The Character of Mr. Jaggers in Great Expectations Essay example -- Gr

The Character of Mr. Jaggers in Great Expectations Mr. Jaggers plays a pivotal role in the novel, Great Expectations, written by Charles Dickens. We are first introduced to him in Chapter 11, where Pip encounters the rather condescending lawyer on the stairs of Satis House. Pip describes Mr. Jaggers as "a burly man of an exceedingly dark complexion." We cannot help but notice that he is extremely pontificating, by virtue of him holding Pip's chin and being almost sure that Pip was of "a bad set of fellows" although he had scarcely known Pip for two minutes. Mr. Jaggers' silent and terrifying ambiguity conjures mystery and enigma all around him. We find that very little is mentioned of his background and that he has no family. He is the epitome of callousness and displays the very least human feelings and affection. Through his desperate attempts to remain on the pedestal and away from social company, he is also Dickens' classic example of isolationism, in line with the theme of Great Expectations. He fears that friendly relationships with others will inconvenience his professional work. Undoubtedly, we find him to be an extremely intelligent and capable lawyer of high calibre. It is he that saves both Molly and Magwitch from the gallows through his expertise. He is also the one who supposedly saves Estella from the misery of orphanhood. Although many may argue that he did her more harm than good by giving her to Miss Havisham, we cannot blame him for he thought "that here was one pretty child out of the heap who could be saved.", which he did. By doing all this, he contributes effectively to the movement of the plot. Nevertheless, we also observe that... ...mphasizes that "If my advice had been asked, I should not have been here. It was not asked, and you see me here." This demonstrates that at the very beginning, Mr. Jaggers looked down on Pip and did not consider him worth the money and effort. Overall, Mr. Jaggers is a classic and exemplary embodiment of Victorian society. He is of paramount significance to the novel's plot, but more so to the theme. He is connected to every part of the plot. Through him, we learn what Victorian society was really like - how it judged people, how it treated people and how cruel and unjust it was. Indeed, Mr. Jaggers is Dickens' social message that a true gentleman with morals, human feelings and the spirit of justice was better than a "born gentleman" imbued with the social prerequisites of class and material wealth. This is what the theme of Great Expectations is essentially about.