Reading Assignment 5

The first time Pip walks through London it wasn't near what his great expectations. Pip anticipated the great, famous city-life with many joyous, wealthy people. As the opposite of his prospective, there were many poor people and those who were being prosecuted were facing the law directly in the middle of town. This is Dickens's way of telling the society that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. After a short time of thought, Pip finally realizes that Herbert Pocket was the pale young boy he had controversy with in Miss Havisham's courtyard. When Pip goes to shake hands with Jagger's assistant, Wemmick, this young man doesn't stick his hand out. He tells Pip that he has gotten out of the habit of shaking hands. During work, Wemmick is very strict and precise but at home he is the opposite, a very joyful and relaxed young man.

Reading Assignment 4

One day, a worker at Joes forge, Dodge Orlick and Mrs. Joe have an argument. Joe is called on to fight Orlick to defend his wifes honor. He quickly defeats Orlick. A short time later, Pip came home one day to find Mrs. Joe has been brutally beaten. Struck in the head with an iron, she is left alive but braindead and needs constant help. Later, she slowly begins to write a "T" on her slate which is assumed to be a hammer, representing Orlick. All of this evidence accuses Orlick as Mrs. Joes attacker, but we can't be sure, despite help from very distinguished detectives. To care for Mrs. Joe, Biddy moves in for assistance. Pip soon begins to teach Joe how to read and write during night hours. When he finds that he's going on an apprenticeship to become a gentleman and has inherited all of this money, he becomes hostile. He is rude to his friends and family, those who have befriended him through the worst times. Pip goes to Miss Havisham's one more time and she is extremely kind to him. This makes him believe that she is his benefactor. When he returns home, he feels sorry and asks Biddy to continue Joe's education while Pip is gone. Though Pip has grown into a well-mannered young boy due to the struggles of those around him, he still disapproves of their commonness and chooses to leave them rudely for his apprenticeship. He begins to treat them rudely because society frowns on those of such a common lifestyle. Dickens is suggesting that Pip is conforming to society in his rude ways and has finally fallen victim to these horrible lifestyles of which he used to frown upon as well as his friends and family.

Reading Assignment 3

Uncle Pumblechook escorted Pip to Miss Havisham's home to play, like he promised. Upon arrival a young girl, about Pip's age, named Estella, greets them. She leads only Pip to Miss Havisham, Uncle Pumblechook not being allowed in. The arrived in a strange room and see an odd woman wearing an old wedding gown, one white slipper, and flowers in her hair. Pip thinks Miss Havisham to be quite strange, not understanding why she was dressed in this attire. Miss Havisham mentions that her heart is broken and wants to see Pip play. This brings forth Estella to play cards with Pip. He soon notices that all of the clocks in the room are stopped at the same time and then realizes that her wedding was cancelled at exactly 8:40 while she was getting dressed in her room. Since that day, she has left everything exactly how it was that morning. She asks Pip what he thinks of Estella in reply, he states that she is proud, pretty and insulting. Miss Havisham wants Pip to love Estella, knowing that Estella won't want him. She wants Pip's heart to be broken, much like hers was. This is her way of punishing all men for what her previous fiance did to her. Pip was given permission to explore the yard and premises. It's easy to see that young Estella is pleased when Pip is upset and humiliated. While exploring the premises, Pip sees Miss Havisham strung on a wooden beam by her neck. Shocked and overflowing with fearful emotions, Pip ran. Upon returned he only sees Estella walking around the area he just saw Miss Havisham. This shows that even if the old woman dies her presence is still among them because Estella was raised in her footsteps. With Pip's disappointments, he returns home thinking how common he is. This is exactly what Miss Havisham wants and Estella's actions have made this possible for Pip. Though these actions are unmoral for this era, Miss Havisham was raised, as well as Estella, to be very proper. These ideas don't conform to the general idea of actions upon society. Dickens is showing that even though morality is somewhat present, it is not the complete way in which Miss Havisham & Estella live their lives.

Character Analysis- Pip

Pip, Phillip Pirrip, is the main character of the classic book Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. "Pip" is well chosen based on what he feels, does, and thinks. Pip is defined as "a small seed of a fruit". If this was Dicken's use of the word, then he could have meant that Pip starts out small and is raised covered up to stay protected. In this novel, Joe looks out for Pip. He keeps Pip's best interest in mind at all times. Joe always lets Pip know when Mrs. Joe was angry and intended on beating him with the tickler. Due to Joe's compassion, someday Pip will blossom into someone with a beautiful personality, lifestyle, and may even protect someone of his own. A second feasible thought of defining pip is "a young bird breaking out of a shell". Feasibly thinking that this may have been Dickens's interpretation, Pip may be shy and unknown now, but in the future he'll grow and succeed, making an enormous difference. Yet another practical explanation of Dickens's thoughts used to name the main character could've been "small, tiny, puny". If so, this could mean that Pip is only a small personality and has no stong being in the world. I believe that Pip will build character and grow into achievement of successful being.

Reading Assignment 2

Mrs. Joe is preparing Christmas dinner at the time the Pip finally returns home from the battery. During the dinner, Pip concentrates his thoughts on stealing the pork pie. When Mrs. Joe leaves to get it, Pip gets frightened and heads to the front door due to guilt and finds a sergeant standing with handcuffs. The officer is looking for Joe so that he can fix the cuffs, unfortunately Pip didn't know that. He thought that the officer came because Pip stole to help a convict. The officers are leaving to locate the runaways and Mr. Wopsle, Pip, and Joe tag along. The group finally finds the two convicts fighting in a ditch in the Battery. The convict that Pip helped, Magwitch, spots Pip on Joe's back. Pip tries to make the convict understand that he had nothing to do with it before he boards the ship. Pip's convict explains that he stole the food from Joe's home. Pip and Joe silently agree that it was not completely wrong because no one should ever starve. Had Magwitch not confessed to stealing the food from Mr. Joe's home, Pip would have suffered the horrible consequences.
One night when Mrs. Joe and Uncle Pumblechook are out together, Pip is home practicing writing. He then realizes that Joe cannot read because he was unable to attend school. After conversing, Pip understands that Joe wishes for Pip to have a better life. Upon Mrs. Joe's return, she tells of Miss Havisham's want of Pip's attendance at her uptown home to play. Although Pip knows nothing of Miss Havisham's identity, Mrs. Joe appears to be excited about the invite.

Reading Assignment 1

At a time around Christmas, Phillip Pirrip, Pip, was visiting the tombstones of his deceased parents when a frightening man approached and threatened him. Dressed in raggy clothing with iron on his leg, the man turned Pip upside-down and demanded a file and “wittles”. The man also tells Pip of a young man who would cause even more harm to Pip if he does not follow orders. Pip then runs home after the man leaves and gets beaten because he was late and Mrs. Joe was searching for him. Pip lives with Mrs. Joe, his sister, who is 20 years older than Pip, and her husband, Joe, who works as a blacksmith. Mrs. Joe brought both Pip and Mr. Joe up by hand. This means that Mrs. Joe beats them so they learn lessons and behave. Over the years, Pip has developed a friendship with Joe. He always warns Pip of Mrs. Joe's rampages, even though Joe gets his own share of beatings as well. On a “ram-page”, Mrs. Joe uses the tickler; a stick with hardened wax on the end used for punishments. Later that night, fulfilling the convicts demands, Pip steals some alcohol, bread, pork pie, and a file from Mr. and Mrs. Joe, in fear of losing his life. Pip feels guilty for stealing from his guardians but he does not want to let a person starve to death nor does he want to have harm caused to him. On his way, Pip sees a figure sitting in the cemetery. Assuming it is the man Pip spoke to earlier, he approaches him and thinks that it is the young man that was brought up during the man’s and Pip’s conversation earlier. He is soon scared off when the man seems to go crazy and Pip runs away, soon finding the man he's really looking for. When he finds the convict, he asks him if he will save any food for the young man. Realizing he is not alone, he immediately asks Pip about the young man’s whereabouts and fiercely files his iron. Pip felt uncomfortable and was scared so he crept away and walked home.