Great Expectations - Charles Dickens - Chapter two

The second chapter is basically an introduction to the character of Mrs Gargery, her husband Joe and the relations among them.

Pip describes his sister, Mrs Gargery as being twenty years older than him. She is not a good-looking woman, with black hair and eyes and a "prevailing redness of skin that I sometimes used to wonder whether it was possible she washed herself with a nutmeg-grater instead of soap". Also, he describes Joe Gargery as a fair man with curls of flaxen hair on side of his smooth face, and being "a mild, good-natured, sweet-tempered, easy-going, foolish, dear fellow - a sort of Hercules in strength, and also in weakness".

Mrs Gargery and Joe Gargery

When Dickens uses the term "by hand" to write about how Mrs Gargery raised Pip, he is intentionally ambiguous. Originally, 'by hand' meant be nursed by someone other than ones biological mother (maybe by bottle). On the other hand, writing 'by hand' evokes using her hand corporally against her husband and kids. 

"Having at that time to find out for myself what the expression meant, and knowing her to have a hard and heavy hand, and to be much in the habit of laying it upon her husband as well as upon me, I supposed that Joe Gargery and I were both brought up by hand".

After running away from the church, Pip arrives at home and meet Joe waiting for him at the kitchen. Joe warns him that his sister and "Tickler" (a wax-ended piece of cane) were looking for him for a while and that she was furious with his absence. 

"Tickler" in action with Mrs Gargery

The only thing crossing Pip's mind was his obligation to "the man with an iron leg". Trying to accomplish his task, Pip stirs a piece of bread at that night, and early in the morning Pip goes to the kitchen and steals "some bread, some rind of cheese, about half a jar of mincemeat (which I tied up in my pocket-handkerchief with my last night's slice), some brandy from a stone bottle...... , a meat bone with very little on it, and a beautiful round compact pork pie". Also, Pip steals a file (knife) from Joe's stuff.

After that, Pip runs to the marshes to meet the mysterious man with the "iron leg".

See you in Chapter three!