In this first chapter Pip meets the convict up on the graveyard, which is the highlight of the chapter. The convict scars pip into bringing him ‘whittles’ which means necessary like food and drinks. The convict also gets pip to bring him a file because pip mentions that his brother in law is a blacksmith. Pip is scared of the convict because of the language he uses ‘keep still you little devil or ill cut you’re throat. When a ‘fearful man, all in course grey, with an iron on his leg. A man with no hat, and with broken shoes and with an old rag tied round his head. A man who had been soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and cut by flints, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars; who limped, and shivered and he glared and growled; and whose teeth chattered in his head as he seized me by the chin’ says that to a young child we believe to be about 11 – 14 years old Pip is going to do everything he is asked to do and exactly when he says it.
The first character to be introduced was Pip. In the first paragraph he introduces himself and tells us that his fathers name was ‘Pirrip’ and his Christian name is ‘Philip’ so he mixed the two names together and came up with ‘Pip’. His mother and father died before he can remember them and there was no such thing as photos in those days so they do not know what they look like or what they are like to talk to and get on with. Pip got introduced first because he is the main character. The other character we meet in this chapter is the convict. The author gives the convict an animal imagery when he 'ate the bread ravenously'. Pips character is polite and he speaks to the convict who is threatening his life using words like 'kindly please to let me keep upright sir'. Where as the convict speaks commonly and ignorant ‘darn me if I couldn’t eat em’ ‘keep still you little devil, or ill cut you’re throat’.
The atmosphere created is scary. This is because the convict is always threatening pip and telling him as I already quoted ‘you little devil, ill cut you’re throat’. It is important to have a good first paragraph so that the reader wants to read more and more.
The opening chapter I felt was very interesting and exiting because you meet the main characters and anything could happen in the next chapter. We don’t know whether pip is going to live or die and whether the convict is going to get arrested or get away. I found that the convict is a very scary and evil man as proven by his language and tone.
