In the novel Great Expectations, one of Pip’s greatest drops along his tragic fall is the sluice gate visit with Orlick. This scene clearly portrays the bizarre motives Orlick had for killing Pip. Although Orlick may have been suffering from more of the influence of alcohol on his mind than the influence his mind itself had on his actions, this is Dickens’s way of showing the world that when one person rises, another falls. Any time a gain is made, the opposite takes a fall just as great.
Orlick’s motive for killing Pip solidifies this, as the only thing Orlick had against Pip was that he took his job in the forge. Pip rose into a position in the forge through being close to Joe, as well as being a hard worker and being more trustworthy than Orlick. When Pip rose, the one who had to fall was Orlick. This was amplified when Pip rose to the rank of gentleman. When this happened, Orlick was more angry than ever, with everyone looking up to Pip, and in doing so down on him, the town tramp, the low-life.
Orlick finally had his shot at revenge for how far down Pip inadvertently shoved him, and he snapped it up like a demented, rabid dog on death’s threshold. The alcohol was his rabies, and through his dementia he was shown a final truth: When people looked up to Pip, they threw all those below them down further to catch him. And the target of all the pushing down was none other than Orlick.