Great Expectations · Chapter
I explained
Pip introduces himself and his family background, describing his early impressions of the marsh country and churchyard.
What happens
Pip introduces himself and his family background, describing his early impressions of the marsh country and churchyard. While visiting his parents' graves, he is accosted by an escaped convict who threatens him and demands that he bring a file and food the next morning.
Themes in this chapter
Crime and Injustice
The escaped convict Magwitch introduces themes of crime, punishment, and the brutal realities of the penal system.
Identity and Self-Discovery
Pip's early sense of self is shaped by his family's tombstones and his encounter with the convict, setting the stage for his journey of identity.
Characters to notice
- Pip
The young narrator, orphaned and living with his sister, encounters a terrifying escaped convict in the churchyard.
- Magwitch
The escaped convict who threatens Pip and demands he bring a file and food.
- Mrs. Joe Gargery
Pip's sister, mentioned as the one who married the blacksmith and with whom Pip lives.
- Joe Gargery
The blacksmith, husband of Pip's sister, mentioned as part of Pip's household.
Key passages
“My father’s family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called Pip.”
Pip explains that his full name was Philip Pirrip, but as a child he could only pronounce 'Pip,' and that became his name.
Establishes Pip's identity and the origin of his nickname.
“Hold your noise! cried a terrible voice, as a man started up from among the graves at the side of the church porch. Keep still, you little devil, or I’ll cut your throat!”
A frightening man suddenly appears from behind the graves and threatens to kill Pip if he makes a sound.
The dramatic introduction of the convict Magwitch.
“You bring me, tomorrow morning early, that file and them wittles. You bring the lot to me, at that old battery over yonder. You do it, and you never dare to say a word or dare to make a sign concerning your having seen such a person as me, or any person sumever, and you shall be let to live.”
The convict orders Pip to bring him a file and food to the old battery by morning, and warns him to tell no one about their meeting.
Sets up Pip's moral dilemma and the central plot of the chapter.