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Pip s new life as an apprentice is disturbed only by his annual visits to Miss Havisham. Soon thereafter, Pip becomes aware of Biddy. Her appearance has changed and now she is cleaner and fresher not beautiful like Estella, but wholesome and sweet-tempered. On a long Sunday walk to the marshes, Pip confides to Biddy I want to be a gentleman (Dickens 131). Pip reveals that he has particular reasons for wanting to be a gentleman, namely Estella. Biddy gives him the sensible advice that it s not worth changing his ways to spite Estella, and that if he has to change himself to win her, then she is not worth winning. Pip realizes that Biddy is a good woman, and that at any given moment Estella is fully capable of making Pip miserable. In fact, Pip tells Biddy, If I could only get myself to fall in love with you (Dickens 134). But you never will, you see replies Biddy (Dickens 134). Pip knows that however much Pip should love Biddy he doesn t, and for good reason: she, like the forge world, is good, but only good. She can t dream. Michael Cotsell points out that the forge provides Pip with simple faith and clear home wisdom, but he needs more in life, and we applaud his reaching out, however inadequately the world rewards the reaching out, however insistently the older Pip characterizes the reaching out as vanity (Cotsell 177).

Pip s expectations dazzle him. He does not realize for quite sometime how Miss Havisham toyed with him, he believes her to be his good angel, the answer to his prayers. Nor does he perceive the true worth of Biddy who has taught him much and who takes care of him and Joe. To Pip love is simply proof of his folly, and is the constant target of his best mocking irony. He says to Biddy, If I could only get myself to do it [fall in love with her], that would be the thing for me (Dickens 134). Pip knows that if he falls in love with Biddy he could get Estella out of his head, and when he sees things clearly, he knows that Biddy is immeasurably better than Estella (Dickens 158). When Pip chooses to turn away from Biddy and the forge it is a rejection of goodness, instead Pop chooses Estella and becoming a gentleman. At the end of the novel Estella marries a man named Drummle who she marries for his social status and wealth and he ends up abusing her. Despite Drummle s unsympathetic qualities he is highly instrumental in humanizing Estella. Drummle and Estella s marriage exemplifies a marriage based on only social aspects rather than love or emotion, proving to be an unsuccessful one.

On the other hand, courtship is expressed through Biddy and Joe during the novel. After Mrs. Joe, Pip s sister, who raised him by hand (Dickens 27) Joe falls in love with Biddy. Biddy and Joe s relationship is one that is based on companionship and they ended up finding a good marriage on their own. Joe married Mrs. Joe, but their marriage was not always a pleasant one. Perhaps Dickens is saying that when it comes to love, if at first we don t succeed, try and try again. When Pip arrives at the forge and finds out they are married he tells Biddy enthusiastically, you have the best husband in the whole world you couldn t love him better than you do (Dickens 434). When Pip greets Joe he says to him, you have the best wife in the whole world, and she will make you happy as ever you deserve to be (Dickens 435).

Biddy and Joe are seen as being archetypes of Christian passivity; they endure everything cheerily, and it is in fact, Pip s unwillingness to devote his life to such mere endurance, which makes him great, and dangerous. For Pip, he was unable to find happiness like Biddy and Joe and what was his greatest crime? Michael Cotsell points out that Pip s greatest crime was, simply the fact that Pip loved too grandly, despite failure of the women to deserve it; to aspire, despite society s failure to provide anything worth aspiring to; and to dream, despite the fact that in our society dreams equate to monetary value (Costell 178).

Thus, in conclusion, through the eyes and worlds of both Austen and Dickens courtship is addressed in an array of ways. Both the authors seem to believe that love cannot be handed to you on a silver platter and love can never be perfect. Marriages aren t perfect and love can often be filled with trials and tribulations. Austen and Dickens both seem to believe that in marriage you must learn through experience. None of the characters are experts in love and therefore, their mistakes should be seen as learning experiences. As seen in both novels marriage means different things to different people. In the case of the Bennets in Pride and Prejudice, the series of events which Elizabeth and Darcy both experienced gave them the opportunity to understand one another and the time to reconcile their feelings for each other. Thus, their mutual understanding is the foundation of their relationship and will lead them to a peaceful and lasting marriage. The relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy reveals the importance of getting to know one s partner before marrying. For Jane and Bingely Austen seems to assert the idea that in order to love someone you much look beyond their social class and seek true happiness in your love for one another. In Great Expectations courtship is revealed through Biddy and Joe who find true happiness by just looking next to them. Biddy and Joe developed a strong friendship and their compassion and love for one another makes their marriage a good one. For Estella and Drummle, their marriage was a mistake from the beginning. Possibly the only good thing to come out of it was that Estella may have learned her lesson and became more human as opposed to the young girl with a heart as cold as ice as Miss Havisham had taught her to be. Estella and Drummle s marriage indicates that a marriage based solely on social class and position

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