Great Expectations: Guided Discussion Questions

Reading and Discussion Guides 1

ISBN# 0-553-21342-3

Ch. 1 1. What would be your Great Expectations name? (Your last name to the first vowel and your first name to the first consonant. Ex: Tim Carter would be “Cat”) 2. Where is Pip? Describe it. 3. Pg. 2 – What does it mean that the man had a “great iron on his leg”? Who is this man? 4. Pg. 4 – What does the man want with a file and wittles? 5. Pg. 5 – What did the man say that really frightened Pip? Do you think Pip will come back to the man with what he requested?

Ch. 2 1. Pg. 6 – Pip describes Joe Gargery as “a sort of Hercules in strength – and also in weakness.” What does he mean by this? 2. Pg. 6-9 - What are your impressions of Mrs. Gargery? Describe her. Do you know anyone like Pip’s sister? 3. Pg. 11 – Pip makes this statement: “Conscience is a dreadful thing when it accuses a man or a boy, but when, in the case of a boy, when this secret burden co-operates with another secret burden down the leg of his trousers, it is (as I can testify) a great punishment.” What things does Pip have to feel guilty about at the moment?

Ch. 3 1. Pg. 15 – How does the weather reflect Pip’s mood? Give specifics. 2. Pg. 15-16 – Pip is so afraid of getting caught, who does he imagine accusing him? Can you relate to Pip in his distress over stealing? 3. Pg. 16 – Who will Pip be apprenticing with? Do you think he excited about it? 4. After reading these three chapters, how would you describe Pip? (Think about his actions and thought processes in his dealings with the Gargerys and the convict)

Ch. 7 Skip beginning and start reading on Pg. 46 “One night I was sitting in the chimney corner…”. Stop on Pg. 48 after “Certainly, poor Joe.” and begin again on Pg. 52 “’Now,’ said Mrs. Joe…” and read to the end of the chapter. 1. Pg. 45 – How does Pip describe his experiences in learning to read and write? Do you ever feel this way at school when you are learning a new subject? 2. Pg. 46-48 – How is your compassion developed toward Joe in these pages? How do you think Pip feels towards him? Is he ashamed of him, feel sorry for him, etc? 3. What effect do you think Joe’s dialect has on the development of his character for the reader? How could Dickens use dialect to show the separation of social classes later in the novel? 4. After reading the chapter, make a prediction as to what will happen at Miss Havisham’s. Do you think he will like it there? What benefits could he reap from being around people of a higher class? Reading and Discussion Guides 2

Ch. 8 (Cut beginning) Start at “For such reasons...” (Fourth Paragraph) 1. Pg. 56 – What does the description of Miss Havisham’s house remind you of? How would you feel right now if you were Pip? 2. Pg. 58 – One name Pip calls the manor house is “Enough House”. What could this name symbolize or characterize about the house? 3. Pg. 58 – What are your first impressions of Estella? Do you know anyone like her? 4. Pg. 59 – Close your eyes and listen to the description of Miss Havisham. Where does it sound like she belongs? 5. Pg. 60 – What might be the significance of the clocks being stopped at “twenty minutes to nine”? 6. Pg. 62 – Explain what Pip means when he says “Her contempt for me was so strong that it became infectious, and I caught it.” What is this the beginning of? 7. Pg. 66 – Who did Pip see hanging? What could this foreshadow? 8. After reading the chapter, how has Pip’s view of himself changed now that he has met Estella and Havisham?

Ch. 9 - Read only the last paragraph in the chapter: “That was a memorable day to me…” 1. After reading the paragraph, think about Pip’s statement to his readers. Can you think of a time when you had such a memorable day as this? What kind of a change did it make in you?

Ch. 11 Start : “As we were going with our candle…” to pg. 89 “…and we started away again round and round the room.” Start again: “This is my birthday, Pip.” to the end. 1. Pg. 88 – What was this room? Piece together what you have seen in this room and Miss Havisham’s dressing room and guess what might have happened to Havisham to make her the way she is now. 2. Pg. 97 – Why did Estella let Pip kiss her? What does this say about Estella?

Ch. 12 Start: “As we began…” and stop “…I did not know then, though I think I know now.” Start again “We went on in this way for a long time…” to the end of the chapter. 1. Pg. 100 – Why do you think Miss Havisham would “prefer (Pip’s) being innocent”? What does this say about Miss Havisham? 2. After reading the excerpts, do you think Pip is excited about Joe going to Miss Havisham’s?

Ch. 13 Read beginning and stop before “I have reasons to think…” Continue reading the last paragraph of the chapter. 1. Pg. 107 – Explain why Joe acts the way he does around Miss Havisham. Do you think Pip is embarrassed? Why or why not? 2. Pg. 111 – How has Pip’s feelings about being Joe’s apprentice changed? What do you credit this change to? Is it Pip’s fault?

Ch. 18 Read excerpt from “My name is Jaggers…” to “My dream was out…grand scale.” (For easy transition and understanding in order to jump into Ch. 22) Reading and Discussion Guides 3 Ch. 19 Read excerpt from “I start for London, Miss Havisham…” to “…the rotten bride cake that was hidden in cobwebs.” Start again at “It was a hurried breakfast…” to the end of the chapter.

Ch. 22 – Start from beginning and stop after “Herbert Pocket had a frank and easy way…” Start reading again from “’Now,’ he pursued…” and end with “In truth he said this…” 1. Pip is older now and studying in London. In a pub he runs into the boy he dueled with so long ago in Havisham’s yard. Herbert begins to tell him the story behind Havisham. 2. Pg. 190 – In ways could Havisham be a symbol for Queen Victoria? 3. Pg. 191 – Summarize what happened to Miss Havisham. Does this make you feel sorry for her? Why or why not? How does this explain Miss Havisham’s strange lifestyle?

Ch. 29 Skip his conversations with Orlick, if desired. Stop reading after “This brought us to the dinner table…” (Handout) 1. Pg. 246 – Pip describes his love for Estella. Is it really Love or is it something else? Do you think you have experienced love like that? 2. Pg. 253 – Thinking about Miss Havisham’s past, why would love be a curse? 3. Pg. 253 – What does Havisham say love really is? Do you agree with her? What does this explain about the way she raised Estella and the way she pushes Pip to worship Estella.

Ch. 33 (See handout for excerpts) 1. Estella makes this statement: “We have no choice, you and I, but to obey our instructions. We are not free to follow out own devices, you and I.” What insight does she have by making this statement? Could this be foreshadowing something? What? What could Dickens be saying about life in general through this statement?

Ch. 38 (See handout for excerpts) 1. Pg. 321 – Pip says he “Never had one hour’s happiness in [Estella’s] society.” If he is never happy when he is with her, why do you think he keeps coming back? How often do you think Love goes hand-in-hand with misery? 2. Pg. 323 – Pip admits that Estella is Miss Havisham’s tool for wreaking havoc on men, him including. What is his reason for staying in love with Estella? Do you think it is worth Pip suffering so much just based on the idea that he might marry her one day? 3. Pg. 328 – Pip says Miss Havisham now feared Estella. Why would she? Who do you think is to blame for Estella’s personality? For Pip’s?

Ch. 39 (See handout for excerpts) Pip is 23 now and living in London. 1. Pg. 336 – Who is the man that comes to see Pip? Predict why he is there and what he might want. 2. Pg. 341 – Why is Pip so horrified that the convict is his benefactor? Discuss what this might mean for him now. 3. Pg. 344 (“Miss Havisham’s intentions towards me…” to “…never undo what I had done.”) Summarize the realizations that Pip has come to. What does he understand now about Estella and Havisham? Why can he not go back to Joe now?

Ch. 44 (See handout for excerpts) Reading and Discussion Guides 4 1. After reading the first excerpt, why do you think Miss Havisham let Pip think she was his benefactor? How did this play into the game she built around Pip and Estella? 2. After reading the second excerpt, predict what you think will happen to Estella from what Pip said about Estella’s fiancée.

Ch. 49 (See handout for excerpts) Pip gets a note from Havisham and goes to see her. 1. Pg. 421 – What does Pip want the 900 pounds for? Why? 2. Pg. 425 – Now that we know Estella is an orphan, what could you guess about her lineage? Is she any different than Pip in her social standing? 3. After reading the chapter, do you think Miss Havisham set herself on fire? What are your clues? Where did they end up laying her and what could this foreshadow?

Ch. 59 (Read All) 1. Pg. 512 – Why do you think Joe and Biddy named their son Pip? 2. Pg. 513 – Do you think Estella got what she deserved in her marriage? 3. After reading the chapter, does it end the way you wanted it to? Does it end the way you think Pip wanted it to? 4. Read the alternate ending. Which do you prefer and why? Spend some time and write down another alternate ending that you think would better conclude the story. Pick up where Pip and Estella meet in the garden.

Original Ending (Excerpt in packet) 1. Compare and contrast the endings. 2. What does Pip mean when he says Estella’s “suffering had been stronger than Miss Havisham's teaching”? 3. How does the original ending affect the plot of the novel? Reading and Discussion Guides 5