Character Log: Great Expectations

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Pip- Pip is the main character of Great Expectations. He is the younger brother of Mrs. Joe Gargery and the brother-in-law of Joe Gargery. Pip is the nephew-in-law of Pumblechook. Pip is closely acquainted with Mr. Wopsle, a family friend who he becomes closer with as the novel progresses. Pip’s dream starts to come true as one Miss Havisham provides a social outlet for Pip. Pip is a potential suitor of Estella Havisham. Pip later becomes the legal child of Mr. Jaggers. Pip serves as an opposing force to Jaggers as well as to Dolge Orlick. Pip is the student of Biddy, and eventually becomes the brother-in-law of Biddy. Pip’s best friend is Herbert Pocket. Pip also befriends and is made an ally to John Wemmick, a man whom he meets in London. Pip has an arch enemy whom with he fights for Estella’s hand in marriage, named Bentley Drummle. Pip has a fellow classmate named Startop. Pip is the receiving end of a benefactor name Abel Magwitch, who later becomes friends with Pip and Pip aids in Magwitch’s escape. Pip is taught at an early age by Mr. Wopsle’s great aunt. Pip is teased by and is later rescue by Trabb’s boy. Pip is a guest in the household of the Pockets.

Pip develops the plot because it is his dreams and ambition that create the plot and all plot subsets. He has many goals that develop the story, the first of which is marrying Estella. Pip spends the majority of the book trying to win Estella, attempting to impress both her and her mother, and it is in attempt to impress her that he creates a second goal, to become a gentleman in the upper class. Shortly after Pip is introduced to the book, he becomes inspired by his schooling by Wopsle’s aunt’s classes and decides he wants to be a gentleman to avoid having to live his life end like Joe’s, his brother-in-law. He takes classes from his friend Biddy and is sent to Miss Havisham so he can fulfill this dream. His desire to become a gentleman eventually leads him to be sent to London to receive a formal education and gentleman training, this being where he meets additional characters who develop the plot even further. After Pip has lived a good span of time in London, he develops yet another goal, saving his benefactor, Magwitch from the police. The last section of the book is entirely devoted to this goal, and without it, many plot details fail to tie together properly.

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Mrs. Joe- Mrs. Joe is the older sister of the main character, Pip. She is married to Joe Gargery and it is speculated by Pip that it was a forced marriage. Although he is Joe’s uncle, Pumblechook and Mrs. Joe have a very close relationship. Mrs. Joe despises Joe’s apprentice, Orlick attacks Mrs. Joe mid-way through Pip’s childhood, leaving her with permanent injuries that later result in her death. Mrs. Joe is a family friend of Mr. Hubble as well as Mrs. Wopsle. Mrs. Joe is important to the plot because she also encourages Pip’s visiting of Miss Havisham which spurs his goal to become a gentleman. She also develops the plot by creating a toxic environment in her household, which makes Pip dream of a better life, thus leading him to pursue the idea of being a gentleman and having a better life.

Page #: 5

Joe- Joe is the brother-in-law and father figure of Pip. He visits Pip during his stay in London and cares for Pip after Pip falls ill after Magwitch’s death. He is married to Mrs. Joe, and his marriage to her is allegedly forced by the latter party. Joe‘s uncle is Mr.Pumblechook. Joe is a close family friend of Mr. Wopsle as well as Mr. Hubble. Joe is the boss and mentor of his blacksmith apprentice, Orlick. After Mrs. Joe’s attack, his friend Biddy moves in to help him manage with Mrs. Joe and he and Biddy eventually end up married and have a child together, whom they name after Pip.

Joe represents a symbol of love and devotion for the reader to compare other forms of love to the entire novel. Joe’s love for Pip never dies; he always is there for Pip, for Pip during childhood, as a young adult and as a full grown man. Joe also provides a basis for Pip’s goal on becoming a gentleman is born. It is Joe’s so called inadequacy in education and class statues that allows Pip to be motivated. Joe creates clash with Pip’s idea of class, Joe believes that he was meant to be lower class and he is unmotivated to change his position, but he is happy where he is, the opposite of Pip’s unhappiness in a higher class that he had to work hard at to achieve.

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Mr. Pumblechook- Pumblechook is the uncle of Joe, and the great uncle of Pip. He is responsible for bringing Pip to Miss Havisham’s house. He is significant to the plot because of this important action, Pip’s meeting of Miss Havisham spurs Pip’s creating of his goal of meeting Estella and becoming a gentleman. Pumblechook also represents a part of what Pip wants to become when he’s older, a successful business man, but shows how this goal may require some sacrifices of personality and degradation of one’s character, as seen by Pumblechooks pompous and greedy habits.

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Mr. Wopsle- Mr. Wopsle is a close family friend of the Gargery’s when Pip is a child and later becomes somewhat as a close friend when Pip and he both move to London to pursue their dreams. He also has a great-aunt, who dies shortly after the book begins. Wopsle is meant to show many different things in the plot, the first of which is how one’s goals, when oblivious to the absurdity, can be catastrophic. Mr. Wopsle’s perusal of a failed acting career shows that Pip’s goal of being a gentleman could easily disintegrate and fail, and his entire life’s course would have to be changed. Another thing Wopsle shows is how ridiculous it is sometimes to desire to be in a class above your own, as seen when Wopsle complains of his fellow clergymen being advanced in the church while he remains in his lower position. He shows that one has to earn a higher position, and that lack of skill and effort leads you nowhere.

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Miss Havisham-Miss Havisham is the adoptive mother of Estella Havisham. Miss Havisham has a lawyer named Mr. Jaggers who brought her her daughter originally. Miss Havisham was once engaged to a man named Compeyson who leaves her at the altar on their wedding day. Miss Havisham has a cousin named Matthew Pocket. Miss Havisham serves as a sort of influential mentor and companion to Pip in the months leading up to his departure to London. She is thought, for the majority of the book, to be the mysterious benefactor of Pip. Towards the end of her life, she is saved by Pip in a large fire.

Miss Havisham is one of the main reasons for Pip’s gentleman training. It is she who introduces Pip to Estella and creates Pip’s insatiable desire to be with Estella, so serving her goal of having Estella break hearts. Pip’s obsession with Estella is what turns him to pursue higher status to impress Estella and to become more worthy. Miss Havisham also exemplifies the idea that apology and penitence are all that is needed to solve misdoings. Miss Havisham shows that lying and greed very effectively allow someone to achieve their goals, but that there can be negative consequences to acting this way after the goal is achieved.

Page #’s: 45

Estella Havisham- Estella is the adoptive daughter of Miss Havisham. Estella is the actual daughter of Molly the housekeeper and Abel Magwitch. Estella is the wife, and later ex- wife of Bentley Drummle. Estella is the object of desire for Pip throughout the entire novel. Although she denies him her love for the majority of the book, in the last chapters, she finally accepts Pip and the two appear to have a bright future.

Estella develops the plot by creating a goal for Pip to base his entire life upon. She is an object of desire for him and all his thoughts and actions revolve around her. She is the reason for Pip’s gentleman training, which is done mostly to impress her and win her heart. She also develops the plot by showing how class can be changed quickly and for little apparent reason, seen when she begins as the daughter of Molly and Magwitch but quickly becomes the upper class daughter of Miss Havisham. This gives some contrast to Pip’s entire life struggle to become a gentleman in the higher class.

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Mr. Jaggers- Mr. Jaggers is the lawyer of Miss Havisham and is responsible for bringing Miss Havisham her adoptive daughter. Mr. Jaggers is the lawyer of Magwitch as well, and attempts to do his best to spare Magwitch from the death penalty. Mr. Jagger’s maid is Molly, and it is suggested he cares more deeply for her than shown on the exterior. He becomes the legal guardian of Pip after Pip receives the benefits. Mr.Jaggers is the boss of John Wemmick. Jaggers also, much to Pip’s annoyance, takes an interest in Bentley Drummle.

Jaggers progresses the plot by being the person who actually follows out the steps needed for Pip o be a gentleman. He is the one that alerts Pip that he has received the money in order to receive training. He is the one who allows the money to travel from Magwitch to Pip. He is the secret force behind many sub plots within the book, such as the connection between Molly, Magwitch, Estella, and Miss Havisham. Jaggers also provides a contrasting force to Miss Havisham and Pumblechook, he seems to have gained all his fame and fortune arguing the truth, and truth seems to be an important factor in his life, whereas the other two use lies to get what they want in life.

Page #: 87

Dolge Orlick- Orlick is the early apprentice of Joe. Orlick is the man responsible for the injuries and subsequent death of Mrs. Joe. Orlick is a potential suitor of Biddy. Orlick acts as an opposing force or antagonist to Pip when Pip is a child. Orlick develops in multiple ways. The first of these was when he killed Mrs. Joe, adding a turning point in Pip’s life, and allowing Joe to marry a new woman, this marriage ruining yet another one of Pip’s plans. Another way he progresses the plot is by his attempt to kill Pip at the end of the book, claiming that Pip ruined his life. Orlick’s significance in Great Expectations is to reinforce the idea of revenge, seen before in Miss Havisham.

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Biddy-Biddy is a close childhood friend of Pip. She teaches him how to write and read. Biddy is pursued by Dolge Orlick when she is a young girl, but it is after Mrs. Joe’s death that she marries Joe Gargery and has a child with him. Biddy dislikes the Havisham family, especially Estella and warns Pip to stay away from them. Biddy is the second cousin of Mr. Wopsle. Biddy’s grandmother is Mr. Wopsle’s great-aunt.

Biddy develops the plot by creating tension and a sort of love triangle between Pip, herself and Estella. Pip is extremely conflicted over his feelings for Biddy and knows that he should lover her, but can’t bring himself to do so. This allows the readers to see that Pip’s love for Estella isn’t completely misdirected and obsessive, that he knows there are worthier women. This allows for increased tension for the first part of the book. Biddy is also the first person Pip shares all his passions too, his love for Estella and his desire to be a gentleman, allowing the reader to know she is a trust worthy person.

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Herbert Pocket- Herbert Pocket is the best friend of Pip. Herbert becomes the roommate of Pip, even after their pugnacious encounter as children. Herbert is the son of Matthew Pocket. Herbert is the secret fiancé of Clara Barley. Herbert, with the aid of his friend Startop, saves Pip after Orlick attacks him and helps sneak Magwitch out of the country. Herbert is significant to the plot because he, like many other characters, provides a contrast to Pip. Pip’s dreams and goals are unrealistic and Pip’s lifestyle is lavish and not well thought out, whereas Herbert is simple and realistic with his life and keeps specific goals in mind, not paying attention to class or any other discriminating factors.

Page #: 132

Wemmick- Wemmick is the clerk of Mr. Jagger's law firm. He is a good friend of Herbert and Pip. Wemmick is married to Miss Skiffins by the end of the book. Wemmick aids in the attempt to sneak Magwitch out of the country. He cares for his father, affectionately called Aged P, in his home. Wemmick is important to plot development because he helps Magwitch escape in the last part of the book which is arguably the most important conflict that happens while Pip is in London and Magwitch’s entire life is riding on these handfuls of men’s ability to act. Wemmick also is a prime example of how responsibility and performing to the standards of one’s class can be negative, as seen by his constant character flips for when he travels in between work and his home, and how being in a position of power isn’t necessarily a beneficial thing.

Page #: 166

Molly- Molly is the mother of Estella Havisham. She is the wife of Abel Magwitch. She is the maid of Mr. Jaggers. She develops the plot by creating a sense of mysticism around her strong wrists and connection to Estella. Her crimes are the reason Estella is with Miss Havisham, so it is her actions which lead to the disintegration of Estella’s life all the consequences that came with it.

Page #: 158

Bentley Drummle- Drummle is a fellow student of Pip. Pip dislikes him greatly and the two become fast enemies. He is a guest at the Pocket house. Mr. Jaggers takes a liking to him. He courts and later marries Estella, but dies in an accident later. He is significant to the plot in the idea that he ruins Pip’s dreams, marrying Estella and taking away Pip’s true goal in life. He also is meant to show that being upper class can make you a terrible and stuck up person and that being humble can serve you just as well as being rich.

Page #:158

Startop- Startop is a fellow student of Pip and Drummle. He also lives with the Pocket’s during his training. He aids in Pip’s rescue from Orlick. Startop develops the plot by rescuing Pip from Orlick. Without Pip’s rescue, Magwitch’s escape and all that comes with it cannot happen. He also is yet another example of contrast, being the opposite of Drummle, because he is kind and positive, the opposite of Drummle’s negative personality.

Page #: 271

Compeyson- Compeyson was the ex-fiancé of Miss Havisham. He was the previous business partner and friend of Magwitch. However, he turns on Magwitch and the two become enemies. Compeyson is eventually drowned by Magwitch. He also is significant because it is his leaving of Miss Havisham that spurs her to adopt Estella to breed her as a heart-breaking device. He also shows how money can blind any other feelings, showed by the way he only uses Havisham for her money.

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Magwitch- Magwitch is the benefactor of Pip, and it is suggested that he and Pip share a father-son type of relationship. Magwitch is the husband of Molly the maid. He is the father of Estella Havisham. His lawyer is Mr. Jaggers, using him to transfer money to Pip. He is the former friend and enemy of Compeyson, a man he eventually drowns.

Magwitch develops the plot because it is with his financial help that Pip finally has a chance to live his dream of being a gentleman. Without Magwitch, Pip never could have moved to London and Pip never could have completed any of its goals. He also develops the plot because he drives Pip’s fears as a young boy, he causes Pip to lie and steal as to not face the repercussions of Magwitch’s wrath. He also develops the plot because Wemmick, Herbert and Pip spend a large part of the story trying to sneak Magwitch out of London. It is his death that causes Pip to question his life and become more serious with his life.

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Mr. Hubble- Mr. Hubble is a guest of the Gargery’s on Christmas. He is good friends with Mrs. Joe. He is a local wheelwright in Pip’s village. He is yet another character that displays an overestimation of self-worth and unawareness for one’s actual social class.

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Mr. Wopsle’s Great Aunt- The Great Aunt is the first teacher of Pip. She starts his need for education. She, as her name implies, is the great aunt of Mr. Wopsle and is the grandmother of Biddy. She dies and leaves money for Wemmick.

Mr. Trabb- Mr. Trabb is the town tailor. He serves Pip many times throughout the book. He is the mentor of Trabb’s boy. He is meant to display how people perceive people of different class. When Pip initially visits him, he acts uninterested and annoyed by Pip, but after he realizes Pip has a large sum of money, he becomes servile and wants to make Pip as happy as possible.

Page #:117 Trabb’s boy- Trabb’s boy is the apprentice of Trabb the tailor. He taunts Pip throughout the novel. He eventually aids in a mission to rescue Pip from Orlick. He also shows how people sometimes act better in positions of authority, like how he acts better for Mr. Trabb than he does his peers.

Page #: 62, 67

Sarah and Georgiana Pocket, Mr. Raymond, Mrs. Camilla- These characters all related to Miss Havisham in one way or another. Their only goal is to acquire Miss Havisham’s money after she has died. During their stay in London for gentleman training, Startop, Drummle and Pip all live on the estate of the Pockets. These relatives represent the greed and despicability of people when money is involved, showing again how wealth can lead to many negative things.

Page #: 146

Matthew Pocket- Matthew Pocket is the father of Herbert Pocket. He is the patriarch of the Pocket household. He is the only relative of Miss Havisham who is not after her money. He houses the gentleman students at his estate. He represents the goodness in all situations and that every person does not always strive for wealth and higher class and that some people, like Joe, are content where they are on the social ladder.

Page #: 294

Clara Barley- Clara is the fiancé of Herbert Pocket. She secretly houses Magwitch at her home until the men are able to sneak Magwitch out of London. She also represents how class doesn’t always factor into someone’s perception of somebody, seeing how Herbert has chosen to marry her, despite her being significantly lower in class than him. She also is another example of parental love along with Wemmick. She cares for her father without complaint despite his foul temper and drinking habits.

Page #: 230

The Aged Parent- The Aged Parent is the elderly father of Wemmick. He represents how positive father-son relationships are beneficial. His relationship with Wemmick is meant to contrast the Havisham-Pocket family and their negative undercurrents.

Page #: 230

Miss Skiffins- Miss Skiffins is the girlfriend and eventual wife of Wemmick. She is meant to reinforce the idea that Wemmick has a split personality, his work personality and his home personality. She reinforces the idea that people act differently when around or in positions of authority or higher class.

ESSAY QUESTION: WEMMICK, page 132.

When Pip arrives to London, one of the first people he meets is the clerk of his new legal guardian, John Wemmick. Wemmick quickly becomes an ally for Pip during his stay in London, and it is with his help that Pip is able to carry out many of his goals. When Pip first meets Wemmick, he immediately makes an observation of his physical description, and it is as follows: “Casting my eyes on Mr. Wemmick as we went along, to see what he was like in the light of day, I found him to be a dry man, rather short in stature, with a square wooden face, whose expression seemed to have been imperfectly chipped out with a dull-edged chisel. There were some marks in it that might have been dimples, if the material had been softer and the instrument finer, but which, as it was, were only dints. The chisel had made three or four of these attempts at embellishment over his nose, but had given them up without an effort to smooth them off. I judged him to be a bachelor from the frayed condition of his linen, and he appeared to have sustained a good many bereavements; for, he wore at least four mourning rings, besides a brooch representing a lady and a weeping willow at a tomb with an urn on it. I noticed, too, that several rings and seals hung at his watch chain, as if he were quite laden with remembrances of departed friends. He had glittering eyes -- small, keen, and black -- and thin wide mottled lips. He had had them, to the best of my belief, from forty to fifty years.” These characteristics, while made quickly and with little analysis, accurately describe Wemmick’s focus, ambiguous personality and understanding. These characteristics are recurring themes throughout Wemmicks character for the entire plot of Great Expectations and without the careful character details, Wemmick and all the plot subsets he inspires would be non-evident and unimportant. One characteristic that is perceived by Pip in his description of Wemmick is “I judged him to be a bachelor from the frayed condition of his linen…” This suggests that Wemmick has not bothered to spend much time dating or spending too much time obsessing over his clothing and appearance. Later in the plot this becomes extremely obvious, Wemmick is an extremely effective and industrious worker, and his job performance outweighs, rightly so, his desire for a wife or making sure his wealth is shown. Wemmick also lives with and cares for his elderly father, a man he cares for very much and directs much of his energy into caring for the man. Wemmick, unlike many other characters in the book, develops a deeper focus for what is important and beneficial in his life, and uses his time and energy to develop them instead of attempting to have as slight grip on numerous artificial, impractical things. Another characteristic Pip notices in Wemmick is his oddly blank face, contrasted by his bright and glittering eyes. This, while seemingly unimportant, represents the recurring idea of Wemmicks ambiguity of personality. At work, Wemmick is a servile, silent hard worker, who never stops and always serves Jaggers to the best of his ability, but at home, Wemmick becomes a talkative, opinionated, lively man who enjoys the company of his friends. Wemmick continues with this ambiguity for a large part of the novel, and while it seems like an odd characteristic, the more we learn about the social norms of the day that we understand why Wemmick chooses to act this way. This characteristic is what allows Wemmick to be an effective character, he is not one-sided and predictable, he has a sort of volatility that allows him to be an interesting character within the plot of Great Expectations. The last characteristic Pip notices about Wemmick is the various mourning rings he wears, suggesting that many significant people in his life have died. It’s clear that Wemmick has been through harsher times in his life, and it is because of this that Wemmick gains empathy and understanding. Wemmick can sympathize with people such as Magwitch who have lost many things in their life, simply because he too has lost things too. It is what allows him to be a good friend and ally to Pip, Herbert, his father and future wife, Miss Skiffins. People feel as though they can rely on him because he knows what to do and how to act because he’s been through it before.