Great Expectations Project (Chapters 16-17)

Chapter 16- Summary (The WHAT) At the start of this chapter Pip’s sister, Mrs. Joe Gargery, was found brutally mauled by some sort of blunt object. Pip used deductive reasoning to conclude that the convict he had confronted in the marshes had committed this heinous crime. This incident creates unwanted attention for the Gargery family, bringing two unruly detectives from London. Once Mrs. Joe Gargery was partially recovered, she was able to write the letter “T” on a slate which Pip had provided for her. Pip brought over his school friend Biddy to live with and care for his sister. Biddy was kind to Pip’s sister and carefully analyzed what Mrs. Joe Gargery wrote, as Pip wasn’t sure what it meant. She eventually came to the conclusion that the “T” stood for a hammer. This causes them to come to the conclusion that Orlick, a worker in Joe’s forge, was Mrs. Joe Gargery’s attacker. Biddy and Pip bring Orlick to Mrs. Joe Gargery to see her reaction, and were surprised when she insisted that Orlick be treated well and welcomed as a pristine guest of their home. It is unknown why Orlick receives this treatment, and the chapter ends with some loose ties.

Chapter 16- Motivation (The WHY) After Mrs. Joe was supposedly attacked by Orlick, Pip was filled with guilt and felt as if he was to blame for what happened to his sister. This drove him to ask an old friend of his to come and care for his bedridden sister.

Chapter 16- Effects (The HOW) Pip’s past choice to aid the convict often negatively affected his friends and family. For example, Pip believed the merciless beating of his sister stemmed from him helping the escaped convict. Also, because Pip felt guilty over the attack on his sister, he asked Biddy to take a break from her work to come and help his sister recover from the bashing.

Chapter 16- Theme (The MESSAGE) One theme in this chapter is relates to the idea of karma, or ‘what goes around comes around.’ Mrs. Joe Gargery raised Pip and her husband “by hand.” We believe this is the author’s way of conveying the message that when you harm others, you will face future harm yourself. Another prevalent theme in this chapter is ‘Stanger Danger.’ Due to Pip’s earlier actions in aiding a dangerous convict, his sister has to pay the price. If Pip had never approached the suspicious convict in the first place, his sister might not have been struck down by an unknown assailant.

Chapter 17

Chapter 17- Summary (The What) At the beginning of this chapter, Pip revisits Miss Havisham and begins to feel displeased with his trade and humble upbringing. When he returns from Satis House, Pip is confused as to whether he wants to “gain Estella over,” or if he wants to act on his feelings towards Biddy, his first teacher and lover. Biddy and Pip go on a walk, and Pip realizes that Biddy is one of the wisest girls he knows. Pip confides in Biddy about his future goal of becoming a gentleman, but after hearing Biddy’s logical rebuttal, Pip starts to wonder if becoming a gentleman is really what he wants to accomplish in life. Towards the end of this chapter, Pip becomes infuriated and extremely jealous when Biddy describes how Orlick tries to flirt with her by dancing whenever Biddy notices him.

Chapter 17- Motivation (The Why) Due to Pip’s desire for Estella’s affection, Pip comes to the conclusion that he wants to become a gentleman in order to impress her. However, he is deterred by the fact that Biddy also has feelings for him and contemplates whether he truly wants to become a gentleman or not. Pip is driven by jealousy when Orlick attempts to catch Biddy’s eye.

Chapter 17- Effects (The HOW) Pip’s internal conflicts over his dreams of being a gentleman and his feelings for Biddy and Estella have many effects on the people around him. For example, if he chooses to pursue his dream of becoming a gentlemen, Pip would have to forfeit his apprenticeship with Joe, would no longer have to deal with his sister’s authority, and most likely could not be in relationship with Biddy.

Chapter 17- Theme (The MESSAGE) A dominant theme in this chapter is that love can have major impacts on what decisions you make in life. An example within this chapter is Pip’s decision to become a gentlemen out of his desire for Estella, or remain to become Joe’s apprentice as a blacksmith out of his desire for Biddy. Another theme of this chapter, one faced by many people our age, is struggling in deciding the direction of one’s future. Pip was at a crossroads when trying to decide whether or not to pursue being a gentleman.

Chapter 16 & 17- Satire/Figurative Language One example of satire in chapter 16 is while Mrs. Joe Gargery was getting beaten in her kitchen, her husband Joe was at the pub “Three Jolly Bargemen” smoking a pipe (pg. 127). This imagery conveys Dickens’ criticism of the social position of women in this era. It is an illustration of men turning a blind eye to abuse to women. One example of figurative language in chapter 16 is imagery as show in the sentence “… he slowly laid down his hammer, wiped his brow with his arm, took another wipe at it with his apron, and came slouching out, with a curious loose vagabond bend in the knees that strongly distinguished him” (pg. 131). This description of Orlick clearly depicts him as someone removed from the situation and without understanding of what was going on. This may cause readers to doubt Pip and Biddy’s theory that Orlick was behind Mrs. Joe Gargery’s attacks. An example of figurative language in chapter 17 was the use of repetition of the word miserable within the sentence “… She had been surrounded in the miserable little shop and the miserable little noisy evening school, with that miserable old bunch of incompetence…” (pg. 134). This repetition of the word ‘miserable’ portrays Biddy’s early life as monotonous and almost boring.

Verbal Quiz Chapter 16 Who was the prime suspect in Mrs. Joe Gargery’s beating? Why did Pip feel guilty for his sister’s attack? What is one theme in chapter 16? Chapter 17 What secret did Pip tell Biddy on their walk? What is one thing Pip struggles to decide in this chapter? What is one theme in chapter 17?

Works Cited Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. New York: Random House Inc., 2003. Print. LiteraryDevices Editors. “Imagery” LiteraryDevices.net. 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2017.