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.