At this point in the novel, Herbert is commenting on morality and moral awareness and what is considered appropriate and inappropriate and also how one should behave if you are to become a gentleman and live an upper class lifestyle. Pip, who is a country boy and who was raised by his sister and brother -in-law, is seen as someone from the lower class. This is evident in his table manners which contrast starkly the table manners Herbert teaches him in the passage. Pip’s ignorance regarding the correct use of cutlery and glassware is evidence of this. In relation to these statements, Herbert teaches Pip table manners and how to behave if he wants to fit into the upper class. The reader immediately gets the idea that Pip does not know how to use a knife and a fork. This is evident when Herbert says, “Let me introduce the topic, Handel, by mentioning that in London it is not custom to put the knife in the mouth-for fear of accidents-and that while the fork is reserved for that use, it is not put further in the mouth than necessary ” (Dickens 179). After being corrected by Herbert, Pip does
At this point in the novel, Herbert is commenting on morality and moral awareness and what is considered appropriate and inappropriate and also how one should behave if you are to become a gentleman and live an upper class lifestyle. Pip, who is a country boy and who was raised by his sister and brother -in-law, is seen as someone from the lower class. This is evident in his table manners which contrast starkly the table manners Herbert teaches him in the passage. Pip’s ignorance regarding the correct use of cutlery and glassware is evidence of this. In relation to these statements, Herbert teaches Pip table manners and how to behave if he wants to fit into the upper class. The reader immediately gets the idea that Pip does not know how to use a knife and a fork. This is evident when Herbert says, “Let me introduce the topic, Handel, by mentioning that in London it is not custom to put the knife in the mouth-for fear of accidents-and that while the fork is reserved for that use, it is not put further in the mouth than necessary ” (Dickens 179). After being corrected by Herbert, Pip does