Pip is appalled, but he feels morally bound to help Magwitch escape London, as the convict is pursued both by the police and by Compeyson, his former partner in crime. A complicated mystery begins to fall into place when Pip discovers that was the man who abandoned Miss Havisham at the altar and that Estella is Magwitch's daughter. Miss Havisham has raised her to break men's hearts, as revenge for the pain her own broken heart caused her. Pip was merely a boy for the young Estella to practice on; Miss Havisham delighted in Estella's ability to toy with his affections.
As the weeks pass, Pip sees the good in Magwitch and begins to care for him deeply. Before Magwitch's escape attempt, Estella marries an upper-class lout named . Pip makes a visit to Satis House, where Miss Havisham begs his forgiveness for the way she has treated him in the past, and he forgives her. Later that day, when she bends over the fireplace, her clothing catches fire and she goes up in flames. She survives but becomes an invalid. In her final days, she will continue to repent for her misdeeds and to plead for Pip's forgiveness.
The time comes for Pip and his friends to spirit Magwitch away from London. Just before the escape attempt, Pip is called to a shadowy meeting in the marshes, where he encounters the vengeful, evil Orlick. Orlick is on the verge of killing Pip when Herbert arrives with a group of friends and saves Pip's life. Pip and Herbert hurry back to affect Magwitch's escape. They try to sneak Magwitch down the river on a rowboat, but they are discovered by the police, who Compeyson tipped off. Magwitch and Compeyson fight in the river, and Compeyson is drowned. Magwitch is sentenced to death, and Pip loses his fortune. Magwitch feels that his sentence is God's forgiveness and dies at peace. Pip falls ill; Joe comes to London to care for him, and they are reconciled. Joe gives him the news from home: Orlick, after robbing Pumblechook, is now in jail; Miss Havisham has died and left most of her fortune to the Pockets; Biddy has taught Joe how to read and write. After Joe leaves, Pip decides to rush home after him and marry Biddy, but when he arrives there he discovers that she and Joe have already married.
Pip decides to go abroad with Herbert to work in the mercantile trade. Returning many years later, he encounters Estella in the ruined garden at Satis House. Drummle, her husband, treated her badly, but he is dead. Pip finds that Estella's coldness and cruelty have been replaced by a sad kindness, and the two leave the garden hand in hand, Pip believing that they will never part again.
At the time when the story was set there were great differences between the rich and the poor, there seemed to be no in between the there was only the life of the rich and the life of the poor. The rich would most defiantly live in the major cities, they would have gone to school and they would have either work there way in to their riches or inherited it, or in Pips case had someone sponsor them. The poor on the other hand would not have had such luck, they would often live in the suburbs or the moors of large cities and there schooling would have been next to non-existent, it would have been in houses with very poor equipment {books that were falling apart, broken pencils etc.
The rich people would have had a lot of “acquaintances” they would have “wined and dined” in luxurious style in large houses,
From Pips first visit to Satis house Pip started to feel conscious that Estella would think of him as a common laboring boy , which she always called him any way, he thought that she would always look down on him and never love him or even respect him. Pip started to feel this way once he stepped foot into Satis house, from the start Estella always called him ‘boy’ she would never call him by his real name, I think that Estella did this subconsciously to make sure Pip knew where he stood with her but also for her own reassurance as well, in first visits she would never let Pip think of her as a friendly person “Am I insulting’ ‘Not so much as you were last time’ ‘Not so much so?’ ‘No’ she fired when she asked the last question, and she slapped me”. This shows that as Pip begins to show signs of a fondness to Estella {that she can see} she drags him back down.
Pips experiences at Satis House and with Estella were what made him feel more and more like the common ‘boy’, as Estella always called him. The way Estella always made sure Pip knew that his boots were coarse and that and his hands were rough made fun of his speech, but also the way Estella treated him she hardly ever touched Pip and she fed him like a dog outside with a bowl and a piece of bread Pip him self once said he felt like “a dog in disgrace”. In addition to this Pip took in what Estella was saying to him and he started to feel as though he had to change to be even half decent in the vision of others. Pips never used to feel ashamed of him self before his visits to Satis House, he also never used to be ashamed of Joe but evidence of Pips want to change was shown from Joe’s visit to Satis House Pip started to feel frustrated and embarrassed at Joe. Joe never looked at Miss Havisham face to face and he always answered her questions to Pip, these were the first signs of Pips becoming of a snob
The absolute turning point of Pips character in my opinion was when Mr. Jaggers arrived and told Pip that he was going to London through the sponsorship of a secret Benefactor. The way Pip thought about himself and the way others treated him changed greatly. Pip initially thought that Miss Havisham was his secret Benefactor and felt secure in this; this is proven as Pip goes to visit Miss Havisham and tells her what has happened, almost as an indirect thank you to Miss Havisham. Miss Havisham plays into this and Pip is more led to believe that Miss Havisham is his Benefactor.
Mr. Trabb the tailor fuels Pips love for his situation, all grown up and now with money to spend Pip can afford to be complacent and confident in himself. Pip believes that he has now risen to another level in the hierarchy of class, and Mr. Trabb does much to influence this, as Pip walks into the shop for the first time Pip sees the opportunity to show off his large fortune to Mr. Trabb who did not really like or know Pip. Pip tells Mr. Trabb of his fortune but casually as though it wasn’t of importance to him he then casually reaches into his pocket and pulls out a large amount of money, Mr. Trabb is astonished and happy at the same time and starts to act as though he is a great friend of Pip, by congratulating him and touching him, from observation Mr. Trabb only invites Pip into his shop once he sees the money Pip has. Mr. Trabb then starts to treat Pip with the up most care “Do me the favor to be seated sir” Mr. Trabb’s actions and his anger at his son to make every thing perfect gave Pip the first experience of the power of money.
On Pips last day he did not wish for anyone to take him to the coach that would take him to London, I think Pip was a little afraid that Biddy or Joe would embarrass him at the station with their poor clothes and accent but it was surprising to me that Pip found it easy to leave “I walked away at good pace thinking it was easier to go than I supposed it would be”.
In London Pip learned rapidly how to live as a gentleman. Pip went and lived with Herbert Pocket in London and amongst others Herbert was a big influence in Pips becoming, Pip became good friends with Herbert as he did with Wemmick, Jaggers’ clerk. Wemmick, Herbert, and Mr. Jaggers were the combination that taught Pip how to act like a gentleman. Pips friendship with Herbert Pocket lead to him being invited to high profile dinners and parties with his fellow students, in these dinners Pip learns the ways of the other gentlemen, for example dancing. Pip learned most of what not to do by Mr. Jaggers. Mr. Jaggers taught Pip that he should try and stay out of debt and not become like some of his other clients who were executed because the ‘went wrong’.
Because of Pips failure to see Miss Havisham was not his Benefactor he started to believe that Miss Havisham wished for him to become a gentleman and marry Estella, and now that Pip is a gentleman he believes that Estella should love him Estella rejects Pip and eventually marries Bentley Drummle. Is Bentley Drummle a gentleman, well he has all of the traits of a gentleman, he is rich, attends parties, he is educated but is all this an example of a gentleman or is it behavior, I think that it is a mixture of those things, which make up what a gentle man is wealth as well as class, kindness, education, in my opinion Bentley Drummle is not a gentleman as he did not have class he liked to make fun of Pip and he was never polite.
When Biddy wrote a letter of Joes visit, Pip was not looking forward to this, Pip felt worried that Joes visit will affect his reputation with his fellow peers, This situation shows how Pips character has now changed, Pip feels that this visit may interrupt Pips development in to a gentleman “with no pleasure, though I was bound to him by so many ties no; with considerable disturbance”. During the visit Pip became frustrated at Joe, as he looked ridiculous and was stiff, Joe tried to copy Pips speech in a hope to sound educated “How are you Joe’ ‘How AIR you Pip”, “Why, yes, Sir," said Joe, "me and Wopsle went off straight to look at the Blacking Ware'us. But we didn't find that it come up to its likeness in the red bills at the shop doors; which I meantersay," added Joe, in an explanatory manner, "as it is there drawd too architectooralooral.” Joe sat far away from the table and did not put his hat on the hat stand, at the end of this unsuccessful visit Joe tells Pip he is wanted at Satis House and leaves with what Pip describes as “a simple dignity”
However Pip starts to act as he thinks a gentleman is supposed to which leads Pip to act snobbishly to his loved ones – Joe and Biddy -.
Pips dreams and illusions were shattered one night when he was 23 and Magwitch came to his door to tell Pip that he was his actual benefactor he tells Pip of how he went to Australia and worked as a Shepard on a sheep farm and earned a lot of money and was so touched by Pips generosity that he had the money he earned used to make Pip in to a gentleman, suddenly the pride and security he once felt when he thought it was Miss Havisham has now gone and Pip has been living in shame, with the money of a convict this was not how a gentleman would be brought up and I think that Pip now sees that he is not a true gentleman and he starts to show signs of his old character his younger side in his desire to help Magwitch and his generosity in giving him Herbert’s bed and some food.
During the time that Abel Magwitch stays with Pip you start to see Pip take up a more responsible role, having to cover up for Magwitch “Uncle Provis” and organizing the whole getaway, whereas up till now he has always been the one under supervision this shows Pips maturity, it shows that he is now wiser and it is here that I think Pip has become a true gentleman.
The relationship between Abel Magwitch and Pip is kind of like a father – son relationship, the more Time Pip spent with Magwitch the more he became fond of him “I said to you I thought he was softened when I last saw him.”. Magwitch feels strongly for Pip as he has remembered Pips kindness from over ten years and when he comes to visit Pip he is not disappointed to see who Pip has become as Pip is as kind to him as he was back in the graveyard. I observed that whenever Pip was in the company of Magwitch the best of his personality is shown especially his kindness, from the time when he a was in the graveyard all the way up to the time of Magwitch’s death, Pip has always shown Magwitch an kindness which he has shown no one else, as Magwitch dies Pip shows his final affection for Magwitch with a simple prayer “O Lord, be merciful to him, a sinner!”.
So in conclusion is Great Expectations the story of the becoming of a snob? No. Instead Great Expectations is more of the story of a young boy growing up and gaining a better understanding of life. I think that Pip as a character used to see the world in a narrow perspective, he thinks that every thing is strait forward which is why he found it so easy to believe that Miss Havisham was his benefactor instead of Magwitch.
