Editing Great Expectations (section)

=== Gentility ===
[[File:Do you take tea, or coffee, Mr Gargery?, by F. A. Fraser, c. 1877.jpeg|thumb|left|"Do you take tea, or coffee, Mr Gargery?" by F. A. Fraser, c. 1877]]
The idea of "good breeding" and what makes for a "gentleman" other than money, in other words, "gentility", is a central theme of ''Great Expectations''. The convict Magwitch covets it by proxy through Pip; Mrs Pocket dreams of acquiring it; it is also found in Pumblechook's sycophancy; it is even seen in Joe, when he stammers between "Pip" and "Sir" during his visit to London, and when Biddy's letters to Pip suddenly become reverent.

There are other characters who are associated with the idea of gentility like, for example, Miss Havisham's seducer, Compeyson, the scarred-face convict. While Compeyson is corrupt, even Magwitch does not forget he is a gentleman.<ref>{{harvnb|Charles Dickens|1993|p=43}}</ref> This also includes Estella, who ignores the fact that she is the daughter of Magwitch and another criminal.<ref name="Suhamy9"/>

There are a couple of ways by which someone can acquire gentility, one being a title, another being family ties to the upper middle class. Mrs Pocket bases every aspiration on the fact that her grandfather failed to be knighted, while Pip hopes that Miss Havisham will eventually adopt him, as adoption, as evidenced by Estella, who behaves like a born and bred little lady, is acceptable.<ref name="Suhamy10">{{harvnb|Henri Suhamy|1971|p=10}}</ref> But even more important, though not sufficient, are wealth and education. Pip knows that and endorses it, as he hears from Jaggers through Matthew Pocket: "I was not designed for any profession, and I should be well enough educated for my destiny if I could hold my own with the average of young men in prosperous circumstances."<ref>{{harvnb|Charles Dickens|1993|p=174}}</ref> But neither the educated Matthew Pocket, nor Jaggers, who has earned his status solely through his intellect, can aspire to gentility. Bentley Drummle, however, embodies the social ideal, so that Estella marries him without hesitation.<ref name="Suhamy10"/>