Within Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, Joe Gargery is presented as the epitome of human compassion and kindness, the moral center of the novel. He is a strange mixture of wisdom, stupidity and generosity, being the most human of all the characters with his own strengths and weaknesses, which readers grasp by reading between the lines of Pip's description, Joe's actions and his interactions . “Joe” is a common name, and Dickens's clever play with nomenclature immediately makes us see Joe as a short, plain, common man. Dickens' presented Joe as a paradox, "a sort of Hercules in strength, but also in weakness," endowed with a gentle nature that contradicts the tenacity that the blacksmith requires for his work. He is described as physically strong, however, we are shown how he suffers from his wife's physical abuse. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Joe's speech indicates his slow brain and illiteracy, calling seizures "purple leptics" and taking his time with his speech. His narrow-mindedness and stupidity are evident when he continues to speak, stunned by the disappearance of Pip's bread, staring at it with "wonder and dismay". However, the fact that he is aware that Mrs. Joe will not be happy if he becomes a scholar for fear that he will stand out, shows that he is not boring in every way. He is aware of Mrs. Joe's tough personality, but repeatedly calls her a "fine figure of a woman", seeing the good in her that she chose to raise Pip by hand. His statement that he "was lonely then" and "lived here alone" implies that loneliness may have driven him to marry and he appears to have consciously made the decision to tolerate Mrs. Joe's rough treatment. Through his actions towards Pip, Joe is shown to be a generous and kind character, taking in a boy he isn't even related to by blood. Being a blacksmith, it is clear that Joe is lower working class and doesn't earn much, yet he tells Pip's sister to "take the poor child" with her and that "there's room for him in the forge!". ' Joe wishes he could take the Tickler "all over himself" for Pip and we see how much love and care he has for him. He is a caring figure, giving Pip lessons on "Bolting" as he is worried about his "elth" and taking Pip on his back when it started to sleet while searching for the convicts. Joe's morality is evident when he scolds Pip for "bullying" the bread, and it seems to affect Pip, which is why he feels guilt and "tenderness of conscience" only in reference to Joe. Joe is an emotionally strong character, considering how he was able to deal with a dysfunctional family as a child, and now with his wife's verbal attacks. He is able to withstand emotional blows without breaking down. Enduring Mrs. Joe's violent treatment also indicates how he is a submissive man with no ego or power. She loves Pip but never defends him against Mrs. Joe. We take this as cowardice on his part, however, later when Dickens has Joe tell his story, we are made to understand and understand what drives Joe. He endures as much as he does because he is "dead with fear of not doing what is right for a woman", not wanting to hurt Mrs. Joe and not see her "toil and slave like her mother". This shows his sweet temperament, tenderness and respect he has for women. Joe is a truly compassionate man, even towards the inmate who admits to stealing food from his house. Joe says that the inmate is "welcome" and that "we won't starve you", whatever his crime. His.