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V.P

15- Great Expectations Redeemed...

Away from England, Pip has learned to make a modest living for himself by doing an honest day's work at the mercantile firm with Herbert. This was contrary to his gentlemanly ways of the fore. Eleven year's later Pip returns to England transformed into a man of honest means. His first endeavor is to seek out his childhood caretakers Biddy and Joe. Although he had sought to marry Biddy, he was taken aback to hear that Joe is now her husband and that they have a little boy named Pip. Though crestfallen, Pip feels honored that he is still held in esteem by Joe and Biddy and that they named their only son after him. To rekindle his memories with Estella he seeks to revisit the Satis House. He is dismayed to discover that the house does stand anymore. His longing for Estella is intense, and he envisions Estella in those surroundings. The unconscious mind meets the conscious, as Estella appears in the misty garden, almost like a dream. As Pip and Estella walked hand in hand reminiscing in the camouflage of the mist, the future seemed awash with possibilities and wonders.

Pip, a blacksmith, a gentleman, a modest employee in a mercantile firm, a boy with great expectations and a man thwarted in love and faith felt like that all these past events submerged into this one moment, the one moment as he walked hand and hand with Estella. Pip was finally at home...

14- Peace at last...

Pip and Herbert's plans to transport Magwitch are ready to begin. The pair set down on the river towards Clara's house to pick up Magwitch. They started to row down the marshes, and the rowing became harder, almost like a sign that things were about to take a drastic change. The group stays at a shady inn, and a servant there tells the group that he has seen an ominous boat that was hovering around the inn. Pip worries that either Compeyson or policemen have arrived, so the group decided that Pip and Magwitch should sneak out early the next morning and rejoin the boat further down the river. Making their way down the river, safety was in sight. A German steamer that Magwitch could use for cover, seemed like a beacon of escape. However the attempt to escape was foiled, when a rowboat appears. A policeman calls out for Magwitch's arrest, yet when he sees Compeyson in the other boat he is enraged. Magwitch hurls himself at Compeyson. In the water, they grapple and only Magwitch resurfaces. Magwitch cannot avoid being chained and imprisoned, but Pip promises to be by his side until the very end. In an effort to soothe and support Magwitch after his death sentence, he reveals to him that his long lost daughter, Estella, is alive and well. Even more so, Pip tells Magwitch that she is beloved to him.

A full circle is completed by Pip, who is able to offer peace to his benefactor, at his life's end of passage. For all that Magwitch had done for him, and for all the opportunities that he created for him, he was at least able to offer the dying man the solace that his daughter was not only still alive, but very dear to Pip.

13- Estella, The Truth...

Jaggers invites Pip to dinner one evening, and mentioned Estella's marriage to Drummle. While he announced this, Jaggers's housekeeper Molly walked in and Pip realized that she was the person whom he couldn't place and also the person who Estella resembles. It becomes all to clear to Pip that Molly is Estella's mother. This revelation immediately strikes Pip, because it now reveals clearly to him, Estella's true parentage. Estella's mother Molly, was a woman who has had a criminal background, and was accused of murdering another woman, who was allegedly involved with her husband. To further spite her husband, she was accused of trying to kill their only daughter to take revenge. Discovering this truth about Estella's past truly shocks Pip. In a conversation with Herbert, Pip also discovers that Magwitch, his very own convict, is Estella's father. These revelations come as a blow to Pip, whose ideas about Estella's distinctive background and lineage are smashed. What makes this situation ironic, is that Estella highly prides herself in being a lady of high pedigree!

12- "What have I done! What have I done!"

Ashamed that his rise to social prominence is on account of a convict, Pip feels that he really is now inadequate for Estella, and it is for this reason that he feels that it is necessary to leave her forever. After a bitter and unfriendly meeting with Drummle, Pip heads to the Satis House to see Miss Havisham and Estella one more time. Inside, Pip is furious at Miss Havisham for leading him on for so many years, and cultivating the idea that she was his patron. When Pip confronts her and tells her what she has done to him, Miss Havisham denies nothing, and initially shows no regret. Yet after many days, and another visit to her home, Miss Havisham bursts into tears and realizes what she has done. For Miss Havisham once knew how it felt to have her heart broken, and Pip needlessly felt the intense pain that she went through, even though he had done nothing to deserve it. Pip then turns to Estella and tells her that in case she has not noticed, he has loved her for a very long time. Estella, as cold and hard-hearted as ever, responds by telling Pip that she is incapable of loving anyone, and that Pip is the only man whom she never deceived. Estella even goes on to say that she plans on marrying Drummle. Even in Pip's rage, he still advises Estella to stay away from Drummle, because he is truly unfit for a lady like Estella. Pip lets go of all his emotions and feelings and tells Estella that she will never leave his mind, for she is all and everything he sees in the world.

11- When money loses it value...

So Pip is a gentleman, but is him are the means in which he achieved this status legitimate. This is the question that torments Pip every moment that he is with Magwitch, and even when he is by himself. Finally Pip and Herbert come to an agreement that Pip should not use anymore of Magwitch's money, and instead help Magwitch return safely to his home. What is strange about this situation, is that Pip would have most likely continued to spend money if Miss Havisham was his benefactor, but since Magwitch is from the criminal class, he quite possibly could have accumulated his fortune in dishonest ways.

The decision to not accept Magwitch's wealth anymore, is one that must have taken exceptional discipline and is truly reflective of Pip's honor and dignity. Because Pip refuses to inherit Magwitch's wealth, he will eventually lose his gentleman title, but at least he will make a living that he is truly proud of.

10- "And I promised, that if I ever got a guinea, that that guinea would go to you..."

Pip's twenty-first birthday had arrived along with it, Pip expected that the name of his benefactor would be revealed. When he visits Jaggers, he is met with a cold and brief response. Jaggers does not reveal to Pip the identity of his benefactor, but he instead he plainly tells Pip what his annual income will be, and that he was not responsible for Pip or his outcome anymore. All this suspense and mystery about Pip's benefactor only makes him even more certain that it is Miss Havisham, and that she would still wish to have Pip and Estella wed. Time passes, and Pip is now twenty-three years old. One night, during a thunderstorm, Pip hears heavy footsteps coming up his staircase. An old, ragged, sailor enters his home and warmly greets him, while Pip is still nervous about this man's identity. Then, Pip recognizes the man, he is the terrible, haunting convict whom Pip aided in the shivering marshes so so long ago. The convict, whose name is Magwitch, claims to have moved to Australia, where he tirelessly worked in the sheep ranching industry and accumulated a large fortune. Magwitch arranged that his wealth would be used to help Pip become a gentleman. There really is no milder way to put it, than Pip really was crestfallen, crushed and deceived. The convict, not Miss Havisham, is Pip's benefactor, which means that he was never meant to marry Estella at all. This realization is heart-wrenching for Pip, because he dedicated his life to gaining Estella's affection, and he dedicated his life to becoming a gentleman, even at the cost of losing a few of the people closest to his heart. In short, Pip's life is not what he had ever wished for, because the fulfillment of his hope of being raised to a higher social class turns out to be the work of a man from a class even lower than his own.

Pip feels disgust and disappointment, but he still helps the convict, and wants to protect him. This really marks the true inner goodness of Pip, and his sense of duty and loyalty is one that makes him such a remarkable person.

9- Mrs. Joe's Funeral

Pip really is surprised by the intensity of his emotion when he receives the news that Mrs. Joe has died. Perhaps more than anything else, Pip feels that he has lost all connection to his immediate family, and that now he is truly on his own. Pip's relationship with his sister, Mrs. Joe, was one that was very strained. Pip was constantly scolded and needlessly punished by his sister, who legitimized her actions by telling Pip that "she raised Pip by hand," after her mother passed away. Regardless, Pip still felt pain when Mrs. Joe was injured, because Pip is a loyal and forgiving person. At the funeral, Pip starts to feel an intense urge to find out who the attacker of Mrs Joe was. His first thought was Orlick, and he immediately starts to reprimand himself for not sending him away from the forge earlier. After the funeral, Pip promises to Joe and Biddy that he will visit more often. At this point, Pip really starts feel terrible for treating Joe and Biddy so snobbishly, and constantly narrates how much of a mistake it was to do so. Biddy is exceptionally skeptical of Pip's pledges to visit more often, and conveys her feelings to Pip. Pip answers as honestly as he could to Biddy, not wishing to hurt her further, and tells her that he really will visit more often. As Pip walks away into the mist the next morning, he is confident that he will try to visit Joe and Biddy more often.

After this event, Pip really begins to value the people who love him the most, and it is evident in the way that he sincerely told Biddy that he would be visiting more often. Yet the promises he can made to Biddy would be a challenge for Pip to uphold, and Pip knows this all too well. This event marks an important point in his maturation toward adulthood and the development of his character.

8- "I have no heart"

Pip traveled to the Satis House again, as if he battled all the odds and returned victorious. In Pip's eyes he felt that he is perfectly adequate for Estella, being fully trained in the ways of being a gentleman, and by having a large fortune to back it all up. Yet, when he finally met Estella he begins to feel horribly awkward, inadequate and clumsy. Estella was more beautiful and stunning than ever, and as a result made Pip feel as if he was a common boy again. But Pip, devoted as ever, walks beside her in the overgrown garden and nearly cries when Estella, decidedly more stiff than before, cannot even remember the old times when she fed him out in this same yard, times that are burned in Pip's memory. When Pip tried to remind Estella of all the events that meant so much to him, Estella simply said "You meant nothing to me Pip." If anyone could speak words that could actually pierce through another person's heart, than those were the words spoken to Pip. Pip must have felt emotionally crushed, because Estella was everything that Pip lived for, and to have her say that he never meant anything towards her. Pip even goes on to tell Estella that he loves her, but she tells him coldly that she has "No heart." Pip must believe that Estella really does have some sort of sentiment within her, or he would not continue to pursue her, but at this point in the novel it starts to become clear that Estella is not just a figure whom Pip loves, but an obsession for him.

Pip feels all torn-up with the notion of how ready he is to love Estella and how uninterested she, in return, seems to be.

7- "Pip, Dear Old Chap..."

After an awkward period of no communication between Pip and the people back at his home, he receives notice that Joe is coming to visit him in London. This puts Pip in a serious predicament, because he does not want Joe to get taken aback and discouraged by his opulent lifestyle. Pip also does not want anybody to think that he keeps company with people of a lower class, specifically Drummle. All this tension, causes Pip to have a very awkward meeting with Joe. Pip treated Joe very formally, and to Herbert who was watching their exchange, it must have seemed as if they were meeting each other for the first time. Although Pip felt the same amount of love for Joe as he always did, his ability to express it was impaired. Since Pip was fighting with two different identities, he knew that he would have to adopt his past self to relate with Joe, but for the sake of his gentleman status, he talked and treated Joe with formality.

Pip's meeting with Joe was a reminder to Pip of how far he had come, and how much he had changed since his days at Joe's forge. The meeting also rekindled a feeling that Pip had experienced earlier, a feeling which made Pip feel ashamed and fully responsible for the awkwardness associated with meeting Joe.

6- Meeting Herbert Pocket

In London, Wemmick introduces Pip to Herbert Pocket, who is Pip's tutor's son. Pip and Herbert Pocket immediately take a liking towards each other, and recognize each other from a childish showdown that took place at the Satis House. Herbert is an open and personable character, who is unlike Pip, and this is why Pip feels an attraction to him. After a large dinner spent talking about Miss Havisham's dilemma, Herbert proceeded to invite Pip to live in his house. This meeting with Herbert Pocket is vital for Pip. Since Pip is new in London and is a gentleman "in the making," Pip needs someone to model himself after. Pip needs Herbert in ways that he really cannot contemplate, because Herbert will help Pip deal with a world that he really has not seen before, on his rise to become a gentleman. Herbert and Pip become best friends, and Herbert would later advise Pip in his many endeavors, and he even saved his life.

Pip needed Herbert not only because of the transformation that he was going through, but because of the turn of events that would happen later in Pip's life. Herbert is a godsend for Pip, since Pip would not have anyone to turn to, to discuss his issues, if Herbert was not in his life. Pip felt extremely grateful for Herbert Pocket, because he really was the only person who Pip could have a healthy relationship with. Herbert Pocket is one of the reasons that Pip could remain sane, after all the twists and unexpected changes that would later occur in Pip's life.

5- "The communication I have got to make is, that he has great expectations."

A stranger arrives at Pip and Joe's household one night with a very special message. From the picture at the right, it is evident that Jaggers is stepping in between Joe and Pip. This is true on multiple levels, because after Jaggers delivers his message, Pip's relationship with Joe will be intervened and will never really be the same. Jaggers tells Pip and Joe that he has been selected to inherit a large fortune, and that he is to begin his training as a gentleman immediately. To Pip, this most have seemed almost too good to be true, for Pip was growing more and more accustomed to life at the shed, and the idea of being a gentleman seemed more like a fantasy than anything else at that time. Jaggers message brought Pip so much joy that it immediately made him forget about the people who loved him the most. After Jaggers told Pip and Joe about his change in fortune, Pip started acting snobbishly towards Joe and Biddy, and as a result he was setting the stage for his future relationships with them. Although Pip later felt terrible for treating his friends and caretakers in such a way, he would soon put this problem in the back of his mind, because of the social demands his new identity and occupation.

Jaggers told Pip that the benefactor wishes to remain anonymous, but Pip's first reaction was that Miss Havisham was his benefactor. This reaction of Pip's makes it clear that Pip feels that Miss Havisham is on his side, and that it is quite possible that she may be planning for Estella to have a future with him. Regardless, Jagger's message changed Pip's life forever, turning him for a common laboring boy, to a gentleman of high class. For the better or for the worse, Pip was heading to London to make a gentleman of himself.

4- The Assault on Mrs. Joe

Time passes and working at Joe's forge becomes monotonous for Pip. He still tries to expand his knowledge through reading and writing, and even tries to teach Mr. Joe how to do the same. At the forge, Dodge Orlick, Joe's assistant, makes doing work at the forge only harder for Pip. Orlick is an unpleasant, rude, vicious and hateful person. One day at the forge, Mrs. Joe complains to Orlick about him taking a holiday and the argument quickly escalated into a shouting match. Mrs. Joe calls her husband to defend her honor and Joe quickly ends the argument by beating Orlick in a fight. It was here where Pip truly understood how physically strong Mr. Joe really was, and how it really made up for him being illiterate and crude. Later, Pip ignores Joe's advice and visits Miss Havisham. He learns there that Estella has been sent abroad to learn the ways of a lady. Pip was so attached to Estella that the mere thought of her being somewhere else, and possibly with someone else devestated him. When Pip returns at night, he gets frightened when he sees Orlick's face in the shadows and hears gunshots from the prison-ships. When he returns home, he realizes that Mrs. Joe has been attacked and is now brain-damaged.

The Assault on Mrs. Joe must have been a particularly disturbing for Pip, because she was the last real family that he had left. Although Mrs. Joe wasn't exactly the greatest mother-figure, she still felt a degree of love for her brother. With the attack on Mrs. Joe, Pip's future seemed to be heading downhill, and only a miracle or drastic turn of events could reverse his future...

3- Pip's Apprenticeship

At the Satis House, things seem to be going in the right direction for Pip. Estella, is now less rude and even pleasant towards Pip, and even allowing him to kiss her. Miss Havisham seems to have taken a liking towards Pip and even lets him escort her around the house. Yet one day, Miss Havisham offers to help Pip with the papers that would make him Joe's apprentice in the forge. Pip is devastated because he realized that Miss Havisham really never meant for him to become a gentleman. Pip absolutely despises working at the forge, but keeps it to himself for the sake of Joe's goodness. He sees Estella mocking him for being a blacksmith instead of a gentleman, in every action he makes at the forge.

Pip spent so much time at the Satis House, that he began to feel almost like he was a "gentleman." Pip even started treating Joe and Biddy as if they were inferior to him, and started to disassociate himself from the lower class. When the news of his apprenticeship came to him, Pip really must have been extremely worried, for all that he aspired to be was a gentleman, and the prospects of that happening seemed to be diminishing rapidly.

2- "You can break his heart..."

After he helped the convict in the marshes, Pip felt a terrible sense of guilt. This guilty feeling followed Pip everywhere, and he was expecting that one day policemen would arrive at his house with handcuffs. Time passes and Pip buries the memory of the convict in his conscious and learns how to read and write at Mr. Wopsle's school. Joe admires Pip's writing and his academic abilities, because Joe himself is an illiterate. From this section, it becomes apparent that Pip feels slightly ashamed Joe, not only because of his illiteracy, but also because of the way he acts. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Joe bursts in the house with Pumblechook, Pip's Uncle/merchant obsessed with money. They tell Pip that he is arranged to play with Miss Havisham, an eccentric and wealthy old woman who lives in a manor in Pip's village. They feel that if he is able to win over Miss Havisham, then he will be the recipient of her fortune. The next morning Pip is taken to Miss Havisham manor, and he is met by an exceptionally beautiful girl, who rudely sends Pumblechook away. She leads Pip through an ancient feeling mansion, that was dark and decorated very ornately. The moment that Pip meets Estella is one that would change his life forever, because her good looks and proud nature would only grow with time. Estella leads Pip into Miss Havisham's room where she waits by a mirror in a faded and yellow wedding dress, surrounded by cobwebs, dust and clocks stopped twenty minutes to nine. Miss Havisham tries to make Pip play, but he states quite frankly that he can't do many things exciting and that the newness of the situation limits him. Miss Havisham orders Pip to play cards with Estella. Here Estella acts coldly to Pip and keeps reminding him of his inferiority and his unrefined manners. When Estella tells Miss Havisham that she would not wish to play, Miss Havisham replies by saying "You can break his heart..."

In this section, Pip realizes where he really falls on the social ladder. By meeting with Estella and Miss Havisham, he begins make a conclusion on how being of an upper class is essential to becoming wealthy, and wealth equates with happiness. Pip feels attracted to Estella and Miss Havisham, because of the prospect of becoming wealthy and of an upper class, and thus he begins to visit them daily.

1- "Or I'll have your heart and liver out."

A critical event in Pip's life takes place early on in his childhood. Pip is a character that wears his emotions on his sleeve, and makes decisions based on impulse. When Pip felt an urge to reconnect with his parents that had passed away, he decided to take a visit to the isolated village chuchyard. Suddenly a deranged convict sprung up in front of him and violently threatened him. The convict demanded that Pip bring him food immediately. Despite the horror of the convict, Pip treats him with compassion and kindness. Later after Pip finished giving his convict food, he heard that the police were searching for him, and the first thought that Pip had was of the safety of his convict. One of Pip's main character traits is that of his loyalty and dedication to those whom he cares for. As to why Pip feels a need to be attached to the convict is really up for grabs, but my main theory is that Pip is truly just a compassionate person. Pip's compassion is the reason why this event is so important, because if he had not helped the convict, his life would have taken a different route, perhaps filled with a bit more pleasure, but certainly a one without as much opportunity.