Punishment in Victorian times was harsh, and Mrs.Joe punishes Pip constantly and brutally. She canes Pip with the tickler. The tickler gets described as being ‘smooth’ this adjective that Dickens uses shows that the tickler gets used frequently. Another punishment is tar-water Pip describes the tar water as smelling like a ‘new fence’ this shows that it doesn’t smell very good so most likely doesn’t taste good either. The tar-water in Victorian homes was meant to be used for medicinal purposes however Mrs.Joe uses it for a punishment. Another punishment that Pip suffers is verbal abuse. Mrs.Joe talks to Pip with no respect, also Miss Havisham, Estella and all the visitors at Christmas talk to him in a condescending way. All of the punishments are cruel, so we feel sympathy towards Pip for having to put up with these punishments.
On Christmas day Joe and Pip both go to church, Pip wants to confess about stealing the wittles and the file. Pip has good ethics but is being troubled by not being able to own up to Joe. We feel sorry for Pip as he constantly has the thought of the convict and the robbery on his mind. Mrs.Joe invites some visitors over for Christmas. These visitors were; Mr Pumblechook, Mr Wopsle, Mr Hubble and Mrs.Hubble. These visitors were of a much higher class than Mrs.Joe, Pip and Joe. We get the idea that Mrs.Joe invited these visitors, to raise her social standing. Dickens shows this in the way of how Mrs.Joe’s personality changes once the guests arrive. In this chapter Mrs.Joe is mean and hypocritical, and she becomes an even less sympathetic character. When everybody is sat around the table, Pip is squeezed into a corner and had ‘the Pumblechookian elbow in his eye’. For Pip this must have been emotionally and physically un-comfortable. Pip is waiting for the revelation of the robbery whilst eating the food. The author uses the robbery and the condescending nature of the visitors to create pity for Pip in this chapter of his life.
Pips invitation to Satis’ house was unexpected, Pip soon realises that Satis’ house has a strange inhabitant: Miss Havisham. As Pip arrives he feels insulted by Estella as she welcomes him into the house. Estella leads Pip by candlelight to Miss Havisham. Pips feelings quickly change as he meets Miss Havisham. Miss Havisham is dressed as a bride and wearing a wedding ring but everything in the room is aged and faded. All the watches and clocks in the house are stopped at twenty minutes to nine. Dickens creates sympathy for Pip by making the house sound dark and dismal, as Pip was probably not expecting anything like what it is like. Estella and Miss Havisham both treat Pip like a lower class; the way they do this is by constantly calling him ‘boy’ and making Pip eat his food outside like ‘a dog in disgrace’. Estella also constantly reminds Pip of his social standing by calling him a ‘Common labouring boy’. The way that both Estella and Miss Havisham treat Pip makes him resent his simple upbringing. Estella makes Pip feel worthless and she always speaks to him in a tone of disgust. The strange atmosphere that Dickens has created makes the readers feel sympathetic towards Pip.
Pip is very un-happy with his life, Pip loves Estella however Estella is just enticing him. Pip has been affected by Estella, Estella has made Pip feel he is common and so he decides to acquire an education. Pip turns to Biddy for support as she is well educated and he admires her with great respect. Pip has always wanted to work in a blacksmiths however he reconsiders this and thinks about the lifestyle. Our sympathy for Pip grows as we realise how un-happy he is in his place in life.
Pips education is limited. He attends an evening school in the village run by Mr Wopsle’s Great Aunt. Usually Pip has to teach himself how to read, write and do simple sums as the teacher sleeps through the lesson. Learning to read and write does not come easily to Pip; he does not receive any help at home either. We feel sympathy for Pip as he wants to learn, however he cannot as he does not get the teaching and help he needs. Dickens does this to show how Pip’s home life is bad; although Joe would want to help Pip he cannot because he is not very well educated either.
A lawyer from London, named Jaggers, tells Pip that the boy has great expectations and ‘will come into handsome property’. Jagger says that Pip must come to London and start his education with Mr.Pocket immediately. Pip is impatient to leave for London and begin his new life. Pip is already starting to act in a superior way; Dickens makes the readers feel distanced from Pip, due to the way he is acting. Pip says goodbye to Joe and Biddy and takes the coach to London, only then does Pip realise he might have behaved ungratefully to Joe.
Pip arrives in London and is disappointed by the ugliness of it. Pip believed he was going to a paradise but is now seeing the complete opposite. Pip gets taken to Jagger’s office and Jaggers tells him that he is going to stay in Barnards Inn and then going to Mr.Pocket’s father to see if it suits him there. Jaggers tells Pip about his allowance and then tells Wemmick to take Pip to Barnards Inn. Dickens creates sympathy towards Pip as Pip is being treated like a parcel. Jaggers spends no time on Pip and is being pragmatic towards Pip. Pips behaviour in London makes the readers feel distanced form the main character. Pip acts snobbishly and starts to show off about his Great Expectations. Pips education proceeds well but we are seeing the beginnings of Pip’s extravagance with money, Pip soon gets into debt as he is not used to the lifestyle.
Jaggers invites Pip to dine with him and tells him to bring Herbert, Drummle and Startop. Bentley Drummle is a fellow student at Matthew Pockets. He shows himself to be bad tempered, condescending and unsociable. Drummle is a rival for Pip and there rivalry is for Estella’s affection. At the party Drummle begins to boast and behave in an unpleasant manner. Jaggers soon realises that Drummle is trouble and nicknames him spider. Charles Dickens uses the adjectives ‘idle’ ‘proud’ ‘niggardly’ and ‘suspicious’ to describe Drummle. The author uses negative vocabulary to manipulate the reader about Drummle. We get the impression that all Drummle wants is attention and that also Dickens has created the character to be disliked. After the party Pip goes and says his apologies to Jaggers, this shows that Pip is transforming into a Gentleman.
Pip receives a letter from Biddy, to say that Joe is coming to London. Pip doesn’t want Joe to visit and says ‘Not with pleasure’. Pip has become ashamed of his background and so doesn’t want Joe to visit. Joe’s visit is embarrassing and awkward as the blacksmith feels out of place. Joe upsets Pip by calling him ‘Sir’. Joe feels awkward like he did in Miss Havisham’s house, he fiddles with his hat and looks around the room and clearly displays his nerves, which creates a tense atmosphere. Dickens uses Joe’s visit to make the readers feel distanced from the main character as Pip has become a snob and has begun to deceive himself. Joe refuses Pip’s invitation to dinner and suggests that Pip would see him in a better light if he visited the forge. Dickens creates sympathy towards Pip however we still feel slightly distanced from the protagonist of the novel. Pip feels upset by Joe’s sudden departure but also feels ashamed of Joe and his background.
