Great Expectations
Revenge, Sometimes Better Left Alone Society perceives revenge to be a one-way street to get back at someone, where only the single person ends up getting hurt. In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens exemplifies revenge as a devious act that causes multiple people to get hurt. Miss Havisham received a broken heart on her wedding day, and ever since, she has been scheming a way to get back at the male gender. The likes of Miss Havisham and Orlick are set on exacting their revenge on someone or something, no matter what the circumstances are, they will get their revenge. This selfish way of thinking shows that revenge is a factor that results in negative and hurtful behavior throughout Pip's’ life. Miss Havisham is living with
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Orlick has a clear motive for revenge. Joe fired him once Pip was old enough to become Joe’s apprentice in the forge. The difference between Miss Havisham’s pain compared to Orlick's, is Orlick was a lazy and slow worker and could easily have been fired by Joe before Pip was even of age to work in the forge. Similar to Miss Havisham and her plot of revenge, Pip happened to be the unlucky one who gets hurt when he has done nothing wrong.Mrs. Joe has an accident that leaves her incapable of anything, she is brain dead. Orlick was not shy about killing Mrs. Joe. “I left her for dead, and if there had been a limekiln as nigh her as there is now… she shouldn’t have come to life again” (53.46.3) Orlick yelled to Pip. Orlick made sure that Pip knew he was the one behind her death to get back at Pip for causing Orlick to get fired. Unlike Miss Havisham, Orlick was proud to see Pip hurt by Mrs. Joe and her eventually death. Along with being fired, Orlick believed Pip was also responsible for keeping Biddy away from him. “It was [Pip who] always gave Orlick a bad name…” (53.30.2) in Orlick's eyes. Once again Pip becomes the victim of revenge in an unnecessary situation. Orlick is so focused on his hatred for Pip, that anything in his mind can become Pips fault, no matter what the true circumstances
Orlick has a clear motive for revenge. Joe fired him once Pip was old enough to become Joe’s apprentice in the forge. The difference between Miss Havisham’s pain compared to Orlick's, is Orlick was a lazy and slow worker and could easily have been fired by Joe before Pip was even of age to work in the forge. Similar to Miss Havisham and her plot of revenge, Pip happened to be the unlucky one who gets hurt when he has done nothing wrong.Mrs. Joe has an accident that leaves her incapable of anything, she is brain dead. Orlick was not shy about killing Mrs. Joe. “I left her for dead, and if there had been a limekiln as nigh her as there is now… she shouldn’t have come to life again” (53.46.3) Orlick yelled to Pip. Orlick made sure that Pip knew he was the one behind her death to get back at Pip for causing Orlick to get fired. Unlike Miss Havisham, Orlick was proud to see Pip hurt by Mrs. Joe and her eventually death. Along with being fired, Orlick believed Pip was also responsible for keeping Biddy away from him. “It was [Pip who] always gave Orlick a bad name…” (53.30.2) in Orlick's eyes. Once again Pip becomes the victim of revenge in an unnecessary situation. Orlick is so focused on his hatred for Pip, that anything in his mind can become Pips fault, no matter what the true circumstances