Great Expectations Essay, Research Paper
Chapters 1-8
Plot and Setting- The plot starts out with a little boy name Phillip Pirrip. It is a first person narrative about a boy back in the nineteenth century. The first eight chapters deal mostly with Pip’s childhood years. It also deals with who Pip is, and his family. In the beginning of the story Pip introduces himself, and introduces his dead parents. He is in the graveyard, and then a scary looking man comes up. The man threatens him. The plot of the story I think is good because it deals a lot with the struggles in a child. He has no one to turn to. The author really helped us relate to the story.
Pip gets in trouble at Christmas time. He gets hit with “The Tickler” which was a sarcastic name for a paddle.
In the middle of the story two officers with Muskets come to the house. They need a blacksmith. Outside they capture two convicts. One of those convicts is Pip’s convict. The other one is the one that Pip’s convict tried to kill. They are both caught.
Later on in the story, and later in his life, Pip meets a young girl named Estella. He secretly has a crush on her. Estella does not care much for Pip. She thinks he is not very gentlemen like. She also thinks that he is coarse and common. Estella and Pip do talk though. She is like a mother to Pip, she kind of disciplines him. Pip is in love with her, but she would have nothing to do with him. She thinks that his is nothing spectacular.
Characters- The first character introduced in the story is a boy name Pip, he is the boy I talked about above. The next two introduced, are his mother and father. They are both dead, and Pip is all alone in life accept for his sister. That is who is introduced next. His sister is married to a man named Joe. Pip lives with these people. The scary convict described above was the next character introduced into the story. Mr. Wopsle is the next character introduced into the story. He was the clerk at the church, and he also goes to the Three Jolly Bargemen with Joe. The whell-wright was Mr. Hubble, and his wife. Joe’s uncle’s name is Mr. Pumblechook, he and Pip are pretty good friends in the beginning sections. They share many experiences together. Miss Havisham and Estella are the next to be introduced. Estella is Miss Havisham’s supposable daughter. Miss Havisham finds Pip on the street, and she calls him in. She has him meet Estella. Pip is secretly in love with Estella. Miss Havisham secretly wants Estella to break Pip’s heart. She is a very obscure lady. Biddy is a character that cares very much for Pip. She understands Pip more than Pip does. Pip doesn’t like Biddy, because she is to common. She is the better girl though.
Personal Response- So far I really enjoy the book. Charles Dickens really pulls me into the book. He uses great figurative language that makes you feel sorry for a character. The people in this book seem so innocent and harmless. Well, except the guy that threatened Pip. They all also seem to live hard lives. They don’t have all the benefits that we have today. They have to scrounge around for stuff we never would have to scrounge around for. What is really neat about it, is that they get an enjoyment out of life. They are not well off either. I can’t wait to read on further into Charles Dickens novel.
Vocabulary- So far in this novel there is no vocabulary that really comes to mind. I though I would use this section to talk about figurative language. Charles Dickens uses a lot of figurative language. He says that when Pip goes up into his room, he is in the dark. Literally that means he does not have a candle, so therefore he is in the dark. Figuratively we can interpret it in many ways. One way is to say that Pip isn’t a very smart kid. He is and ignorant person. When someone says that someone is in the dark, they usually mean that they are na?ve. Later on in the story, Pip meets this girl named Estella. He has a secret crush on her. At the end of the eighth chapter, Estella opens the gate for Pip. Literally she lets him out, but figuratively she could be opening a whole new world for him. This could also be foreshadowing, because maybe later on in the story Estella and Pip get together. There are many things that could be said about this figurative language, and there really is no wrong answer.
Theme- I think that the only theme that could be drawn out of this chapter, is sympathy. Have sympathy for people that are not as fortunate as other people. The story made you feel sorry for poor Pip. The struggles of someone so young and innocent can make someone pretty sympathetic.
Chapters 9-15
Plot and Setting – The next chapter starts out with Pip talking to his sister and Mr. Pumblechook. Pip is asked various questions about what he did at Miss Havisham’s house. One thing led to another, and Pip started to make up stories about Miss Havisham’s house. He said that they played with flags. He had a color, and Estella had a color, and Miss Havisham had a gold one with stars on it. After he said all of these lies, he went to Joe and talked to him privately. He told Joe that they were all lies. Joe was very angry at first, but then later on he started to understand. Pip was surprised that Joe wasn’t that mad at him
A few days later, Pip goes back to Miss Havisham’s. He is greeted at the gate by Estella, and she lets him in. Again she guides him through the dark rooms. This time she took him through rooms where he hasn’t wandered before. They went into a room where there was three ladies and a man talking. Estella told Pip to stand in the corner. After standing there listening to the people he overheard them talking about his father. They talked about how improper he was, although he was a joy to be around. Estella then tried to take Pip out of the room. Miss Havisham stopped him, and asked him if he wanted to play. He said not really, so she asked him if he wanted to work. He took her up on that offer. His job was to walk Miss Havisham around the house. After he did that, he was allowed to wonder. He came face to face with a pale man. The man asked him what he was doing here. Pip tried to hit him. The man stopped him somehow. After talking to the man for awhile, Pip got fed up. He hit the man, and knocked him down. His nose was bleeding, but he got right back up. Pip hit him a second time, this time giving him a black eye. The third time Pip hit him he knocked him out. Pip than hurry up and left.
Pip was worried about the man. He thought that he might have blood on his forehead. Pip still wen back to the Havisham’s though. Nothing very significant happened at her house.
After making trips over a period of a year, Pip goes back again with Joe. Miss Havisham gave Joe money for Pip’s services over the years. The money is to go to Pip’s apprenticeship. Pip starts right away at being at apprentice. He sees another man there named Orlick. He is a rugged guy that is not very nice to anyone. Joe says some rude remarks to Mrs. Joe and Joe beats him up.
At the end of the chapters Pip finds out that his mother was knocked out unconscious. You do not know if she is dead or not.
Characters- There was the guy that questioned Pip, and gave him the two one-pound notes. Pip knew that this guy knew about his convict. The man stirred his coffee with Joe’s file. His dad was also was described more. This was mentioned above. Pip met a man named Orlick. He was an apprentice with Joe, but now he has the knowledge of it. He still works for Joe though.
Personal Response- The story right now is a little stretching to me. It seems like Pip is going over to Miss Havisham’s too much. All he is doing there is talking to Miss Havisham and Estella. I don’t know maybe later on in the story, I might look back and say “that is why he went over there that much.” I am not saying that this is a bad book, but I would like it to have more action or foreshadowing. There is too much reality in this story for me.
Vocabulary-
Rumination- the act of chewing the cud
Meantersay- mean to say
Outdacious- Some form of slang
Alluding- to mention something incidentally
Luminous- emitting or radiating light
Nevvy- Nephew
Epergne- Some slang word
Remonstrated- to object, protest
Theme- The only thing that comes to mind in this story for a theme is, be honest to those that you love. If you lie it only hurts you in the long run. Pip lied to his sister and that made Joe upset. No other theme really comes to mind as I think about this.
Chapters 16-23
Plot and Setting- As the next chapters start out Pip’s sister is in bed trying to explain to the people what happened. She cannot speak, and her memory is out of whack. Her writing is not good and Joe’s reading is not good, so it was hard to get an answer. Pip had to help interpret. Biddy also helped. In the end they figured out that it was Orlick with the hammer in the kitchen.
The next main point of the story is when Pip goes to the Three Jolly Bargmen. In there he sees the guy that he beat up. The guy tells him and Joe that he wants to see them alone. When they are alone they guy talks introduces himself. He says that his name is Mr. Jaggers and that he is a lawyer. The next find out that Pip has been adopted by a man in London. Mr. Jaggers keeps talking about Pip’s “great expectations.” He also tells Pip that they are going to make him a gentleman. Joe does no refuse the offer, and Pip is now going to live in London, and be a gentleman.
Pip says goodbye to Everyone, and he is on his way. He wishes that he could go back and stay at home one more night, but he cant.
Once arrives in London he has to stay at Barnard’s Inn. This in he says is grungy and looks bad, and it is close together with apartments. He likes the new place in London, and he really likes Herbert.
Characters- in this chapter Biddy has gone from a dirty, homely girl to a more settle cleaner girl. Pip says that Biddy no has “clean hands.” When Pip is at the Three Jolly Bargemen, he sees a man there. His name is Mr. Jaggers, and he is a lawyer. He is a type of person that gets his point across, but always asks for a response from his listeners. Pip’s sister also changes after she had her accident. She is more patient now. She has to be because she has to move slow, and she cant do many things. Pip finds out when he gets to London who really adopted him, and his name is Matthew Pocket. Matt’s son is named Herbert. Herbert is the one that Pip beat up at the Satis House. He is a nice person, and he becomes very good friends with Pip.
Personal Response- Now I am starting to get back into the story, and I am reading in bigger chunks. The story interests me now, because there is more going on. In the last chapters in was all about home life, and Pip growing up. These chapters had more interesting things in it, and actually had some suspense. As I was reading the part about finding out who hit Mrs. Joe with the hammer, I was on the edge of my seat. Charles Dickens knows how to put suspense in a novel that wouldn’t seem like it would have suspense in it. I look forward to reading more about Pip’s “great expectations.”
Vocabulary- There was not any vocabulary that I could pinpoint that I had trouble with. This was probably because Joe didn’t talk as much, and when he did the page talked about it at the end.
Theme- There is a definite theme for these chapters. Don’t think that someone has a horrible life, or do not think that life won’t get any better. In Pip’s case the whole beginning years of his life, he lived with a poor family with cheap clothes. He was thought to be a Blacksmith in following Joe’s footsteps. All that changed once Mr. Jaggers told him about his “great expectations.” Now he was going to be a gentleman, and live with a rich family.
Chapters 24-31
Plot and Setting- These next chapters are very slow, and they do not add to the main story line very much. The only part where it starts to have significance is when Joe comes to London. Pip and Joe talk about their lives. Pip says that he misses home and the people there.
The next part of the story that is important is when Pip goes back to visit Miss Havishman. After staying in an inn, Pip goes to visit Miss Havisham and Estella. As he is going in he sees Orlick by the gate, and he talks to him about how he ended up there. Sarah lets him in the gate, and leads him to Miss Havisham. Pip and Miss Havisham talk, and then he sees Estella for the first time in a long time. Pip say that she has changed so much since the last time he saw her. Miss Havisham asked Pip if he thought she was beautiful. He said yes. Estella and Pip were walking in the garden, and she didn’t remember the first time they met. This broke Pip’s heart yet again.
At the end of the story Pip receives a letter from Estella. The letter says that she will be coming to London. At the very end Pip sees Estella get out of the coach.
Characters- There are now more non-significant characters introduced into the story. Aged P. is Wemmick’s father, and Wemmick himself is a friend of Pip’s and Mr. Jaggers. Estella has changed, because she is more developed. In some ways she has not changed. For instance, she still treats Pip like a boy. Pip on the other hand has matured, he realizes now that Estella plays him often.
Personal Response- The story seems to be taking a pattern now. It seems that the book is good, and then the next section is kind of slow, but leaves you hanging at the end. In the second section it is kind of slow describing Pip’s visits to Miss Havishams, but then at the end he finds his sister lying on the floor next to the fire. This makes the reader want to read on. Then, you read an interesting section that makes you want to read even more. When you get to this chapter you are excited about what is going to happen to Pip, and then it turns out that there are not many things going on. Then, at the end of the chapters it leaves you hanging again by Estella just arriving. This makes me want to read on. Charles Dickens does a good job of keeping a reader interested.
Vocabulary- For some reason there is no vocabulary that really sticks out. I do not why this is. The second section was packed with vocabulary.
Theme- Unlike the last chapters there are many different themes that could be put to this. Pips learns new things about Estella. Some are good and, and Some are bad. Miss Havisham seems sweet for a while, but then sometimes can hurt Pip’s feelings. So I think part of Pip’s “great expectations” is that although something may seem great or very beneficial, It could come back and haunt someone. By doing nice things Miss Havisham is only luring Pip into a trap. She wants Estella to break Pip’s heart. Miss Havisham seems like a considerate person to Pip. Pip must learn not things to get better, but he has to go out and make things better himself. I think that is what Biddy is trying to tell him. Estella on the other hand is holding him back.
Chapters 32-44
Plot and Setting- as the story starts out Estella is talking to Pip now that she has arrived in London. She has a precise order in which they are to do things. The first thing Pip has to do is take her to Richmond. But first, Pip must call a coach. They have tea while waiting for the coach, and on the way down there Pip and Estella have a very good conversation. But, before Pip knows it Estella is at the house where she is staying. She is staying with another lady, and only visit Miss Havisham regularly.
Pip finds out that his sister has died in the next important part of the story. He receives a letter, and is asked to go to the funeral. He goes to the funeral and he sees Joe and Biddy there. Joe doesn’t know what to do with himself now that there is no one to be with. Pip and Biddy talk about what had happened. Biddy tells Pip about how she died. Pip finds out that Biddy will have to leave Joe by himself because she is to go home. However, Pip and Biddy stay there a few more days with Joe.
Miss Skiffins is a person by which Wemmick is accompanied. Wemmick and Pip talk about Herbert and how Pip is anxious on behalf of Herbert. The two continue to talk, and even Aged Parent starts to talk to them. The section mostly talks about Miss Skiffins at I will talk about that in the character section.
Pip takes Estella back to visit Miss Havisham. Pip is very excited, because he likes to spend time with Estella. When they get to the Satis house they find Miss Havisham in her room like Pip had first seen her. Miss Havisham was even more exited to see Estella than she was when Pip had last seen them together. The three talk to eachother, and then Estella and Miss Havisham sit by the fire. Estella pulls away from Miss Havisham, and that causes a huge argument. Miss Havisham feels Estella never really loved her. Pip managed to sneak out of the room so he didn’t have to hear it. Estella and Drummle meet for the very first time. She treats Drummle so much differently than she treats Pip. She even flirts with Bently a little. Pip is worried about this, but Estella assures Pip that Drummle means nothing to her.
On a dark night Pip encounters a man that wants into the Temple. The man knows Pip by name, and Pip lets the man up. The two talk for a while. At first Pip did not realize who the man was, but soon he recognized it to be his convict. The two sit down at a table, and Pip brings up that he is to get land. The convict reveals that he is really Pip’s benefactor, and he has been doing all of this for Pip. Jaggers was helping him pull it off. Pip allows him to stay in Herberts room, because he is not home. He finds out his name is Magwich or Provis. Pip is frightened of his uncle (as Magwich is wanted to be called by Pip) at first. He locks him in the room at night. Provis tells Pip about how him and Jaggers are related, and how they got together. Pip then wants to get Provis out of London. Provis is very generous, he gives Pip his pocket book to spend on anything. Pip tries to get Provis a disguise. Herbert finally gets home, and sees Provis there. He is to swear that he never saw him by kissing the knife. They all sit down by the fire and Pip asks Provis why he beat up the other convict in the ditch. Provis starts to tell a story about a man named Compeyson and Arthur. Compeyson was a fellow that stole money. This made him very rich. He worked with a man name Arthur who was pretty stupid. Magwich got involved with the whole thing. Arthur died after going crazy, because Compeysons’s wife had a shroud. He was always talking about the shroud and how she was trying to put it on him. Anyway, after Arthur is dead, Magwich and Compeyson get caught. They have to go to court. Compeyson says very bad things to the judge about Magwich. So, in the end Compeyson received a seven-year conviction, and Magwich got a fourteen-year conviction. On the boat over, Magwich found Compeyson and started to beat him up. The people on the boat broke it up. Magwich jumped over the side of the boat and ended up in the graveyard where he met Pip.