Question
How does Dickens present Joe Gargery as a moral figure in Great Expectations? Use the extract (Ch 57 — Joe nurses Pip) as a starting point. (30 marks)
Mark scheme guidance:
- Joe as the "true gentleman" — loyalty, honesty, selfless care.
- Joe's dialect and illiteracy are not ignorance but a different kind of intelligence.
- Pip's snobbery towards Joe in London (Chs 27–28) — dramatic irony: we see Pip's failure.
- The forge as moral place — honest work, skilled labour, community.
- Ch 57 nurse scene — Joe's grace under no obligation.
- Context: Dickens's critique of gentlemanliness; the working-class dignity debate; Dickens's own working-class childhood.
30 marks · take your time before peeking.
Sign up to try the next 30 problems
Save your streak, mark answers against the spec, and build a daily revision habit. Free during public beta — no card, no auto-renew.
Generated by TopMyGrade AI · cross-check official sources before relying on the mark-scheme phrasing.