The Conflict Between Altruism and Selfishness in The Great Expectations

The conflict between choosing to take a path that leads to the benefit of others or letting our selfish nature get the better of us. Often drives the internal struggle within us all. Now more than ever, this internal struggle has effectively confined us within our own domain and constrict our ability to flourish as a person. The term altruism is generally associated with an unselfish concern for the well-being of others. A word reserved for those who seek to benefit others before themselves. Charles Dickens uses his characters in Great Expectations to demonstrate that altruistic acts and its redeeming qualities not only impact those who receive it. However, as well as those who perform it in a positively manner. Shining a light on an aspect that being kind and honest leads to a life of happiness and contentment. This novel describes how altruism is not instinctive but is innate within us all. The quality of being kind and thoughtful is wired in us. However, a key is needed to be turned for us to achieve this state of nature.

At the beginning of the novel, Pip is a character with a great sense of compassion and kindness. Guiding by, his guardian Joe Gargery, Pip can walk a path of honesty as a young child, thus allowing him to experience what love and affection is. A moment of sympathy and goodness within Pip is when Pip conveys to his convict, “I am glad you enjoy it” revealing the fact that even though this one convict may have killed a man and has gone to jail. A human is still a human and deserved to be treated like one and not anything else. This shows Pip’s genuine kind-heartedness that he can see past the general appearance of a stranger and look within their humanity to find their true emotions. The convict is sincerely touched by Pip’s altruistic action as “something clicked in his throat” acknowledging the mere amount of goodness that has struck the convict’s cold and broken heart because of Pip’s single altruistic act. This feeling of tenderness is something he has never experienced before in his life and has been conveyed to him for the first time in his life by Pip. A young boy taught to be always kind and caring to anyone with the assistance of his guardian Joe. That has guided him to a road of altruistic values that Pip carries throughout his early childhood. Pip is provided a key needed to turn his altruistic nature into effect and that is his brother-in-law, Joe Gargery. Joe sets the foundation for Pip to be able to see the strength of how altruism can become a fundamental belief. Establishing the difference between those who honestly have a genuine heart for others and those who seek to benefit only themselves. Pip is given the opportunity to see the advantages of altruism due to Joe’s altruistic nature, allowing Pip a sense of integrity and morals that is ingrained into him at a young age. Granting him the means to live an honest and content life, like his brother-in-law Joe.

Pip during his teenage years find himself in a great expectation to new found riches and fortunes. Thus, opening an unfamiliar pathway for Pip to explore and step into. Pip gains a new sense of arrogance and pompousness with his recent prosperity and starts to develop into a character of callousness and selfishness. Pip begins to perceive his loved ones that have raised him from the ground up as common, and coarse as he proclaims, “I am disgusted with my calling and with my life” describing just how egotistical and self-centered he has become. His old ways of being kind and thoughtful; all tossed out from the back of his mind and replaced with thoughts of selfish wants and greedy urges. Pip has started to embody a personality filled with hatred and discontentment towards himself and those around him. Hoping and wishing that this expectation will lead him to a direction that can bring happiness and contentment to his life and far away from his hometown. Not realizing that his home and family right now, love and praise him for whom he is and genuinely care for his as a person. Pip is misguided by his want for wealth and status that he has thought himself as “generally that I was in a low-lived bad way” communicating to himself, self-deprecating thoughts and disappointment with not only himself, but with others surrounding him. Pip is shrouded with misguided judgment that has deformed his perception of altruism and integrity, leading him into a path of selfishness and ultimately the hamartia of his character. Drawn into a false sense of reality, Pip simply cannot accept his mundane and common lifestyle anymore. The key that has once given Pip the ability to see the light of his altruistic nature; now neglected by Pip himself for an irrational dream and untraditional way of life. The trail that has previously trended towards altruism; blocked by Pip’s selfish desires and gluttonous personality.

Controlled by his conceited impulses, Pip is living his fantasy life, away from his home, in the big city, and with wealth and status. All things considered, Pip’s current lifestyle is greatly more improved than his former living conditions as he says, “I began to spend an amount of money that within a few short months I should have thought almost fabulous”. Everything he has ever dreamt of, has come to fruition. Pip is living his best life, not worrying about money, not needing a job, living his so-called dream of being a gentleman. Life could not be better for Pip, having extremely large sums of money he can spend. However, he likes. Learning the ways of becoming a gentleman, improving himself intellectually and gaining an awareness of how vast and complex the world just is. It was not until, Pip loses all his money and falls incredibly ill causing him to realize the mistakes of his past and mistreatment of his loved ones. After losing his mysterious benefactor, Magwitch, the person who gave Pip the wealth and opportunity for his great expectations and injuring himself Pip is taken in to care by Joe. Joe nurses Pip back to health, even though Pip has undervalued Joe his whole life and never truly appreciated Joe’s altruistic nature that cared for him all those years during his childhood. Pip finds Joe’s care of him initially painful as he feels his guilt so keenly and feels a sensation of remorse regarding Joe. When Pip discloses “Strike me, Joe. Tell me of my ingratitude. Don’t be so good to me!” (468). Pip cannot help but feel repentance and reproach of himself and his past actions. Seeing Joe be so kind to him, makes Pip remember all the cruel and terrible things he has said behind Joe’s back. Creating a pain within Pip that is so agonizing and painful. Pip is unable to endure and feels like a wound has reopened and is generate a whole new feeling of immense torment. Joe’s altruistic actions towards Pip help him recognizes all his prior wrong actions and make him want to change for the better. It is through Joe’s act of love during a critical time for Pip, that he can open his eyes to his faults and see how selfish he has acted all this time. This causes Pip to want to change back to his original true and caring character. The forgotten key that has been so largely-ignored and abandoned is finally inserted back into Pip, thus freeing the way to a direction of altruism that is so substantially connected with Pip’s inner kindness.

Altruism is an innate human trait that causes individuals to grow and become more compassionate. Pip started out as a child with a strong sense of empathy and softness due to a great bond between him and Joe’s altruistic nature. Resulting in Pip’s own ability to be caring and thoughtful regarding the needs of others. It was not until Pip find himself with new wealth that, then Pip begins to be snobbish and arrogant. Forgetting and throwing away all his thoughts and emotions about Joe and altruism. Caring only about his own wants and needs. Infatuated by his greed for status and wealth to live a new life, an uncommon one, and enjoy the lifestyle that comes along with being a gentleman. Pip’s narrow mindedness leads him into a path of uncertainty and simultaneously induces Pip to realize the shortcomings of his great expectations. Compelling Pip to understand all the awful actions he has conducted while pursuing his expectation and finally perceiving just how utterly horrible he has treated his loved ones. By acknowledge his past mistakes and wanting to change as a person, an individual can grasp a hold of his own key. A key that unlocks a pathway to the road of altruism, and, thus, achieve a life of happiness and contentment with one’s self.