The Importance of Mrs. Joe in Great Expectations

The importance of Mrs. Joe in Great Expectations has two major parts: the significance of the character, and the symbolism of the character. The significance of Mrs. Joe is to complete the figure of Joe. The symbolism of Mrs. Joe is the physical manifestation of Joe's fears, in combination with his desire for a commanding father figure.

Mrs. Joe's reign of terror is obviously necessary for Joe's existence. In the beginning of Great Expectations, Joe requires identification as a major character. Without the weakness that Mrs. Joe instills in Joe trough her reign of terror, Joe is never able to develop his own character. Joe is identified as a compassionate, sensitive character; the most direct way to display this feature is to have the character appear vulnerable. Mrs. Joe serves as the tyrant for which Joe is made helpless. Joe, unless he is a scared character, does not recognize the friend he has in Pip. Without Joe as a major role in Pip's life, Pip also seems very incomplete.

Mrs. Joe also serves as the comical interlude for an otherwise somber story.

When she had exhausted a torrent of such inquiries, she threw a candlestick at Joe, burst into a loud sobbing, got out the dustpan -- which was always a very bad sign -- put on her coarse apron, and began cleaning up to a terrible extent. Not satisfied with a dry cleaning, she took to a pail and scrubbing-brush, and cleaned us out of house and home, (author?s last name and page #)

Truly, a frightening creature is that which may destroy a household, by cleaning when anger besets her.

The comedy also has a serious side, though, as we remember our mothers exerting their great frustrations upon the household tasks of cleanliness. So Mrs. Joe serves well as a mother to Pip. Besides the age difference and the motherly duties of housekeeping for Pip and Joe, the attitude of a scornful mother is also apparent. This, of course, draws Joe even closer to Pip, by relation. Mrs. Joe serves as a link to make it possible for Joe to appear the father of Pip. In addition, Joe, although terrified of Mrs. Joe, is a very honorable man and would never consider divorcing her. Joe chooses to preserve the sacred marriage rather than seek his comfort.

It is ironic that Mrs. Joe be referred to, as Mrs. Joe constantly, when there does not seem too much part of Joe in her. The main purpose it serves is probably to characterize Mrs. Joe as a more masculine, and, therefore, typically more commanding, character. In the tradition of marriage, the wife usually gives up her last name to show that she is "property" of the man, therefore it is especially ironic that she be called Mrs. Joe when it is clear that Joe, rather, belongs more to her. It is also ironic that Joe be the one that seems to be stuck, in tough situation, in his marriage. Often, during this period, women suffered from the abuse of their husbands and expected to keep the marriage together regardless. However, Joe is clearly the one being abused in this story. He also is the only one who cares enough, about the marriage, to try and keep it together. He does this by enduring the abuse of Mrs. Joe.

Through love, Joe shows the audience that he is not just a very timid man, but a whole-hearted man. Truly, it takes a loving man to stay in love with such a woman as Mrs. Joe. Sadly no kissing ever took place between Joe and Mrs. Joe (much less childbirth), and it becomes clear to the reader that the relationship between Joe and Mrs. Joe is a very "one-way" relationship. It would seem that Joe cares for Mrs. Joe, though Mrs. Joe never once seems to show a bit of compassion for Joe. Illustration of this can be seen in Mrs. Joe's numerous derogatory references to being married to "a lowly blacksmith" (author?s last name and page #). Surely, after Mrs. Joe dies, Joe reflects upon how he was treated and what he will do differently in the future. With Mrs. Joe gone, a piece of Joe's life is again freed up and can slowly be reclaimed, making him into a stronger person. Eventually marrying Biddy makes it apparent that Joe is changed, as Biddy seems more the feminine, quiet, traditional girl, in comparison to Mrs. Joe.

Mrs. Joe represents the semi-aristocracy that oppresses Joe and Pip. She continually threatens Joe and Pip with bodily harm, pushing Joe and Pip together under a common oppression. Just as the aristocracy ridicules Pip through Estella and Joe through Pip. A pair of nurturing parents supposedly fills the home life, however, in this book, the home serves as sort of a more common world. The social structure and events that take place within the house echo all the rest of the events in the book: from the theft of the file and food and Pips first feelings of guilt, to Mrs. Joe's oppression of her husband and little brother.

Finally, Joe first sought this relationship with such an overbearing character because he has always needed someone to make his decisions for him. He did not used to suffer under such abuse, I assume, although he has always been clumsy both physically and mentally. Examples of this are his general timidity to confrontation and his occasional stumbling over items, especially when trying to act in the presence of Pip when he is a gentleman. Joe's speech and use of words illustrate his plainness and accent Pip's aristocracy. Decisions never came easily for Joe and he would much rather someone else make them for him. Being uneducated, Joe never felt sure of himself or believed that he could make an appropriate decision. When asking for Mrs. Joe's hand in marriage, it can be assumed that Mrs. Joe did everything, short of buying the wedding ring herself, to make the marriage a reality. So, Mrs. Joe essentially created Joe to be the character that he allowed himself to be.

With the slow death of Mrs. Joe, Joe reclaimed his life from his earlier insecurity. Mrs. Joe's importance in tying Joe to Pip made the relationship between the two significantly more believable, and without her, the great expectation of this book would never have been met.