In Dickens’s Novel

One of the most important and common tools that authors use to demonstrate the themes of their stories is a character that undergoes several major changes throughout the story. In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens introduces the reader to many compelling and distinguished characters, including the peculiar recluse, Miss Havisham, the shrewd and careful lawyer, Mr. Jaggers, and the altruistic convict, Abel Magwitch. However, Great Expectations is the story of Pip and his initial dreams. The significant changes that Pip's character goes through are very important to the novel's many themes. Dickens uses Pip's deterioration from an innocent boy into an arrogant gentleman and his redemption as a good-natured person to illustrate the idea that unrealistic hopes and expectations can lead to undesirable traits.

In Dickens's novel, Jaggers has his office in a dismal area near Newgate Prison in London. For, much like a prison cell, the room is dark, lit only by a patched skylight. The walls are greasy from the many prisoner/clients who have stood against it as they are faced by Mr. Jaggers. When they are sent out abruptly, they must sidle along the wall to reach the doorway, as the office is so narrow. Mr. Jaggers holds the same relations to many people, but having worked so long with the low, criminal element of London, Jaggers himself is much like an emotionally disconnected jailer who has the ability to abruptly dispose of people. His office definitely reflects his personality, in that there’s no warmth, or attachment to humanity or the outside world. (write more about what his office is like)

Lawyers are often thought to be aggressive and rude. In Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, Mr. Jaggers is no different. From the first time we meet him, Jaggers comes across as self-important, wealthy and too busy for sensitivity. Jaggers arrange for a carriage to take Pip from his hometown to London. Pip is supposed to meet Jaggers at his law office.

When he arrives at Jaggers' office there are many people waiting outside to speak with Jaggers about their cases or about the cases of their relatives. Mr. Jaggers is of hand to all of them. At one point, a man starts a sentence by telling Mr. Jaggers ''We thought...'' Jaggers immediately responded by saying ''You thought! I think for you; that's enough for you.'' He is similarly rude to two women in the crowd, and completely ignores a man who is hopping up and down in desperation to get Jaggers' attention. This scene gives us a good idea of Jaggers' self-importance. The desperation of the people around him and the way that they almost worship him reveals why Mr. Jaggers thinks so highly of himself.

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