Page 174 - DENG404_FICTION

Fiction

Notes published. Only one or two chapters, in the form of a magazine, were presented to the public
at a time. One week a mystery would be introduced, the next week suspense would build, the
week after that solutions and new problems, plus new characters, would come to light.
It is easy to see how all of England waited eagerly for the next issue of Dickens’ story, much
like some today discuss the ongoing plots and subplots of soap operas. One can imagine that
when the different issues of Great Expectations were first published, the readers felt, and
probably talked, about Pip and all the characters as if they knew them personally. Pip was
made all the more real by the fact that, in many cases, Dickens was creating the story as he
went along. Therefore anything really could happen to Pip from one issue to the next when
not even the author knew all the details.

Part III: Chapter 9
Pip has dinner with Jaggers and Wemmick at Jaggers’ home and learns from the host that
Drummle has indeed married Estella. Jaggers’ verdict on the subject is that Drummle, because
of his “spidery” character, will either beat her or “cringe,” that is, become a brow-beaten
husband himself. The whole conversation pains Pip, who has been trying to avoid the subject
even with Herbert.
During the dinner, Pip finally realizes what had been so familiar about a certain look he had
seen in Estella. It was a look that he had seen in Jaggers’ servant woman as well. Pip knows
instinctively now that Jaggers’ servant woman is Estella’s mother!
On their way home together, Wemmick tells the story of Jaggers’ woman servant, the “tigress”
as Wemmick refers to her. It was Jaggers’ first big break-through case, the case that made him.
He was defending this woman in a case where she was accused of killing another woman by
strangulation. This is why Jaggers’ likes to show off the poor woman’s hands to company. The
woman was also said to have killed her own child, a girl, at about the same time as the
murder.

Analysis

Once again, Pip sees his life colliding with criminality and violence as he realizes that his love
is the daughter of a murderess. The solutions to all the mysteries of the novel are starting to
pour out now. For each one, Pip’s life is being dissassembled. Things are not how he first saw
them. People are not how he first defined them. Convicts are kind and ladies are the daughters
of criminals. Gentlemen are scoundrels and blacksmiths are loyal. He has started letting go of
the societal definitions for these people and started seeing them for who they are: individuals
beyond labeling.

Part III: Chapter 10

Miss. Havisham asks that Pip come visit her. He finds her again sitting by the fire, but this
time she looks very lonely. In fact, as she begins to speak, Pip sees that a big change has come
over the cold woman. She seems almost afraid of Pip. Pip tells her how he was giving some
of his money to help Herbert with his future, but now must stop since he himself is no longer
taking money from his benefactor. Miss. Havisham wants to help, and she gives Pip nine
hundred pounds to continue to assist Herbert.
She then asks Pip for forgiveness. Pip tells her she is already forgiven and that he needs too
much forgiving himself to be able not to forgive others.

“What have I done?” Miss. Havisham repeats again and again. “What have I done?”
Pip asks her about the history of Estella. Miss. Havisham says that she was brought as a mere
infant by Jaggers during the night.

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