Hercules

“...a sort of Hercules in strength, and also in weakness.” (Page 7)

Hercules is considered by many to be the most famous of Greek heroes. According to myth, Hercules was born to the Greek god, Zeus, and a mortal woman. When Zeus' wife, Hera, discovered Hercules, she did all she could to do away with him. However, she was unsuccessful with killing the infant and thus vowed to make the remainder of his life miserable. Despite this, Hercules became incredibly strong and overcame many of the hurtles thrown at him. Dickens describes Joe as having Hercules-like characteristics because Joe is a brute of a man having worked most of his life in the forge. Although Hercules is known for his strength, several of the challenges he faced in life exposed his weaknesses including his desire to die due to the excruciating pain he received after being poisoned. Dickens does not attribute Joe with this type of weakness, but instead characterizes him as being sensitive, especially with personal affairs such as when his wife is seriously injured and when Pip leaves his apprenticeship.

"The Life and Times of Hercules." Perseus Digital Library. Web. 02 Jan. 2010. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/bio.html.

Hercules. Digital image. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/06/115106-004-52333086.jpg.