In Chapters 1 to 6, how does Dickens build up the characters of Pip, the convict, Mrs. Joe and Joe for us?

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Oliver Clarke

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In Chapters 1 to 6, how does Dickens build up the characters of Pip, the convict, Mrs. Joe and Joe for us?

During the first six chapters, many characters are introduced, and all of them are important throughout the rest of the book.  However, the very first four characters we meet are probably the most important and the most interesting ones as the book progresses.  However, Dickens does not necessarily just give the reader an open description of a character; the ideas are in how they react to certain instances, or how they talk and what they say.

Pip, or Philip Pirrip, is the very first character we meet. We find out straight away from the text that he is an orphan.  He describes where he lives as ‘the dark, flat wilderness beyond the churchyard’; the marshes.  We also find out that he spends quite a lot of his time down at this churchyard, just sitting on the wall, watching the gravestones of his parents.  Pip’s mind is very imaginative; from the tombstones alone, he has imagined a picture of his parents without even knowing them.  Pip, from his dialogue, is also quite naïve as, when he is confronted by the convict he calls his mother Also Georgiana; this is on the tombstone because Georgiana also died.  Also, the convict threatens him with a wild story about a man-killer.  Pip is extremely scared about this, as he has an imagination to conjure up a horrible man, which he is easily scared by.  Also, this story is very unbelievable; Pip is gullible and naïve.  Pip also feels sorry for this convict, so decides to get him food.  He goes to the great length of stealing food, just to help this poor convict.  This shows that Pip has a good heart inside him.  The book goes on to show that Pip gave his food to the wrong convict.  Pip’s sister finds out about the robbing at a dinner party, and so the family and the police head into the marshes to find the two escaped convicts.  Pip shows both naivety and his good heart here.  He calls the convict he met first ‘his convict’, almost as he was becoming a friend.  He also says to Joe, ‘I hope, Joe, we shan’t find them.’ In other words, he doesn’t want them to go back to the prison ship.

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The convict is the second character we meet in the story.  At first description, this convict seems to be quite a fearful man.  He had ‘broken shoes… who had been soaked in water, and smothered in mud, cut by flints, and stung by nettles’.  He was limping and shivering.  He also appeared violently shouting at Pip, ‘Keep still, or I’ll cut your throat!’  However, this image doesn’t last long as he starts talking to Pip.  He asks where his mother is, and when Pip replied, ‘There, sir’, the convict made a run, as he didn’t want to be caught. ...

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