Mrs. Joe
In Great Expectations, an adult Pip, narrates a scene that he witnessed as a young boy. He describes watching his sister, Mrs. Joe beat her husband, Joe. Her assault on Joe was described as her knocking his head against the wall, while Pip sits in the corner watches Joe's struggle.“By this time my sister was quite desperate, so she pounced on Joe, and, taking him by the two whiskers, knocked his head for a little while against the wall behind him: while I sat in the corner, looking guiltily on.” From the way that Pip describes this situation, we can infer that Mrs. Joe is not a calm, gentle women, but rather an abusive, shrew-like women. At this point in time, historically, women were not given the same legal rights, and did not have the same social standing in the society as men did. Resulting from this sexist discrimination, and Mrs. Joe's desire to be a powerful women, it could be possible that she is taking her anger out, on Joe. There are other experiences narrated by Pip, where she is abusive towards himself. In their household, it seems that Mrs. Joe feels that she has the control, that she has power. This is what she has always craved, and desired. Mrs. Joe's power in her house balances out the lack of power, and rights she has in the real world, outside of the home.
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