Great Expectations Chapters 1-7

Great Expectations Chapters 1-7


What kind of name is Pip? How did he get that name? Page 1 – Would a reader naturally think “small” or “large” about a character named Pip? (“important” or unimportant”)?



What about Gargery? One might say that the name sort of sounds like the word “garbage”. Joe – being a blacksmith – is where on society’s “totem-pole”?




What are Pip’s feelings about what his parents were like? Page 1 – Why might he have these feelings (think about his social class)?



Where does Pip meet the convict? What is Pip doing there?


What does the convict order Pip to do? Why does Pip obey?


What is “Tickler”?


Pip’s sister raised him after the death of his parents. What does it mean when she says that she raised him “by hand”? What does Pip think this means? Page 6






Hint - By hand, brought up: Infants, in the absence of the mother, were either sent out to be fed by a wet-nurse (another lactating woman), or were spoon- or bottle-fed. Mrs. Joe's claim to neighborhood fame -- that she raised Pip "by hand" -- refers to the latter method. However, not only is the term used ironically (given Mrs. Joe's tendency to physically mistreat Pip), but its literal meaning also suggests abuse. Susan Thurin, in a recent Victorian Newsletter article, summarizes the history and application of the term "by hand" as follows: She notes that artificial infant foods in the 19th century were un-nutritious, often being nothing better than pap (a thin mixture, for example flour and water) or gruel. Though cow's milk was often used as a substitute for breast-milk, "Cows were kept in filth, retailers skimmed and watered milk, and in the summer, bacteria spoiled it within twelve hours. The Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act, which legislated sanitary conditions for the sale of milk, was not passed until 1878" (Thurin 29) -- over 70 years after Pip was born. In the 18th century, sixty-six percent of infants brought up "by hand" died, and methods had not greatly improved by the 19th century (Thurin 29). Pip, in other words, is lucky to be alive. Indeed, he and his sister have five siblings in the graveyard (Ch.1); and though these children may or may not have been raised by hand, they are an indication that the infant mortality rate in 19th century England was generally very high. Though spoon-feeding was especially likely to kill a baby, about 25% of all children born did not survive beyond the age of five (Mulhall 178).

How does Pip steal bread and butter for the convict? Page 7


What are the hulks? Page 12


How many convicts are there? When Pip brings breakfast on page 16 to the convict, is this the original convict?


Who is Mr. Wopsle? Page 22. Who is Mr. Hubble? Who is Mr. Pumblechook?




Describe Mr. Pumblechook? Page 23 What does he drive? Why is this a big deal to Pip and his family?





Hint - Chaise-cart: The fact that "Uncle Pumblechook ... drove his own chaise-cart" (Ch. 4) indicates a certain level of prosperity not achieved by Pip's family at the forge. Driving his own cart would indicate that he had means sufficient to keep, or regular access to, a horse. Though the kind of cart denoted by "chaise-cart" varied, it usually referred to a light carriage with two or four wheels (OED, "chaise").

Why is Pip so nervous at Christmas dinner? What is in the brandy?




Why do the soldiers want to see Joe? Page 29



Why is one of the convicts yelling “murder” when the searchers discover him?



What does the convict lie about and why?


The convict looks at Pip on page 36. Does the convict like Pip? What kind of look was this?


How did the convict return the favor to Pip on page 38?



Is this the last we will see of the convict? Predictions? If so, what was the point of meeting him?




Explain what Pip means when he says, “I was too cowardly to do what I knew to be right, as I had been too cowardly to avoid doing what I knew to be wrong.”




Page 40 – Describe Pip’s relationship with Joe.



Who is Biddy? Page 43. How was she brought up?


What was Joe’s upbringing like? How has this had an effect on his parenting Pip? How has this had an effect on his dealings with Mrs. Joe? Page 45-47






Look at the bottom of page 46. Would you say that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”? Does Pip understand this yet?



Why does Mr. Pumblechook take Pip into town?


What is the big deal about Miss. Havisham? What will Miss Havisham be like? Why would she want someone of Pip’s caliber to be playing with her daughter?