Compare and contrast Joe and Mrs. Joe Gargery in terms of appearance and behavior.

Joe Gargery and his wife, Georgiana, generally referred to as Mrs. Joe, are presented as very different in almost every way. Joe is a paragon of virtue. A hard-working blacksmith, he is devoted to his craft, his wife, and Pip. Dickens describes him as fair in coloring, with flaxen curls that surround a “smooth face” (chapter 2). While Joe knows that his wife is unkind, he feels that it is his responsibility to care for her, both through his affection—which he understands that she needs—and via supporting her and their household financially. Joe, who serves as a father figure to Pip, remains his steadfast friend even when the youth turns into a thoughtless snob, as he trusts that his true nature will resurface. After his first wife dies, Joe marries Biddy, who is much more like him in temperament.
Georgiana Maria Gargery, Pip’s sister, is twenty years older than him. Mrs. Joe's appearance offers a contrasts to Joe’s, as she is “not a good-looking woman.” Her hair is black, and her skin tends to be red. She is a volatile person who easily loses her temper. In general, she finds fault with her husband about everything. At one point, she physically assaults Pip. Her personality and behavior clash with Orlick, Joe’s assistant, who finally kills her with a hammer.