In Great Expectations, the main character of the story was Pip. Some of the negative influences that Pip faces include poverty, low self-esteem, abuse, fear, and lack of love. The poverty that Pip endured may have been the cause of his low self-esteem, as well as the influence of Estella. Estella influenced Pip by calling him a “common boy,” with “rough hands.”
The abuse that Pip suffered from his sister may have also contributed to his lack of self-esteem, as well as the lack of love. An example of Pip being abused was when his sister beat him into telling her what she wanted. Pip’s abuse also contributed to his fear of authority figures (i.e. his sister).

Another challenge that Pip was forced to face was that of a convict that he had helped in the beginning of the story; a convict had threatened his life out of a want for food, and Pip brought him food that he had stolen from his kitchen. Pip was wary of helping the convict; after all, he had threatened his life! This nagged at him, but in the end, the convict proved to be a great positive influence; his benefactor. Also, his compassion and love for Estella proved to be a positive as well as negative influence. Pip’s desire for Estella guided him in becoming a “gentleman”; this is an example of existentialism; the belief that any individual assumes the responsibility of their existence, allowing them to control their own destiny. The real influence in his becoming a gentleman was in fact, ironically, the convict; the convict financed his change, while Estella only fueled his desire; without one or both of these essential influences, I believe that Pip would not have become a “gentleman;” although Joe was a good influence, with Estella on his back, he did not realize this. Pip’s change was in response to Estella, he “learned” that he was just a common boy, and thus could be considered both behaviorism and existentialism, while at the same time part of Freudian psychology , because of his love/hatred for common life, and his love/hatred for Estella.

I believe that Pip was able to overcome all of the challenges that faced him by making friends and learning from them. Pip also had a desire to do the right thing all along, but was clouded by the influence of abuse, and other negatives. He also learned to please people as part of behaviorism; he told/did what his sister wanted as a result of physical abuse. In the end however, he learns that he was a gentleman all along.

The next novel that we read, Les Misérables, is about a man named Jean Valjean, in the time before the French Revolution. Valjean had just been released from prison at the beginning of the story, and had been in jail for the previous nineteen years because of stealing bread and subsequent escape attempts.

After being released from prison, Jean is refused shelter everywhere, because of his yellow passport, the yellow being a warning that he was an ex-convict. After being refused at several places, and even a barn, Jean decides to sleep on a stone bench, but is guided to the Bishop of Digne. The kind bishop gives him shelter, but he does not act as kind as the bishop; Jean steals the Bishop’s silver, and knocks the Bishop out before leaving. This is an example of behaviorism; a response to being imprisoned; he learned to hate while in prison, he gained a hatred and anger towards the French population. After being arrested, the Bishop turns the tables and says that Jean is innocent; that the silver was a gift. This is perhaps the first time that someone has been kind to Jean, and the Bishop turns out to be his first positive guide/role model; a positive influence in the form of a friend. This could also be interpreted as a way for Jean to have some vengeance upon the French population for their lack of love or at acceptance of the poor.

After learning from his positive role model, the Bishop, Jean creates a new life for himself, under a new name, M. Madeline. Under this new name, he creates a factory, and gives the poor people jobs. After a while, a trial comes up, where a man is being charged under his name. At the same time however, a factory worker is struck ill after Jean saves her when he witnesses a shocking event of her being taunted and hurt. He then takes her in, but she grows even more ill. After this, he promises to fetch her daughter from the awful Thénardiers. He then testifies at the trial, this showing his change from “bad” to “good,” and rescues Cosette, the worker’s daughter, after escaping his arrest.

In the end, Jean Valjean proves himself a good person by releasing a police detective that had been tracking him. This change was caused by his reaction to the Bishop; behaviorism. This change also could have been in response to his love for Cosette; Existentialism.

In the third book, Wuthering Heights, we meet a character named Mr. Lockwood, who meets his proprietor, Heathcliff, and learns quite a bit about his intriguing family. He learns this from his housekeeper, who was a servant for the Earnshaw family for many years. She tells him about long ago, when Mr. Earnshaw brought in a little orphan boy, Heathcliff. Hindley, Mr. Earnshaw’s son, dislikes Heathcliff, but Catherine and Heathcliff become best friends. Hindley’s hatred for Heathcliff was brought on by Mr. Earnshaw’s protective attitude towards him. One day, Mr. Earnshaw died, and Hindley made Heathcliff into a servant, which created anger and hatred in Heathcliff. One day, when Heathcliff and Catherine were taking a walk, the neighbors’ dog bit Catherine; the neighbors, the Lintons helped Catherine, but Heathcliff was sent home in disgrace, creating a self-esteem problem. After Catherine returns, about five weeks later, she is a changed woman; she is a "lady.” Heathcliff resents this change, because he is sill dirty and ragged, while she has grown more ladylike. This change makes Heathcliff envious of Edgar Linton, a real gentleman in appearance. Later, Edgar proposes, and Catherine accepts, because she could not marry Heathcliff because of his “social situation.” Heathcliff hears this and leaves the countryside. They don’t hear from him and the wedding continues. Heathcliff then returns, and he marries Isabella Linton, because he wants revenge against the Lintons and would inherit all of their land by marrying into the family. Later, Heathcliff goes to see Catherine, but she later dies and leaves a daughter, Catherine II. Heathcliff is deeply saddened by the loss and begs Catherine to haunt him, a show of his love and compassion for her.

Six months later, Hindley dies, and Heathcliff owns all of the Earnshaw land. Hindley’s son, Hareton is penniless, and must depend on Heathcliff for everything. Later, Isabella trusts her son Linton to Edgar, but Heathcliff demands that Linton come to Wuthering Heights, the Earnshaw house, all par of his plan for vengeance against Edgar and the Linton family. Catherine visits Linton and soon, they become engaged. Edgar then dies, and Heathcliff demands Catherine II’s return to Wuthering Heights. In the end, in a final show of his need for love from Catherine and need for vengeance against Edgar and the Lintons, Heathcliff opens Catherine’s grave and wants to be buried next to her.

This story shows how strange scenarios and lack of good influence/good influences, can lead to someone horribly wrong. Heathcliff is just that, a man with no good influences turned evil by the negative influences, even though he started out good, this is precisely the opposite of the two previous stories.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anonymous. “Learn about Pavlov’s Dogs.” Pagewise, Inc. http://riri.essortment.com/pavlovdogs_oif.htm (17 March 2002)

Brontë, Emily. Wuthering Heights. New York: Dover Publications, 1996.

Freud, Sigmund. "Why War?” Introduction to Great Books. By Great Books

Foundation. Chicago: The
Great Books Foundation, 1990. 7-17.

Hugo, Victor. Les Misérables. New York: Fawcett Premier, 1997.