As Pip and Wemmick become better acquainted Wemmick communicates a distinction between his "Walworth sentiments" and his "official sentiments." There is a difference between the advice he gives Pip while they are speaking in a "private and personal" capacity at the castle, and the official advice he will give Pip while they are at the office in Little Britain. It is Wemmick's personal life, not his professional life, that engenders Pip’s respect. In chapter 47, Pip says "If I had never known him out of Little Britain, and had never enjoyed the privilege of being on a familiar footing at the castle, I might have doubted him."
This is a valuable lesson. Although Jaggers is "a thousand times better informed and cleverer" than Wemmick, Pip trusts Wemmick and turns to him for guidance. Dickens’ recognizes that it is important to have a work/life balance. Jaggers has no Aged, he has nothing and nobody to help "unbend his brows."
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It is so important to have that balance. If not, I think most people would go crazy. I am grateful that I have those people in my life to help "unbend" my brows.
ReplyDeleteDickens hit on something here that is huge! I firmly believe there should be not only a balance but even a separation of work and personal life. I have worked with and even for people that have a very difficult time separating the two and it makes working with/for them so hard! People that bring their home life to work with them or make decisions based on what they feel rather than what is best for the business make the work environment so hard on those that work with them.
ReplyDeleteWemmick is such a together character. He decided early on that he was going to separate his home life from his work life and he's brilliant at it. Wemmick is so great at separating the two that he almost becomes two different people! Absolutely amazing!
Do you think there is anyway to get people to understand that importance and try to get them to be more like Wemmick?