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Unit 12: Great Expectations: Detailed Study of Text-I

these rages in Joe, who is more his equal than a paternal figure, and they are united under a Notes
common oppression.
During the dinner, Pip nervously steals a piece of bread. Early the next morning, Pip steals
food and a pork pie from the pantry shelf and a file from Joe’s forge and runs back to the
marshes.

Analysis

The reader’s sympathy once again is directed at Pip who not only lost his parents but is being
raised by a raging, bitter woman. A common criticism inherent in many of Dickens’ novels is
the abuse of children in society at large. Although he paints Mrs. Joe in a rather humorous
light at times, the reader is still keenly aware of the fear in which this poor child grew up.
Character names in Dickens’ works are often codes which reflect a characteristic of the person
or their station. Mrs. Joe’s name can be decoded to reflect humorous irony on Dicken’s
part. Although the wife of Joe has taken both his names in the classic patriarchal manner
(usually connoting that the wife is the property of the man) the Gragery household is anything
but patriarchal. In fact, her husband is treated as little more than a child and Pip and he are
the submissive ones.

Chapter 3
The next morning, Pip sneaks out of the house and back to the marshes. He finds a man, wet
and cold and dressed like a convict, but he turns out to be a different convict from the man
who had threatened him the night before. This man has a badly bruised face and wears a
broad-brimmed hat. He runs away from Pip without speaking to him. Pip finally finds his
man and gives him the food. The man reacts with anger when Pip tells him about the other
convict. Pip leaves him filing at his shackle and returns home.

Analysis

The second meeting of Pip and the convict is much more civil and sympathetic than the first.
Pip even puts away his fear to say, “I am glad you enjoy it,” as the convict eats. Since he stole
the food and file, Pip is now the convict’s partner in crime and feels closer to the man.

Great Expectations is sometimes called, among other things, a mystery or suspense novel, and
in this chapter we see elements of that genre. Dickens uses secrets as a way of heightening
suspense throughout the novel. Someone is always hiding something from someone else.
Sometimes these secrets are clear to the reader and make the reader a partner in crime with
the characters, as we are with Pip last as he sneaks around his house, terrified of getting
caught, stealing food. Other times the reader is left out of the secret but we are given the
impression that it is an important thing that we need to find out, as in the case of the two
convicts. We know that there is some connection between the two that is important to the
story but we are given very few clues to help us.

Task What is the nature of relationship between these two characters?

Chapter 4

Pip returns home to find Mrs. Joe preparing the house for Christmas dinner. She has invited
Mr. Wopsle, the church clerk, Mr. Hubble the wheelwright and Mrs. Hubble and Uncle Pumblechook

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