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Mrs. Joe is Pip’s older sister by twenty years, and Joe’s wife. Pip exclusively refers to her as “Mrs. Joe” throughout the novel, a detail that reveals the gender constraints of Victorian England because it illustrates the way Mrs. Joe is defined by her husband. Though not a sympathetic character, Mrs. Joe’s lack of a first name suggests that even a woman as strong-willed as Mrs. Joe must adhere to social mores.
Mrs. Joe is a stern, overbearing, and tyrannical figure both to her brother and her husband, and she is the governing figure of the section of the novel dedicated to Pip’s childhood. She keeps a spotless household and frequently menaces Pip and Joe with her cane, which she calls “Tickler.” She also forces them to drink a foul-tasting concoction called tar-water. As the reader gets to know Mrs. Joe, it becomes clear that her cruelty towards Pip and Joe is rooted in resentment. She is angry that she had to raise Pip after their parents died and she is angry that Joe is only a lowly blacksmith. She repeatedly holds both Pip and Joe accountable for her miserable existence and dramatically compares herself to a slave that is never given a break. Mrs. Joe’s resentment is symbolized by her apron, a universal indicator of labor and hard work, which she never takes off.
Mrs. Joe is also important because her character introduces a key theme in the text. Dissatisfied with their humble life, she is overjoyed in Chapter 7 when Uncle Pumblechook says that Miss Havisham has expressed an interest in Pip, as such a connection might make Pip’s fortune and allow their family to climb the socioeconomic ladder. Mrs. Joe’s ambitious response to Uncle Pumblechook’s news introduces ideas of social class and social improvement which will ultimately become the novel’s dominant themes.
