his elder brother-in-law Joe comes to visit him in London.  By then, Pip had already settled into a normal routine around the city, as well as accepted his new life. Pip wishes to demonstrate his new social class by welcoming Joe not personally but with his servant. “[The] Avenger, pursuant to orders, was in the hall… and announced” (210) Joe’s arrival, which immediately tenses relations between father figure and son. The continued repetition of “sir” in Joe’s dialogues show the effect on his perception of social difference, which reverts back to Pip’s cold welcome to a family member. This moment in the plot brands Pip as a cold, boastful child who receives lavish opportunity without much work at all. Characteristics that mark Pip as unlikeable.

        Adolescence is commonly said to be the most difficult time of any person’s life. The story of Pip and his adventures come at quite an inopportune time, mostly revolving around a transition from a young child through his teenage years, in which many events occur that probably would have given Pip stress. Perhaps a good excuse for Pip’s major imperfections would be his age, but that cannot exclude all the things his parents taught him or common sense. Pip’s judgment is another reason why he is not likable. A prime example presents itself every time Pip converses with Estella. A beautiful girl with an ugly heart, Estella is a cold-blooded demon raised by a creepy foster mother, Miss Havisham who lives in an empty haunted house. Common sense would be to stay away from Estella, but Pip is continuously dragged into her traps. Pip is a shallow man that doesn’t see past what Estella is on the inside. Some may say he is persistent, but it is not as if Estella is attempting to like Pip. In fact, when talking about love, she describes herself as having “no heart” (228) and “no softness there” (229). In addition, Pip continues to pursue this girl who calls him “a stupid, clumsy laboring-boy” (58) and verbally beats him for his social differences. Granted, during a time were marrying for money is a very popular and cultural passage, Pip has good friends like Biddy to hang around with. As Pip is forced to move away, it is amazing to see how fast he forgets Biddy, furthermore proving his lack of judgment and even trustworthiness. Regardless of how much pain Estella inflicts, or the number of connections to his past he has to snap, Pip’s judgment is a horrendous trait that makes readers wince.

        People say that your environment shapes who you are, which is true. However, each person still holds onto his or her own deepest values, regardless of his or her environment. It is the very morals that the world is filled with billions of unique personalities. Therefore the most unlikeable trait of Pip is how quickly he changes his values. Near the beginning of the story, Pip is an innocent adopted son of a blacksmith, scared as to even steal from parents. Meeting Estella, Pip is touched by the upper class and immediately undergoes of series of horrible emotions. During a game of cards with Estella, she states that his hands are coarse, possibly implying that he is of a lower social level. Pip, who “had never thought of being ashamed of his hands before” (58), is torn apart. Instead of retaining his original virtues taught to him by his parents, Pip is influenced by Estella’s presence, so much that “it became infectious, and [Pip] caught it” (58). Tainting Pip, he goes on to transform into a character like Estella, cold to even his own loving father. Pip is an unconfident, easily-influenced protagonist that cannot hold on to even the most basic values he has established. 

        From poor and innocent to rich and snobby, Pip becomes an annoying, unlikeable character that presents many undesirable traits. The issues that lie beneath in his character unveil themselves through the test of time, money, and Estella. Dickens created a boy who would transfix the world in an all-time classic, only to make him full of horrible flaws that taint even the readers’ hearts.

【红霞译文】

        故事少不了好的人物，他们不仅能够赢得读者好感，激发读者兴趣，而且还会打动读者心扉，作家们惯于把主人公塑造成正派角色，然而“黄金无足色白璧有微瑕”，事实上，大多数人内心深处都有也该带点矛盾情结，有时正是这种特质促使读者百感交集，《远大前程》刻画的孤儿皮普便是典型一例，与许多别的主角不同，他毛病多得简直不可理喻。

        《远大前程》所处的时代社会等级分明，贫民屌丝几乎不可能进入上流阶层，当皮普从乡巴佬摇身变成贵族绅士，一切陷于混乱之中。为了适应城里生活，皮普逐渐变得自私蛮横，显然这并非都是他的错，但他根本无法平衡自己的生活，想要尽快忘却过去。当姐夫乔伊到伦敦拜访他时，这种负面变化马上暴露出来，皮普改头换面早已过上城里人安逸生活，为了显示社会地位，他没有亲自出马迎候乔伊光临，而是吩咐仆人去接待他，“那个讨债鬼，无奈按照规定，正守在大厅里……通报”（第210页）乔伊的到来，曾经亲如父子的关系很快冷淡下来。乔伊在寒暄中不住地称呼“先生”，反映出社会地位差异对人情世态的影响，与皮普爱搭不理的德行形成了鲜明对照。作者把皮普描写为冷漠自负的愣头青，他坐享其成，过着衣食无忧的生活，性格招人讨厌。

        青春期通常被视为人生中问题最多的一个阶段，皮普跌宕起伏的生活经历偏偏发生在不该发生的时候。从童年过渡到青少年时期，中间很多事情都可能给他带来压力，也许皮普可以拿年龄开脱，但毕竟有长辈教诲，况且自己也该明理；判断力则是皮普另一个软肋，他与艾丝黛拉之间的对话足以表明问题所在。艾丝黛拉外表漂亮但内心冷漠，从小跟着秉性怪异的养母郝薇香小姐生活在阴森恐怖的宅子里，照理讲皮普当该远离艾丝黛拉，可偏偏一步一步陷入她的陷阱。皮普思维肤浅，看不透艾丝黛拉内心世界，有人可能会说匹普死心眼，但艾丝黛拉未必喜欢他。实际上，一谈到爱情，艾丝黛拉坦言自己“冷漠”（第228页）“无情”（第229页），即便如此，皮普仍然继续追求这位把他贬成“愚蠢、笨拙、卖苦力臭小子”的女孩（第58页），艾丝黛拉瞧不起皮普身世卑微。诚然，那时为金钱结婚非常盛行而且由来已久，尽管皮普身边不乏像毕蒂这样青梅竹马的好友相伴，但当有早一日被迫离乡背井，他忘记毕蒂的速度令人跌破眼镜，进而证明皮普缺乏主见不值得信任。无论艾丝黛拉给皮普带来多大痛苦，不管皮普本人想要留存多少往日记忆，主人公是非观着实让读者捏一把汗。

        都说环境改变人，这句话千真万确。然而不管环境如何，人人都有根深蒂固的价值观，由于道德品质各异，个性才会迥然不同，照此说来，最不可思议的地方莫过于皮普价值观变化神速。故事开头介绍皮普是一位铁匠收养的天真男孩，甚至害怕背着父母动用任何东西；遇到艾丝黛拉后，皮普备受上流社会影响，情感方面顿时发生一系列剧变。跟艾丝黛拉打牌的时候，她挖苦皮普手糙，言外之意暗讽他出身贫寒， 这让“以前从没为手感到羞愧”（第58页）的皮普难过透顶，在艾丝黛拉影响下，皮普不是保持父母教导的朴实美德，而是“跟着学坏，变得势利起来”（第58页）。染上恶习的皮普在性格上越变越像艾丝黛拉，以致疏远自己慈爱的父亲；他自卑易变，连本人信奉的道德底线都坚守不住。

        从贫穷正直到富贵势利，皮普身上滋生了很多陋习，面对时间、金钱以及艾丝黛拉等考验，问题逐个暴露出来，狄更斯通过勾勒这位爱慕虚荣让读者虐心的小伙子而完成一部旷世杰作。

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2015: Argumentative─Homework(议论文─论家庭作业)

Crosslinks(相关博文):

5th Grade Descriptive—The Most Admired Person(五年级记叙文—最佩服的人)

5th Grade Descriptive—Eragon @ School Day(五年级记小说人物一天学校生活)