I could hardly have imagined dear old Joe looking so unlike himself or so like some extraordinary bird; standing as he did speechless, with his tuft of feathers ruffled, and his mouth open as if he wanted a worm.
– Charles Dickens
Great Expectations, Chapter 13. Joe’s awkwardness and embarrassment are evident when Miss Havisham questions him in Satis House, asking if he is the husband of the sister of the boy Pip. Joe is there to arrange or Pip’s apprenticeship, but feels terribly out of place in the upper class Gothic mansion. This is emphasized by Pip’s simile likening Joe to a ruffled bird with mouth open wanting a worm.