When he finally reveals himself to Pip, however, he expresses love and gratitude, admiration and affection. At the same time, he is given a name: Abel Magwitch. It is as if these human emotions have transformed him, making him worthy of human distinction. It is when Magwitch questions pip about his parents’ names, Pip recites them exactly as they appear on the tombstones, indicating his youthful innocence while simultaneously allowing Dickens to lower the dramatic tension of the novels opening scene. When the convict confronted Pip he horrified him however despite his horror, Pip treats the convict with compassion and kindness using the title sir when answering the man, “Don’t cut my throat, sir”. It would have been easy for Pip to run to Joe or the Police for help rather than stealing food and the file, but honors his promise to the suffering man and when he learns that the police are searching for him he even worries for his safety. Still, throughout this section an aggressive tone continues from the convict adding to the danger of the scene ‘‘keep still, you little devil, or I’ll cut your throat!’’.
Pip's situation is parallel to the convict's to the extent that they both suffer from physical abuse. Pip is "brought up by hand" and the convict has also been tortured from "other hands" in prison as seen by "the great iron on his leg".
Pip’s self-commentary mostly emphasizes his negative qualities: his dishonesty and his guilt. This is a characteristic of Pip as a narrator throughout ‘Great Expectations’. Despite his many admirable qualities-the strongest of which are compassion, loyalty and conscience-Pip constantly focuses on his failures and shortcomings. To understand him as a character, it is necessary to look beyond his self-descriptions an consider actions. In fact it may be his sense of his own shortcomings that motivates Pip to act so morally.
Pips surroundings-in this section, the “shrouded marshes” of Kent and the harsh bustle of Mrs. Joes house are also important to the novel. Through out ‘Great Expectations’ Dickens uses the setting to create dramatic atmosphere: the setting of the book always sets the tone for the action and reinforces Pip’s insight of his situation. When the weather is dark and stormy, trouble is usually brewing, and when the Pip goes alone into the Mist shrouded marsh, danger and uncertainty usually await. In this section Pip’s story changes rapidly between dramatic scenes with the convict and commercial scenes with under Mrs. Joe’s thumb at home. Despite Mrs. Joes rough treatment of Pip, which she calls “bringing him up by hand”. When Pip ventures out alone onto the marshes, he leaves the sanctuary of home for vague, murky churchyards and the danger and tension that this creates becomes recurrent when Pip decides at an older age to leave his childhood home and enter the big wide world on his own.
The convict later reappears as the grim Magwich, Pip’s secret benefactor and the chief architect of his ‘Great Expectations’. Through out the whole novel Dickens gives no hint or indication of the man’s future in Pip’s life, he created the sense that the convict will return, largely by building a sense of mystery around the man’s situation and around his relation ship to the second convict pip encounters in the marsh.
Magwitch is responsible for the changes in Pip, though not as directly as it might seem. True, his money has made Pip into a social "gentleman." But his kindness and loyalty transforms Pip into a responsible adult who regrets his own bad behavior. In short, because of Magwitch, Pip develops into a man who values integrity over wealth.
In terms of narrative, the introduction of the convict is the most important occurrence in the plot of the first section. Throughout Pip believes that the convicts appearance in his life is an isolated incident, he feels this characters influence throughout this novel.
