How does Charles Dickens create sympathy for Pip in chapters 1 and 8

    We are then introduced to a “terrible man” who appears from the back of the grave. He then starts to shout and threaten Pip “keep still you little devil or I will cut your throat” which by this causes Pip out of pure terror to beg for his own life “Oh! Don’t cut my throat, sir” “pray don’t do it, sir.” The terrible man then asks Pip to “pint” out the place where he lives. The man then shows abuse to Pip by turning him upside down and emptying his pockets and Pip has all of nothing but a piece of bread. This shows us that Pip is poor creating yet more sympathy, but yet the “terrible man” still carries on and eats the piece of bread creating more sympathy for Pip because we start to build an image in our heads of this helpless, vulnerable boy being tipped upside down and emptied of his pockets.

    Our sympathy is then increased further when Pip starts to describe himself as undersized for his years and not strong “undersized for my years and not strong”. There is also some dramatic irony within this section of the chapter when the “terrible man” asks where Pip’s parents are and all he can do is point to the grave stones.

   We know that Pip has told the man that he lives at the blacksmith’s and because of this sympathy is created when the man asks Pip to steal a file so that he can cut off the ball chain from his leg and that he has to steal some food (whittles). The man then goes on to say to an already frightened Pip that if he does not steal the things he shall not be not let to live, this must then make Pip even scared when this is said to him. The “terrible man starts to scare Pip by adding that there is a man more terrible than him and that the man will find Pip even if he tries to hide “a boy may lock his door, may be warm in bed, may draw the clothes over his head, may think himself comfortable and safe, but that young man will softly creep up and creep his way to him and tear him open”.

    Even though Pip is being faced by this terrible man he is still always polite this gives us great respect and sympathy for him as it gives us the impression he has been brought up well and has not done anything wrong in life to anybody and this terrible thing is happening to him.

    When the man leaves and Pip starts to leave for home he sees a gibbet seeing this must make Pip even more scared because this is what could happen to him if he is caught stealing the things for the man. He then runs home without stopping.