An Orphanage of compassion

Looking at Chapters 1-3 of Great Expectations, we can see some similar alignments with Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights and P[hil]ip, the main character in Great Expectations, Pip, as he calls himself due to not being able to pronounce neither his first nad last name, is recounting a tale of his childhood during Christmas time when he encounters a convict. In my perspective, I can see how these two characters, both Pip and Heathcliff, have a similar childhood background. We find out that Pip is an orphan who lives with his sister and her husband, a blacksmith, and Heathcliff was a homeless Gypsy living on the streets, adopted by a wealthy family on Mr. Earnshaw’s behalf. Pip had been threatened to help a convict and with compassion, he helped the man recover a bit when he returned. Heathcliff, although adopted by Mr.Earnshaw, was not treated fairly and kind by all members of his family. In fact, he was abused in more ways than one. He did not lash out until his adulthood, meaning he was a pushover, just as Pip was when this convict bullied and threatened him into doing something for his own benefit. Something I thought about by analyzing these two characters is, does living with strangers or guardians who aren’t your biological parents affect the way you are brought up or does that align with the experiences created from your childhood?

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