Pip and the convict: Chapters 1 - 6

Magwitch and Pip

Pip is an orphan who has been 'raised by hand' by his sister ('Mrs Joe'), who is married to Joe Gargery, a blacksmith. Pip loves Joe, but Mrs Joe constantly berates [berates: Scolds / tells off severly. ] and bullies both of them. Pip's Uncle Pumblechook and his friend Mr Wopsle also enjoy belittling [belittle: To speak of something as being less important than it really is. ] Pip.

One evening, aged six, Pip goes to the churchyard to see the graves of his family. He meets a convict who has escaped from a nearby prison ship. The convict gets him to steal a file and some food for him, which Pip then feels guilty about.

Soldiers capture the convict – who is not trying to escape, but instead to kill another escaped convict. The convict does not betray Pip; he says he stole the file and food himself.

Pip's experiences at Satis House: Chapters 7 - 8

Young Estella, Miss Havisham and young Pip

Soon after, Pip is taken by Uncle Pumblechook to Satis House – home to the rich Miss Havisham, who wants to see children at play. Miss Havisham has not left the house since she was jilted on her wedding day. She has stopped all the clocks and sits in her wedding dress, the wedding meal rotting on the table.

Pip is told to play cards with her adopted daughter, Estella. Estella is beautiful, and Pip falls in love with her. But Miss Havisham has brought her up to wreak revenge on men, and Estella humiliates him. Pip feels 'common'.

Pip becomes an apprentice: Chapters 9 - 14

Young Pip and the young Biddy

Pip becomes a weekly visitor to the surreal world of Satis House. He meets Miss Havisham's 'friends' (who are only after her money) and, one day, a man who smells of soap.

On another occasion, a boy insists on fighting him. Pip wins, and Estella lets him kiss her. Helped by a nice girl called Biddy, Pip – increasingly ashamed of his low class – resolves to better himself by going to the village school to learn to read.

After five years, Miss Havisham summons Joe to Satis House and gives him 25 guineas (£1.05) to make Pip his apprentice. Pip is ashamed of being a blacksmith – he fears Estella will see him working in the forge and despise him.

A brutal attack brings Biddy to the forge: Chapters 15 - 17

Orlick

Another worker at the forge is Dolge Orlick, a horrible man. He bullies Pip, frightens Biddy by 'dancing' (making eyes) at her, and one day quarrels with Mrs Joe – a quarrel which ends up with Joe punching Orlick to the ground. Soon after, Mrs Joe is found with her head smashed in from behind by an unknown attacker. Biddy comes to live at the forge to look after her.

Pip is given 'great expectations': Chapters 18 - 19

Jaggers

One day a London lawyer named Jaggers (the man from Satis House who smelt of soap) arrives to tell Pip that an unknown benefactor [benefactor: Someone that helps or supports a person or group, usually by offering financial aid. ] has given him a huge sum of money for Pip to become a 'gentleman'. Pip has, he says, 'great expectations'. Pip (wrongly) assumes Miss Havisham is the benefactor, and wants him to marry Estella. He buys a new suit and goes to London.

Pip as a 'gentleman': Chapters 20 - 38

Estella and Bentley Drummle

Pip learns manners like a gentleman. Jaggers - who is always washing his hands - doles out the money. Pip meets Bentley Drummle (rich, but a brutal lout), and makes friends with Jaggers' clerk, Wemmick. His best friend is Herbert Pocket (the boy he fought at Satis House). Herbert has ambitions to be a 'capitalist [capitalist: A person who has money invested in a private (non government owned) company. ]', but no chance of becoming one. So Pip secretly buys Herbert a job.

Pip grows shallow and conceited. He is embarrassed by Joe and insults Biddy. He still loves Estella, but she marries Drummle.

Magwitch returns: Chapters 39 - 44

Compeyson

Shortly after, Pip receives a visitor – Abel Magwitch, the convict he helped all those years ago. Magwitch has made a fortune in Australia and it is he – not Miss Havisham – who has been financing Pip. Now he wants to live with Pip. Pip is horrified, but resolves to care for him.

Pip realises that the man who abandoned Miss Havisham (called Compeyson) had been Magwitch's partner – and got Magwitch sent to jail for crimes he (Compeyson) had committed. Pip guesses Estella is Magwitch's daughter.

Pip in danger – preparing to escape: Chapters 45 - 53

While visiting the theatre one night to see Mr Wopsle (who has become an actor), Pip is horrified to discover Compeyson had been in the audience. Orlick also finds out about Pip's secret and tries to murder Pip, who is saved by Pocket. Pip moves Magwitch to the house of Pocket's girlfriend, Clara, and resolves that he and Magwitch should escape to Europe.

Miss Havisham's sad end: Chapter 49

Miss Havisham

Pip visits Miss Havisham, who begs his forgiveness – she realises she has broken Pip's heart, just as Compeyson broke hers. Pip forgives her, but she gets too close to the fire and her dress catches alight. Pip saves her and is badly burned. Miss Havisham eventually dies of her wounds.

The death of Magwitch (and of Pip's dreams): Chapters 54 - 56

Pip and Magwitch try to escape by boat, but are betrayed by Compeyson. Magwitch attacks him and Compeyson is drowned. Magwitch is captured, but later dies in prison. By this time, Pip realises that he is a good and noble man. Pip makes Magwitch's last moments happy by telling him Estella is his daughter.

A new direction in a decent occupation: Chapters 57 - 58

Herbert Pocket and Pip

All Pip's wealth is forfeit [forfeit: The act of giving something up as a penalty for a fault or mistake. ] to the crown. He has lost Estella. Magwitch has died. He falls ill, and is nursed back to health by Joe. Realising he has chased the wrong girl, he goes back to the village to propose to Biddy – only to find she and Joe are to be married. But Pip's character has been improved, and he accepts his bad luck. He goes to Egypt to work with Pocket, and the two of them earn a living by hard work.

Pip and Estella – 'bent, broken but better': Chapter 59

Pip and Estella are reunited

Years later, Pip returns to the village. Drummle – who beat Estella – has died in a riding accident. In his original ending, Dickens had Pip and Estella meet and go their separate ways. On the advice of friends, he changed it. In the revised ending, Pip and Estella meet in the grounds of Satis House. Both have been "bent and broken into a better shape" by disappointment. They leave together, and Pip closes the story by saying: "I saw no shadow of another parting from her."

Timeline

Timeline of events in Great Expectations

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