Joe Takes Care of Pip

After the death of Magwitch, Pip falls ill and is also taken away to prison. However, he is allowed to leave because of his health. When Pip finally feels a little better, he finds himself with Joe, who is taking care of him through his illness. Even though Pip has treated Joe terribly throughout the book, Joe continue to help Pip with whatever he needs, showing how great Joe's love for Pip is and also how strong his character is. They finally connect with each other, and it is no longer akward for them to have a conversation. Pip is going to become a commoner again, and his arrogance is almost completely gone, making him treat Joe much better. Joe and Pip were the strongest of friends and family at the beginning of the book, and now, they find themselves returning to that situation again, as Joe talk about and catch up on news back in Pip's old town. Pip learns that Miss Havisham has died and also that Orlick tried to rob Pumblechook and has been put in jail. Although Joe loves Pip, there is not that complete sense of family yet as he still adresses Pip with the title sir, incase Pip will get mad again. Pip has gone through a cycle in his life, of first starting from humble beginnings, but with great character and then rising to power, while losing his character, and then going back to being a commoner again, with his morals getting back to how high they were before. Pip's relationship with Joe does this as well, starting out great, almost losing contact, and then becoming friends again and it seems as they will become family again soon. This book and Pip's life is an example of life itself has really taught me much about real life and situations that could come in my life too. It has been a great experience learning about this amazing novel and has just been a great read.

The Death of Magwitch

After his incident with Havisham, Pip finds out that Compeyson wants to track Magwitch down and turn him in. Pip finds a note from an anonymous person that talks about Uncle Provis, Magwitch's nickname, and tells Pip to go to the marshes alone. The anonymous person turns out to be Orlick, who has always had a conflict with Pip since they were both blacksmiths. Orlick admits that he was the one who killed Mrs. Joe, but says that it was Pip's fault, then they proceed to fight. Suddenly, Pip is becoming more tolerant of Magwitch and does not want to see Magwitch get hurt. Although Pip will still not take Magwitch's money, he realizes that Magwitch wanted to help Pip and change his life, and might get killed doing it. Even though Pip's morals have dropped so low, they are still not at the point that he does not care about Magwitch's life. Pip and Magwitch try to row a boat out of London after more people are close to finding out about Magwitch. They make it through the first night, but after that, they encounter another boat with Compeyson on it. Magwitch gets up to fight Compeyson, who is drowned, although Magwitch claims that he did not do it. Nevertheless, he is arrested and taken away. At the trial, Magwitch is found guilty. Pip tries to comfort Magwitch in the last hours of his life by saying that his long lost daughter, Estella, is the girl that Pip loves and that she is in good hands. Magwitch is hanged and dies peacefully free of any burden. Suprisingly, Pip feels a huge loss and it is at this point that Pip realizes that Magwitch spent most of the latter part of his life trying to make Pip a gentleman and make Pip's dreams come true. In this part of the novel, Pip's morals are coming back to where they were at the beginning as he starts to become less arrogant and more down to earth. Also, this is the part where Pip being a gentleman finally ends, as now with no money and no fortune, there is no way he could possibly be a gentleman and now, he needs to find a way to get money like an average person again.

Havisham Realizes Her Mistakes

After finding out that his benefactor is Magwitch, a convict of a low social class, Pip feels even more that he is not good enough for Estella. So, he goes to see Estella and Miss Havisham for the last time. When he arrives, he tells Havisham that he had all along thought that she was the benefactor, and she admits that she had done this on purpose, and that she had also made Pip think that Estella and him were meant to be together. This is when Pip tells Estella that he loves her, and always has, but Estella returns with the harsh news that she will marry Drummle. She also says that she never let Pip believe that she wanted to marry him or even loved him, which is true, because Estella has always acted coldy towards Pip and she acted like nothing more than a friend. It was all in Pip's mind that he thought that they would get married. Afterwards, Havisham realizes what she has done and the mistake that she has made in continuing to let Pip believe that he would marry Estella. She sees now the distress that Pip is in as his heart is broken by the only woman that he loved his entire life. Havisham breaks down saying "What have I done?" referring to what she has caused Pip. She can relate to this because as a young woman, she had her heart broken too and she knows how horrible it feels. Furthermore, she now knows that her entire life after she was stood up at the alter has been a waste. She wanted revenge so badly that she did not care who it was on, as long as it was someone of the male sex, but now she knows that this is wrong and that Pip has nothing to do with Compeyson, the man who stood her up and also the second convict, and should not take the blame. Havisham offers to help Pip with whatever he needs, and he asks her for money to help Herbert start his business. then, she tells him the story of how she adopted Estella and that Compeyson is her father. All the characters are becoming connected now, ad the novel comes to an exciting end.

Where does Pip turn to now?

Magwitch continues to live with Pip for several days, with each day causing Pip to dislike him more. When Herbert comes back, Pip asks him about what to do with his predicament. They decide that it would be best that Pip not use Magwitch's money. This shows Pip's arrogance has become of an extreme extent, and even though Magwitch's money is just as good as anyone else's money, Pip thinks that it is tainted or not good anymore because Magwitch is not a gentleman himself, and a convict. The situation that Pip is in is very ironic as Magwitch wanted to do good for Pip by giving him money and making a gentleman, but the money has corrupted Pip and turned him into a much worse person; so by intending to do good for Pip, Magwitch actually did bad for him. He was in the position that many parents are in: they want to give their children whatever their children want to make them happy, but at the same time, they do not want to spoil their cihldren by giving them too much. Magwitch was the parent that spoiled Pip, and as a result, because all of Pip's money was given to him and he didn't have to work for it, he did not learn the true value of the money and the good moral values that came with working hard for the money. Once Herbert and Pip decide that Pip will will not use Magwitch's money, Pip is stuck in a very odd predicament. He now has no money whatsoever; he has no skills to make money with, and no land to get money from. Nor does he have anyone to turn to because he will not be able to live in London if he is not a gentleman, nor will he be able to live with Joe and Biddy because of how harshly he has treated them over the years. In addition, he cannot go with Mrs. Havisham because the fact that Magwitch was the benefactor means that she did not mean for Pip and Estella to be married after all. The situation that Pip is in right now is caused all because of his low ethics. He will not take the money because he thinks that he is better than Magwitch. Also, he though that he was better that Joe and Biddy, so he stopped communicating and visiting them. What will Pip do?

It's the Convict, not Havisham

The years pass and Pip has not much going on in his life now. He continues to try and pursue Estella, but it seems as if he is getting less and less important to her now, and he still has not visited Joe and Biddy as often as he would like to. His closest friend is still Herbert Pocket and now that Pip has become of age, he has decided to help Herbert out and get him into the merchant business. Pip has just recently received a huge sum of money because he has turned twenty-one years old and uses it for that because Herbert has helped Pip ever since Pip had arrived in London, teaching him to be gentleman and also living together. One dark, stormy night, an old man enters Pip's house and greets him, it is Pip's convict, from all the way at the beginning of the novel. He introduces himself as Abel Magwitch, and at first Pip does not understand what he is doing there. But, slowly, Magwitch reveals himself and makes known to Pip that it was he all along, and not Miss Havisham that was the secret benefactor. He had made all the money in Australia, where he was exiled and had sent it to Pip to become a gentleman because of the kindess Pip had shown him as a young boy. Magwitch also tells Pip that he is not supposed to be in London and that if he is caught, he will be hung and all of his fortune will be lost. Pip is completely in a state of shock as he was almost sure that Miss Havisham was his benefactor and he was meant to marry Estella. Now, he figures out that this was not so and that he was chasing a dream all this time. In addition, he also feels repulsed that it was the convict's money and he does not want it anym0re because he thinks that it has been tainted in some way. Meanwhile, Magwitch thinks that Pip will be very happy about this news. Although he says that he did it because of how Pip treated him, he actually most likely made Pip a gentleman because he wants a future, and he knows that he has no future himself, so he had to make something good out of the closest person to him, who happened to be Pip.

The Death of Mrs. Joe

While Pip is with Estella in London, he receives news that Mrs. Joe has passed away. Even though Pip has grown farther and farther apart from his old life, he still feels great sorrow over her death. She was a very important character early on in the book until she got brain damaged. Although she was very strict, it was because of her in the beginning that Pip remained with such good morals before he went to London as he was brought up by hand. Even though the way she treated him was not the best, Pip still felt thankful for what she did for him and loved her early on in the book. Now, he still feels some of the thankfullness towards her, although not his much, and this prompts him to return home. Pip has lost much of his high morals and ethics, but not all of it and still goes home to see his dead sister. When he returns to his home town, he also sees Joe and Biddy again, but the connection between them is still not there. It is at this point that Pip finally realizes how much he has alienated his former family and how badly he has mistreated them. He leaves intending to visit more often, showing that he still retains a lot of the moral values that he was taught at an early age by Mrs. Joe and Joe.

Look at me Estella, I'm a Gentleman

When Joe comes to London, he delivers the news that Estella has went back to the Satis House from her training, which causes Pip to want to go back to his old home town, to both visit Estella and also try and better relationships with Biddy and Joe. However, when he finally goes and visits Estella, he is shocked to see that him being a gentleman has had no effect on Estella's opinion of him and she remains uninterested in him. In fact, she tells Pip that she cannot remember much of him in the past and that he meant nothing to her. However, Pip continues to pursue her. Later, he spends time in London with her, he is treated as an escort and not a serious suitor. He is shocked to find out that Drummle is now courting her and when he confronts Estella about this, she tells him that he is the only suitor that she does not want to deceive. This answer does not seem to satisfy Pip though, and now he think that he is even less important to Estella. In addition, it leaves him in anguish because the entire reason that he wanted to be of a higher social class, the entire reason that he moved to London to become a gentleman, was because he wanted to impress Estella, and now that it is not working, he has no idea what to do.

Joe comes to London

Pip continues his training as a gentleman as time passes and soon develops the mindset of a gentleman as well. He is innocent personality turns into arrogance as now he thinks that he is better than all the common people, including Joe and Biddy, and of what he once was. He looks down on those people now and his moral values of compassion and love are diminished greatly at this point in the book. When Joe comes to London to see Pip, they have a very akward conversation that does not go smoothly. Pip seems annoyed at Joe because he does not want Drummle to look down on him as Joe is very common. This shows that Pip cares more about raising his social status now than caring about his old family that once took care of him. He is becoming the exact part of Estella that he hated and the part of her that made him unable to connect with her. His arrogance is too great now that Joe is unable to connect with him and after all those years of building friendship with each other, their relationship is shattered and Pip is unwilling to mix his old life and his new life with each other.

The Story of Miss Havisham

Miss Havisham is a very important character in Great Expectations, and upon arriving in London, Pip is told the story of her life by Herbert Pocket, his new friend and living partner. Up until this point, Miss Havisham was the elderly old lady that acted as a mother to Estella and constantly tells Estella to break mens' hearts. Now we learn the reason why this is. As a young woman, Miss Havisham fell in love with a young man and trusted her entire life to him. The young man, who was of a lower social class than she was, convinced her to buy his brother's brewery, which he intended to run. They were set to get married on Havisham's birthday and Havisham was already at the already waiting for him to come. But the young man never showed up and instead sent a note which Havisham saying that he did not intend to come. Havisham was devestated and could never get over the heart break and the sorrow of being left at the alter on her wedding day. So she locked herself up in her huge mansion, the Satis House, and never did go out since that day. Sometime later, she adopted Estella, and since she could not get revenge on the single young man that broke her heart, she resolved to get revenge on the entire male sex and encourages Estella to just that. She also intends to do this to Pip, who thinks that they are still set up to be married. Now, Pip is in the perfect position to have his heart broken, just like Miss Havisham all those years ago.

A New Life in London

Jaggers arramges for him and Pip to go to London, a city that Pip expects to be grand and full of new opportunities. Instead, he is disappointed by the stench and filth of the city, but is still eager to begin his training as a gentleman. He soon learns that Jaggers is a very important lawyer in London with many clients. Pip meets Wemmick, Jaggers' clerk, who seems very cynical at first, but later seems very lively in different situations. The most important character that Pip meets upon arriving in London is Herbert Pocket, who Pip asks to teach him how to be a gentleman, and they decide to live together after a pleasant dinner in which Herbert teaches Pip many table manners. Herbert is the son of Matthew Pocket, who becomes Pip's tutor and also likes Pip much, but does not have much power because he is constantly oblivious to what goes on around him. Pip quickly adjusts to his new surroundings and he establishes a new life for himself in London with a who new group of people.

Pip's dreams are going to come true!

Years pass as Pip being Joe's apprentice until one day, he goes to the Pip and sees Mr. Wopsle reading about a murder trial. A large lawyer dressed in dark clothes starts to question Wopsle about the details of the trial and Pip soon recongnizes him from the Satis House. Pip walks home with the lawyer, named Jaggers, who informs Pip that he will receive a large some of money from an unknown benefactor, and he will move to London to start learning how to be a gentleman, as long as Joe is ok with it. Joe lets Pip go and is happy that Pip is finally getting what he wanted. This decision by Joe truly shows how much love he has for Pip; that even though he wants to live with Pip and make Pip a blacksmith, Pip wants to become a gentleman to become of a higher social class, so he lets Pip despite his own desires. Pip suspects that his benefactor is Miss Havisham, because he had seen Jaggers before at his house and he thinks that her reason is to set him and Estella up. Preparing to leave for London, he feels sorry for leaving Joe and Biddy, because once Mrs. Joe died, they were his family and his entire life surrounded them. He is both excited and sorrowful; excited because he finally has the opportunity to be a gentleman and impress Estella, but sorrowful because he is abandoning everything that he had known all his life and the only two people that loved him. He promises to still be close with Joe and Biddy and not forget about them, but once he gets to London, his relationship with them will only go south.

Apprentice to a Blacksmith

The days pass and Pip continues going to the Satis House doing what Miss Havisham wants him to do and also playing with Estella more. He thinks that one day, Miss Havisham intends to make him a gentleman and raise his social class. However, these thoughts are all for naught, as instead, one day, Miss Havisham brings up the point that he is old enough to become an apprentice for Joe and in an instant, he realizes to his horror that Miss Havisham never intended for him to become of a higher social class. In fact, Miss Havisham helps him fill out his apprenticeship papers and soon, he is an apprentice for Joe. Mrs. Joe and Joe take him out to celebrate, but deep down, Pip becomes even more unsatisfied with his life and is desparately wanting to become a gentleman. Pip begins work at Joe's forge and does that for many years along with Orlick, a fellow worker that Pip cannot get along with. Soon, Pip loathes his life, but keeps his feelings to himself because he does not want Joe to be hurt. Finally, Pip cannot take it anymore and visits the Satis House against Joe's advice only to find out that Estella has been sent away. On the way home after going to Pumblechook's, he sees Orlick and gets home to see that Mrs. Joe has been attacked and is now brain-damaged. Pip feels horrible for what happened to Mrs. Joe, and although she was very strict, Pip still loved her because she took care of him when there was no one else and made him into what he is now.

The Lies of Pip

Once Pip returns home from Miss Havisham's house, Mrs. Joe, Joe, and Mr. Pumblechook are all eager to know what happened at the Satis House and what Pip did. However, Pip is deeply ashamed of how he was treated there and puts the blame on himself for being of such a low social class and being insulted. In addition, he feels that Mrs. Joe and Pumblechook will both be disappointed if he tells them what really happened because they had great expectations of him to do well and get Miss Havisham to like him. So, Pip lies about what they did and makes up stories of playing with flags and swords instead of telling them what really happened. Suprisingly, Pumblechook backs Pip up on some of the parts of his story. This is a huge event in the novel as this marks the first time that Pip shows his morals diminishing due to society. Also, it shows the first time that Pip has ever been unsatisfied with his life and wants more. Up until this point in his life, although it may have not been the best life, Pip was happy with it, and did not realize that there was much more than what he had. Now, because of his interaction with a higher class, he wants what he cannot get in both Estella and being of a higher social class. This want and desire causes Pip to be ashamed of what he is and as a result he lies and his morals are weakened by society. Pip still shows somewhat high ethics as he instantly feels guilty about what he did and tells Joe what really happened, but this marks the beginning in a steep downward spiral until Pip has been completely corrupted by society.

"What coarse hands and thick boots he has!"

A great deal of time passes from when the convicts are caught, and Pip resumes his normal life with Mrs. Joe and Joe. Mrs. Joe is terribly strict to both Pip and Joe and gets angry over the smallest things, while Joe is a blacksmith and Pip's closest friend and mentor. Later on, Pip goes to Mr. Wopsle's school and learns how to read and write and receives a decent education. One day, Pip's uncle, Mr. Pumblechook, gives news that he has arranged for Pip to go play at the Satis House, owned by Miss Havisham, an affluent elder lady. When Pip arrives, he meets a girl, Estella, who lives at the Satis House and Pip takes a great liking to because of her beauty. She takes him to see Miss Havisham, who is a very mysterious looking woman that has not seen the sun in years. Strangely, Pip is not frightened by her, and is ordered to play with Estella. Although Pip shows affection toward Estella, she does the opposite to him, and mocks him about his low social status with insults about things that he had not even realized before, such has his coarse hands and thick boots. Still, Pip enjoys the company of Estella despite her coldness and learns a lot about the high social class. In his encounter with Estella and Miss Havisham, Pip uncovers a type of living that he did not even existed before, and suddenly because of this, he realizes how low of a social class he is, and becomes unsatisfied with his way of living, which seemed perfectly fine before.

"I'll have your heart and liver"

Great Expectations, by literary master Charles Dickens, starts when we are introduced to the protagonist of the novel, Pip. The first scene of the novel is when Pip goes to the graveyard to see the tombstones of his deceased parents. He is interrupted when he sees a frightening man who demands a file, a drink, and some food from Pip and threatens to eat Pip's heart and liver. Also, the man, who is convict, threatens that there is another man, also a convict, who is younger and much meaner than he is and will get Pip if Pip doesn't bring what he wants. Pip is terrified and although he feels very guilty about stealing from Mrs. Joe, this guilt is overcome by his fear of the convict. Pip brings all of the items that the convict wants and the convict is satisfied. However, when Pip finds out the police are after the convict, Pip fears for the convict's safety and does not want the convict to be caught. But, in the end, the convict is caught with the police getting help from Joe, Pip's fatherly figure, and Pip witnesses the convicts getting arrested after fighting with each other. At this point in the novel, Pip is a young boy who, although poor, has very strong morals of kindness and compassion for others, which he displays in his encounter with the convict. Although it does not seem like it until a while later in the book, this scene is one of the most important in the entire novel as the convict will come back later to become a major character in the book. Furthermore, Pip's character is established by Dickens as an innocent child who does not know too much about the world yet and will believe anything that he is told. This important because later on in the novel, his character will drastically change and will be corrupted by the evils of society.