a character sketch of joe gargary

Joe Gargery might not be the smartest or wisest ofDickens'
characters, but he is definitely one of the kindestand most humane.
Although Miss Havisham gets muchattention for being different, I think
that you will soon beconvinced that Joe, however simple he may be, is
definitelya unique character. It is my opinion that Dickens made aneffort
to raise the readers respect for Joe by the sharpcontrast between him
and his wife. Three qualitiesbelonging to Joe are his affectionate nature,
pride, and hisperseverance. When Joe asks Mrs. Gargery to marry
him, heespecially insists that she bring her young orphanedbrother, Pip,
to live with them. Joe never reminds Pip ofthis fact, except when telling
Pip how much he thinks ofhim. Mrs. Gargery, on the other hand, is
constantlyreminding Pip to be thankful of her "raising him by hand". At
one point, Pip decides he will teach Joe to read. Although Joe has no real
aspiration for this, he humors Pipand lets the boy instruct him. As
mentioned before, Mrs.Gargery is a very cruel person. One would think
livingwith her would drive even a saint to kill. Even so, Joenever says a
harsh word about his wife and treats her withthe utmost respect. Pip's
decision to go to London has agreater impact than most readers think.
Not only was Joelosing a set of hands around the forge, but he was
alsosaying farewell to a boy who must have been like a son tohim. Joe
knew that once Pip left they would never have thesame relationship. It
was clear to Joe that this was Pip'sdream, so not once did he question
the decision Pip hadmade. When Pip is asked to come to Miss
Havisham's and"play", Mrs. Gargery and Pumblechook are driven
crazywondering what gift she will give Pip for his service. Joe,on the
other hand, pays no attention to their high hopes. His pride is also
evident when he turns down the moneyJaggers offers him for Pip's
indentures. It is not that Joecouldn't use the money, after all he is losing
Pip's help inthe forge and his wife is bedridden. Joe proves to be a
man of great perseverance. Hemanages to run a smithy, be married to a
wife with atemper that makes a rabid dog seem tame, and be a fatherand

friend to Pip. To have the responsibility of any one ofthese would be
enough to put a great deal of stress on anyindividual, much less all three.
I think that Dickens might have used Joe in connectionwith Biddy
to represent the opposite of Miss Havishamand Estella. Whatever the
case, I feel that Joe exhibits thethree qualities mentioned and many other
gratifying ones. Be it today or a century ago, I believe that Joe Gargery is
aunique character because of his philanthropic ways.