12.11.2017

Charles Dickens - Great Expectations - Chapter twelve



After the fight episode, Pip starts to think about what happened and the consequences if someone knew about it. Pip believes that maybe somebody would be waiting for him when he returns for the first time to "the scene of the deed of violence", or, even Miss Havisham would take some sort of personal vengeance. But the incident goes unmentioned during his visit.

For months Pip continues to visit Miss Havisham pushing her in a wheelchair. "Over and over and over again, we would make these journeys, and sometimes they would last as long as three hours at a stretch.

In these meetings, Miss Havisham starts do inquire Pip about his plans for the future. Pip says that he was going to be apprenticed to Joe. Internally, Pip believes that Miss Havisham is going to help him, but in fact, what happens is the opposite. "But, she did not; on the contrary, she seemed to prefer my being ignorant. Neither did she ever give me any money - or anything but my daily dinner - nor ever stipulate that I should be paid for my services.”

Because Pip is kind of waiting for something from Estella, maybe a kiss again, he is not aware of the intentions of Miss Havisham. Estella starts to drive him crazy, changing her behavior, and being conducted by Miss Havisham. There is a passage when Miss Havisham murmurs in Estella's ear "Break their hearts my pride and hope, break their hearts and have no mercy!"

Partially because of his elevated hopes for his own social standing, Pip begins to grow apart from his family, confiding in Biddy instead of Joe and often feeling ashamed that Joe is “common.” His sister and Mr. Pumblechook are set aside as well. The first because of the manners with him and the second for being supportive of the daily bullying. 

"While Pumblechook himself, self-constituted my patron, would sit supervising me with a depreciatory eye, like the architect of my fortunes who thought himself engaged on a very unremunerative job."

One day, Miss Havisham offers to help with the papers that would officially make Pip Joe’s apprentice, and Pip is devastated to realize that she never meant to make him a gentleman.

See you on chapter thirteen.

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