From: Ken Mogg (muffin@LABYRINTH.NET.AU)
Date: Sun Feb 06 2000 - 05:10:16 PST
Dear Boz - I have a friend who is tutoring a student in aspects of your 'Great Expectations' (a favourite novel of mine). But when my friend passed on a question from the student (which he, in turn, may have got from one of his teachers at school), I couldn't give an answer that satisfied either me or my friend. The question was to the effect that if Joe is basically a good man, nonetheless he has faults, such as ... I could only think of how Joe can't spell (!) and that he's too submissive, a doormat to Mrs Joe (and therefore NOT a good role-model in that respect for Pip). Also, he's credulous (re Pip's tales of what goes on at Satis House) and seems pretty much unaware of the ways of the world, including feminine psychology. In a way, he inadvertently helps delude Pip into living in hope of one day finding happiness with Estella, when a stronger father-figure would have warned him at the outset of the dangers. Joe seems not to have any personal experience of women, except for Mrs Joe, to share with Pip. Please, is this fair comment on Joe, and what other 'faults' might he be said to have? Thank you - Ken M.