Forgiveness In Dickens Great Expectations Essay -- GCSE English Litera

Forgiveness In Dickens Great Expectations Miriam A felt completely choleric. She just could not forgive her husbands apologies anymore. Almon B was a drunkard. When he came home intoxicated, he was always extremely apologetic and told her that hed never get drunk again. Miriam now knew that Almon was not really repentant. She could forgive him until she was blue, but unless Almon real repented, their marriage would not work. Forgiveness is an important aspect in the family as well as in fellowship, which is built on the family. In Charles Dickens peerless fabrication called Great Expectations, many characters find it easy to pardon others, but some have to learn to forgive. Dickens uses the characters in his novel to illustrate how in society forgiveness is a desideratum to bring about peace and harmony. One character in the novel who lives a very serene life because of his great energy to forgive is Joe Gargery. Ever since he was a child, Joe demonstrated his amazing quality of forgiveness. He grew up having a father who was an alcoholic. When Joes dad came home, he would beat Joe and his fix and they would run away. When they were away from Joes dad, Joe would start school but his dad would always find his stray family, pull Joe out of school, and bring them home. For this reason, Joe lived most of his life an preliterate man. He could have been very angry and resentful about this, but Joe justified his fathers actions which caused his illiteracy by saying that he pulled him out of school because he loved him. Joe shows his natural virtue in the sincere quality of forgiveness in the epitaph he wrote for his dad.1 It said, Whatsumeer the failings on his part, remember reader he were that safe in ... ...1O. Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (New York Penguin Books USA, Inc., 1980) 208. 11. Great Expectations, 347. 12. Jenkin, 69. 13. Great Expectations, 348. 14. The NIV Study Bible, ed. Kenneth Barker, et al, (Michigan Zondervan Bible Publish ers, 1985) II Corinthians 27. 15. Jenkin, 70. 16. Great Expectations, 35. 17. Great Expectations, 35. 18. Great Expectations, 35. 19. Jenkin, 70. 2O. Colossians 313. 21. Jenkin, 87. 22. Miller, 257. 23. Miller, 257. 24. Miller, 258. 25. Miller, 257. 26. Charles Dickens, The garner of Charles Dickens, ed. Laurence Hutton (New York Bigelow, Brown, and Co., 1893) 279. 27. Dickens wrote many moving letters to friends and family besides the one quoted in the text. Check out The Letters of Charles Dickens (n. 26) for further reading.