The Satis House is but a few wispy remains as Pip, the main character, walks up to the spot that once was a major part of his life. So many different types of love had passed through that house, so much pain, so much loss. In the novel “Great Expectations” , by Charles Dickens, Dickens makes the theme of love throughout the novel coherent, showing that love is not only one, but many different types, each character portraying their own.
Joe Gargery, a man of simple meanings, shows a love for his brother-in-law, Pip, that is strong and unbreakable throughout the course of the novel. Although, after Pip inherited money, Joe was ignored by the one he showed only kindness and love to, still he showed him nothing but love. Even though Pip doesn’t deserve Joe’s love, Joe is forgiving and loving, despite the fact Pip acts embarrassed by his commonness. Joe’s love for Pip demonstrates his compassion for even the worst of people. When a man a work, Orlick, insulates Mrs. Joe, his wife, Joe punches him, but afterwards they have drinks together, proof that Joe is unable to hate of hold grudges, due to his compassionate character.
Miss Havisham, a bitter old women, has the cruel love of the pain in others, due to being hurt herself in the past. On the night of her wedding, Miss Havisham, learned that the man she loved was nothing other than a conniving man who was partners with her brother in order to rob her. Although his man, who is also Abel Magwitch, succeeds in robbing Miss Havisham, he took much more than her money, he took her kindness and love too. Magwitch left Miss Havisham a broken, miserable mess, which lead to her love of pain in others, to ease her own pain. When Miss Havisham brought Pip over to her house, she knew Pip would fall for Estella, her beautiful, adopted daughter, in fact she hoped for him to, because she trained Estella to break men’s hearts, to gain the satisfactory of knowing someone else is miserable also. Miss Havisham holds onto the past and cannot move on and let go of her pain, so she inflicts pain on others.
The theme of love many types of love is cleverly put all throughout the novel, “Great Expectations,” by Charles Dickens, having every character portray a different type. Love is not just one emotion, but many different types. In the novel every character loves someone of something, but not all love is positive. Many people believe that love is when you see that one person that you are going to spend the rest of your life with, when really, love could be when you see someone you dislike and watch them drop their books in the hallway at school, or when you see the person you despise struggle and suffer. Love, both negative and positive, is all around us, in everything we do, but many fail to notice.
