2018-02-11

【Aiden in English】

        Stories are full of good characters. They can be liked, savored, and enjoyed by the reader. Authors tend to use these positive characters as protagonists. However, not all characters are made perfect. Most characters have and should have some conflicting traits within. Sometimes, the trait even sways the reader's position on their feelings. Pip, an orphan from Great Expectations, is an example of such. Therefore, unlike many other protagonists, Pip is not as likable due to many flaws within him.

        Great Expectations occur when society is divided into distinct classes, making it nearly impossible to move up the social ladder. When Pip is suddenly transported from a life as a peasant to a gentleman, things are thrown into chaos. Attempting to adapt to city life, Pip becomes gradually more self-centered and spoiled, which is not his fault. However, Pip cannot balance his life, forgetting his past too quickly. The first significant sign of this negative change in Pip occurs when his elder brother-in-law Joe visits him in London. By then, Pip had already settled into a routine around the city and accepted his new life. Pip wishes to demonstrate his new social class by welcoming Joe not personally, but with his servant. " The Avenger, under orders, was in the hall… and announced "(210) Joe's arrival, which immediately tenses relations between a father figure and son. The continued repetition of "ir" in Joe's Dialogues reveals the impact on his perception of social difference, which echoes Pip's welcoming of a family member. This moment in the plot brands Pip as a cold, boastful child who receives lavish opportunities without much work. Characteristics mark Pip as unlikeable.

        Adolescence is often regarded as the most challenging period of a person's life. The story of Pip and his adventures unfolds at a particularly inopportune time, mostly revolving around a transition from a young child to his teenage years, during which many events occur that would likely have caused Pip stress. Perhaps a good excuse for Pip's imperfections would be his age, but that cannot exclude all the things his parents taught him, or common sense. PIP's judgment is another reason why he is not likable. A prime example presents itself every time Pip converses with Estella. A beautiful girl with an ugly heart, Estella is a cold-blooded demon raised by a creepy foster mother, Miss Havisham, who lives in an empty haunted house. Common sense would be to stay away from Estella, but Pip is continuously dragged into her traps. Pip is a shallow man who doesn't see past Estella's exterior. Some may say he is persistent, but it is not as if Estella is attempting to like Pip. When talking about love, she describes herself as having "o heart"" (228) and "o softness there"" (229). In addition, Pip continues to pursue this girl who calls him "stupid, clumsy laboring boy" (58) and verbally beats him for his social differences. Granted, during a time when marrying for money was a very popular and cultural practice, Pip has good friends like Biddy to hang around with. As Pip is forced to move away, it is fascinating to see how quickly he forgets Biddy, further proving his lack of judgment and even trustworthiness. Regardless of how much pain Estella inflicts or the number of connections to his past, he must snap Pip's judgment, a horrendous trait that makes readers wince.

        People say that your environment shapes who you are, which is true. However, regardless of their environment, everyone still holds their most deeply valued values. It is very moral that the world is filled with billions of unique personalities. Therefore, their most unlikeable trait of Pip is how quickly he changes his values. Near the story's beginning, Pip is an innocent adopted son of a blacksmith, so scared that he is even afraid to steal from his parents. The upper class is deeply affected by meeting Estella and Pip, and immediately experiences a range of intense emotions. During a game of cards with Estella, she states that his hands are coarse, possibly implying that he belongs to a lower socioeconomic class. Pip, who "had never thought of being ashamed of his hands before" (58), is torn apart. Instead of retaining the original virtues taught to him by his parents, Pip is so influenced by Estella's presence that "it became infectious, and [Pip] caught it" (58). Tainting Pip, he transforms into a character like Estella, cold to even his loving father. Pip is an unconfident, easily influenced protagonist who cannot hold on to even the most fundamental values he has established. 

        From poor and innocent to rich and snobby, Pip becomes an annoying, unlikeable character that presents many undesirable traits. The issues beneath his character unveil themselves through the test of time, money, and Estella. Dickens created a boy who would transfix the world as an all-time classic, only to imbue him with horrible flaws that taint even the reader.

【紅霞譯】

        故事少不了好的人物，他們不僅能夠贏得讀者好感，激發讀者興趣，而且還會打動讀者心扉，作家們慣於把主人公塑造成正派角色，然而“黃金無足色白璧有微瑕”，事實上，大多數人內心深處都有也該帶點矛盾情結，有時正是這種特質促使讀者百感交集，《遠大前程》刻畫的孤兒皮普便是典型一例，與許多別的主角不同，他毛病多得簡直不可理喻。

        《遠大前程》所處的時代社會等級分明，貧民屌絲幾乎不可能進入上流階層，當皮普從鄉巴佬搖身變成貴族紳士，一切陷於混亂之中。為了適應城裡生活，皮普逐漸變得自私蠻橫，顯然這並非都是他的錯，但他根本無法平衡自己的生活，想要儘快忘卻過去。當姐夫喬伊到倫敦拜訪他時，這種負面變化馬上暴露出來，皮普改頭換面早已過上城裡人安逸生活，為了顯示社會地位，他沒有親自出馬迎候喬伊光臨，而是吩咐僕人去接待他，“那個討債鬼，無奈按照規定，正守在大廳里……通報”（第210頁）喬伊的到來，曾經親如父子的關係很快冷淡下來。喬伊在寒暄中不住地稱呼“先生”，反映出社會地位差異對人情世態的影響，與皮普愛搭不理的德行形成了鮮明對照。作者把皮普描寫為冷漠自負的愣頭青，他坐享其成，過着衣食無憂的生活，性格招人討厭。

        青春期通常被視為人生中問題最多的一個階段，皮普跌宕起伏的生活經歷偏偏發生在不該發生的時候。從童年過渡到青少年時期，中間很多事情都可能給他帶來壓力，也許皮普可以拿年齡開脫，但畢竟有長輩教誨，況且自己也該明理；判斷力則是皮普另一個軟肋，他與艾絲黛拉之間的對話足以表明問題所在。艾絲黛拉外表漂亮但內心冷漠，從小跟着秉性怪異的養母郝薇香小姐生活在陰森恐怖的宅子裡，照理講皮普當該遠離艾絲黛拉，可偏偏一步一步陷入她的陷阱。皮普思維膚淺，看不透艾絲黛拉內心世界，有人可能會說匹普死心眼，但艾絲黛拉未必喜歡他。實際上，一談到愛情，艾絲黛拉坦言自己“冷漠”（第228頁）“無情”（第229頁），即便如此，皮普仍然繼續追求這位把他貶成“愚蠢、笨拙、賣苦力臭小子”的女孩（第58頁），艾絲黛拉瞧不起皮普身世卑微。誠然，那時為金錢結婚非常盛行而且由來已久，儘管皮普身邊不乏像畢蒂這樣青梅竹馬的好友相伴，但當有早一日被迫離鄉背井，他忘記畢蒂的速度令人跌破眼鏡，進而證明皮普缺乏主見不值得信任。無論艾絲黛拉給皮普帶來多大痛苦，不管皮普本人想要留存多少往日記憶，主人公是非觀着實讓讀者捏一把汗。

        都說環境改變人，這句話千真萬確。然而不管環境如何，人人都有根深蒂固的價值觀，由於道德品質各異，個性才會迥然不同，照此說來，最不可思議的地方莫過於皮普價值觀變化神速。故事開頭介紹皮普是一位鐵匠收養的天真男孩，甚至害怕背着父母動用任何東西；遇到艾絲黛拉後，皮普備受上流社會影響，情感方面頓時發生一系列劇變。跟艾絲黛拉打牌的時候，她挖苦皮普手糙，言外之意暗諷他出身貧寒， 這讓“以前從沒為手感到羞愧”（第58頁）的皮普難過透頂，在艾絲黛拉影響下，皮普不是保持父母教導的樸實美德，而是“跟着學壞，變得勢利起來”（第58頁）。染上惡習的皮普在性格上越變越像艾絲黛拉，以致疏遠自己慈愛的父親；他自卑易變，連本人信奉的道德底線都堅守不住。

        從貧窮正直到富貴勢利，皮普身上滋生了很多陋習，面對時間、金錢以及艾絲黛拉等考驗，問題逐個暴露出來，狄更斯通過勾勒這位愛慕虛榮讓讀者虐心的小伙子而完成一部曠世傑作。

Today in History(歷史上的今天):

2015: Argumentative─Homework(議論文─論家庭作業)

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