Reading Experience
Dickens did what other writers of his time did; they gave incredibly detailed accounts of their character’s lives. Pip and and brother-in-law,Joe, are living miserable lives. The age gap makes for more of a father-son relationship and Joe looks out for Pip. Most of the reason for this is that Pips older sister,by about 20 years, is abusive to both Pip and her husband. She regularly beats pip with a stick, she screams and yells and orders both males around and is a general drag. What sticks out is a bleak existence for Pip. The reader gets the idea early that any loving environment for this child is completely lacking.
“Where have you been, you young monkey?” said Mrs. Joe, stamping her foot. “Tell me directly what you’ve been doing to wear me away with fret and fright and worrit, or I’d have you out of that corner if you was fifty Pips, and he was five hundred Gargerys.”
“I have only been to the churchyard,” said I, from my stool, crying and rubbing myself.
“Churchyard!” repeated my sister. “If it warn’t for me you’d have been to the churchyard long ago, and stayed there. Who brought you up by hand?”
“You did,” said I.
“And why did I do it, I should like to know?” exclaimed my sister.
I whimpered, “I don’t know.
“I don’t!” said my sister. “I’d never do it again! I know that. I may truly say I’ve never had this apron of mine off since born you were. It’s bad enough to be a blacksmith’s wife (and him a Gargery) without being your mother.”
Great Expectations Chapter
In this next passage, a fascinating turn of events takes place; the convict that Pip helped in the fields near the church has been apprehended, and brought over to Pips home. It was Christmas dinner and when Mrs. Joe went looking for the pork pie, a commotion broke out with police bringing the convict Pip had helped earlier.
Pip gave him a blacksmith’s file for his shackles,along with Brandy and the pork pie in question.Pip was terrified that he would be discovered as the person who helped this escaped convict, but in to Pip’s amazement, the convict took on full responsibility of any missing items, going so far as to confess stealing when he did not. He protected Pip.
“So,” said my convict, turning his eyes on Joe in a moody manner, and without the least glance at me,—“so you’re the blacksmith, are you? Than I’m sorry to say, I’ve eat your pie.”
Great Expectations
So far, reading Great Expectations has been fairly straightforward. I think the chapters are shorter than I thought they would be, resulting in better retention for me. I am looking forward to how this unfolds as the set up begs many questions.
Wikipedia Plot Summary of the Second Stage
Pip’s first experience with urban England is a shock, for London is not the “soft white city” Pip imagined, but a place of heavy litter and filth. Pip moves into Barnard’s Inn with Herbert Pocket, the son of his tutor, Matthew Pocket, who is Miss Havisham’s cousin. Pip realizes Herbert is the boy he fought with years ago. Herbert tells Pip how Miss Havisham was defrauded and deserted by her fiancé. Pip meets fellow pupils, Bentley Drummle, a brute of a man from a wealthy noble family, and Startop, who is a more agreeable colleague. Jaggers disburses the money Pip needs.[19] During a visit, Pip meets Jaggers’s housekeeper Molly, a former convict.
When Joe visits Pip at Barnard’s Inn, Pip is ashamed to be seen with him. Joe relays a message from Miss Havisham that Estella will be visiting her. Pip returns there to meet Estella and is encouraged by Miss Havisham, but he avoids visiting Joe. He is disquieted to see Orlick now in service to Miss Havisham. He mentions his misgivings to Jaggers, who promises Orlick’s dismissal. Back in London, Pip and Herbert exchange their romantic secrets: Pip adores Estella and Herbert is engaged to Clara. Pip meets Estella when she is sent to Richmond to be introduced into society.[20]
Pip and Herbert build up debts. Mrs Joe dies and Pip returns to his village for her funeral. Pip’s income is fixed at £500 (equivalent to £45,000 in 2021) per annum when he comes of age at 21. With the help of Jaggers’ clerk, John Wemmick, Pip plans to help advance Herbert’s future prospects by anonymously securing him a position with the shipbroker, Clarriker’s. Pip takes Estella to Satis House, where she and Miss Havisham quarrel over Estella’s coldness. In London, Drummle outrages Pip by proposing a toast to Estella. Later, at an Assembly Ball in Richmond, Pip witnesses Estella meeting Drummle and warns her about him; she replies that she has no qualms about entrapping him.
A week after his 23rd birthday, Pip learns that his benefactor is the convict he encountered in the churchyard, Abel Magwitch, who had been transported to New South Wales after being captured. He has become wealthy after gaining his freedom there, but cannot return to England on pain of death. However, he returns to see Pip, who was the motivation for all his success.
Great Expectations plot summary, Wikipedia
My revision
Bolded sections are my revisions
Pip’s first experience with urban England is a shock, for London is not the “soft white city” Pip imagined, but a place of heavy litter and filth. Pip moves into Barnards Inn with Herbert Pocket, the son of his tutor, Matthew Pocket, who is Miss Havisham’s cousin. Pip realizes Herbert is the boy he fought with years ago. Herbert tells Pip how Miss Havisham was defrauded and deserted by her fiancé. Pip meets fellow pupils, Bentley Drummle, a brute of a man from a wealthy noble family, and Startop, who is a more agreeable colleague. Jaggers disburses the money Pip needs. During a visit, Pip meets Jaggers’s housekeeper Molly, a former convict. Pip Notices that Molly has scars all over her forearms, which in the end, clues Pip ino the fact she is Estella’s mother.
When Joe visits Pip at Barnard’s Inn, Pip is ashamed to be seen with him. Joe relays a message from Miss Havisham that Estella will be visiting her. Pip returns there to meet Estella and is encouraged by Miss Havisham. Pip creates a distance between himself and Joe, and does not visit him on his return home. He is disquieted to see Orlick now in service to Miss Havisham. There is a bad history with Orlick.He mentions his misgivings to Jaggers, who promises Orlick’s dismissal. Pip escorts Estella to London. Back in London, Pip and Herbert exchange their romantic secrets, including Pip’s adoration of Estella Pip meets Estella in Richmond,where she is sent to be introduced into society.
Pip and Herbert build up debts. Pip’s sister dies from a violent attack, Pip returns to his village for her funeral. Pip’s income is fixed at £500 (equivalent to £45,000 in 2021) per annum when he comes of age at 21. With the help of Jaggers’ clerk, John Wemmick, Pip plans to help his best friend Herbert Pocket. He helps with Herbert’s future prospects by anonymously securing him a position with the shipbroker, Clarriker’s.
In London, Drummle outrages Pip by proposing a toast to Estella. Later, at an Assembly Ball in Richmond, Pip witnesses Estella meeting Drummle and warns her about him; she replies that she has no qualms about entrapping him Pip soon returns to Satis House to confront Estella, where she announces she will marry Drummle, not for love but position.
A week after his 23rd birthday, Pip learns that his benefactor is the convict he encountered in the churchyard, Abel Magwitch, who had been transported to New South Wales after being captured. He has become wealthy after gaining his freedom there, but cannot return to England since he is exiled due to his past crimes. However, he returns to see Pip, who was the motivation for all his success.
I made the revisions to show more of Pip that came across in the novel, but not in the summary.
My adaptation
Pip experiences culture shock when he arrives in London. It is not as he imagined, London is a gritty metropolis with many challenges. He meets up with Herbert Pocket when he is checking into his housing. Herbert was the son of his tutor, Matthew Pocket, Miss Havisham’s cousin. They reunited on good terms after much teasing early on at Miss Havisham’s. Herbert informed Pip of the plight of Miss Havisham, lending some insight to reasons for her oddities. Pip also meets fellow colleagues in the youth housing.
Jagger disperses money regularly to Pip for his clothing, educational, and leisure needs. At a lunch in London when Joe is visiting Pip, there is tension due to Pip’s reluctance to associate with Joe in a public setting. When he returns to visit Estella at Satis House, Pip skips the visit to Joe, thinking his past should stay in his past. Pip finds that Orlick is serving Miss Havisham and is turned off by it, he relays his misgivings to Jaggar, who sympathises with Pip, promising Orlick’s dismissal.Pip and Herbert share their romantic interests; Pip is longing for Estella and Herbert is engaged to Clara.
Mrs. Joe dies from injuries of a violent attack by Orlick. Pip returns for the funeral, realizing there is nothing left from his past. Pip reconsiders his stance with Joe and wants to have him move to London. He and Herbert have built up debt with their lifestyle. With his money now fully available to him since he turned 21, Pip arranges for his best friend,Herbert to have a position with a shipbroker, Clarrikers, by anonymously paying in advance for the job. Pip takes Estella to Satis house and there are words exchanged between Miss Havisham and Estella over her cold hearted ways. Pip finds out that Drummle, his colleague,has proposed to Estella, she is indifferent to Pip. Pip knows Drummle has another love interest.
When Pip turns 23 years old, he finally finds out his benefactor is Abel Magwitch, the escapee that he helped so long ago. The man made a life for himself in exile and made a success of himself and never forgot Pip. He returns to see Pip against the odds of being exiled and up for execution if found. Herbert leaves for Ciaro and invites Pip to go with him. Pip is feeling loyal to Abel Magwitch after he finds out he is Estella’s dad. He finds counsel that allows Mr. Magwitch to stay in London.
Adaptation Choices
I chose to have Pip be a little more evolved i I also lent Pip some insight as a gentleman, and that led to his support of Joe, not unlike the support he gave Pip when he was a boy. I wanted the idea that Pip has two men in his life and creates a life with them, where they are all gentlemen, maybe not exactly in the eyes of societal standards, but in their own way.
Works Cited
“Great Expectations.” Wikipedia, 30 Mar. 2024. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_Expectations&oldid=1216319959.
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1400/1400-h/1400-h.htm. Accessed 7 Apr. 2024.
