Characters in mr pip
- 1. • The epigraph to Mister Pip reads "characters migrate." It is attributed to Umberto Eco. Characters migrate in literal and metaphorical ways. Pip travels beyond the confines of Great Expectations into the developing consciousness within Matilda, but Mr. Watts and Matilda also literally travel from one destination to another. This kind of exposure to other perspectives challenges the blockade of communication that was placed on the Bougainville residents during the civil war.
- 2. Character Profiles You should be making about each character as you read the novel. Include quotations and page references where possible. Make notes on: • your first impressions of the character • relationships with others • status/job • beliefs • strengths and flaws • any other notable language used by the author to describe the character • whether your impressions of the character change as the novel progresses.
- 3. Matilda Laimo • Enthralled by Mr Watts’ reading of Great Expectations • We follow her journey to independence and adulthood. • Matilda is positioned between her mother who rejects the ‘white world’ and her absent father who is very much part of that world • She is very similar to Dolores – they are both strong characters bent on the truth – they have normal teenage girl-mother conflicts as she seeks to establish her independence • She develops a very close bond with the fictional ‘Pip’ because she draws parallels between his life and hers • Matilda is a strong character, she survives the brutal murder of her mother and by the end of the novel, has grown into a confident woman (probably largely due to Mr Watts’ introduction to ‘Great Expectations’)
- 4. Joseph Laimo (Matilda’s father) • Learn about him from Matilda • He is essential to Matilda’s sense of identity and provides a bridge between the ‘white world’ and the island culture. • Leaves for Australia
- 5. Mr Watts • Mr Watts is a complex character in the novel. Just as Matilda finds that her opinion of him changes throughout the tale, the reader too has to re-evaluate him. • He is seen as a ‘saviour’ because he wants to protect the children from the war and give them something positive to dream about, “I want this to be a place of light…No matter what happens”. • In the final telling, his performance keeps the rambos off the “jungle juice” and so, protects the villagers – ironically, his greatest performance also leads to his death as the rambos identify him as ‘Pip’ and he is executed. • Matilda recalls her memory of Mr Watts, “I never saw him once with a machete – his weapon was a story.”
- 6. Dolores – Proud, religious, stubborn and hypocritical – she thinks that she is “too strong” and that she has driven her husband away “…she had the blood of the righteous running in her veins…” - She draws strong resemblance to Miss Havisham (for whom time stood still after being betrayed by a man) “My mum didn’t smile enough…she appeared to be angry much of the time.” Matilda - Sees everything from a simple and moral point of view – she struggles to maintain her cultural and religious beliefs by imposing them on Matilda and the other children, “She thought she could bully us into knowing what she did.” Matilda - She hides the book and this act is the catalyst for all the subsequent atrocities and later her own death - In the end, she redeems herself by being, “God’s witness”, she dies in a machete execution and is chopped up and fed to the pigs after being raped. She displays courage in the face of evil and sacrifices herself in order to save her daughter.
- 7. Grace Grace is a mysterious character in the novel. She reveals very little about herself, but the reader gradually learns about her from Mr Watts, the islanders and other revelations.