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The Worlds of Gilbert and Sullivan

Great Expectations was written towards the end of Charles Dickens' life¹. Regarded by many as his greatest novel, it was an immediate, immense success. Written in the first person it is the benediction of:

Philip Pirrip (Pip) was an orphaned Kent village boy who lived in 'the marsh country, down by the river, within twenty miles of the sea'. He lived with his waspish married sister Mrs Joe Gargery, wife of the village blacksmith. Joe was a gentle giant; a sensible, pipe-smoking man, of few words but enormous depth of character.

Pip loved the marshes and the adjacent graveyard where he frequently roamed. The seasonal changes fascinated him. One Christmas Eve he was strolling in the graveyard when the gun was fired from the nearby prison hulks, signalling an escape. He was suddenly (and frighteningly) confronted by an ugly, dangerous escaped convict, Abel Magwitch. 'Hold your noise. Keep still, you little devil, or I'll cut your throat!'. Threatened, ('O! Don't cut my throat sir. Pray don't do it sir') he gives his name: ('Pip, Pip sir') and secretly acquires some 'wittles and a file' from the blacksmith's house for the starving wretch. 

Learning of a second escape, he also keeps Magwitch's secret when the militia later call at the house. Magwitch says to the blacksmith; 'I'm sorry to say , I've eat your pie.' And Joe replies: 'God knows you're welcome to it . We don't know what you've done, but we wouldn't have you starved to death for it, poor miserable fellow-creatur. - Would we Pip?' Pip did not respond, but caught the prisoners eye.

His early education consisted of lessons with Biddy, granddaughter of the village Evening School mistress. She taught Pip to read, write and tackle basic arithmetic. 'I fell among those thieves, the nine figures, who seemed every evening to do something new to disguise themselves, and baffle recognition'. Pip tried to pass all this new found knowledge on to Joe - who listened with interest, smoked his pipe and immediately forgot all he had learned.

One day he is invited to the local Manor House ('up town') to be a companion to Miss Havisham, a half-demented lady who was jilted by her lover on their wedding night. On arrival at the House, Pip met Estella, a beautiful but haughty young lady ('don't loiter boy'), who presented him to Miss Havisham. Dressed in rich materials, white shoes and veil, and bedecked with jewels, Miss Havisham had brought him in to entertain her by 'playing'. This fearsome old lady instructed Pip to 'play, play, play'. Later, in the grounds he met and was goaded into a fight with another visiting boy, who afterwards acknowledged his victory and made friends.

Pip often dreamed of bettering himself, of escaping from his present situation and becoming a gentleman. So, with this thought in mind, he complied. He's not aware that in a spirit of revenge, Miss Havisham is training Estella to use her beauty to torture men. Pip naturally falls in love with her. After a few months of this 'play', Miss Havisham generously 'purchased' an apprenticeship for Pip with Joe Gargery, so he settled to learning the trade of blacksmith.

One day Mrs Joe provoked a fight in the forge between Joe and his assistant Orlick. Some time later she was found battered senseless with a convict's leg-iron. She lived for some years but as an invalid without a memory.

Later Pip received a mysterious offer through a lawyer, Mr Jaggers, to finance his training to become a gentleman, with offers of further wealth and expectations. He associates this with Miss Havisham and readily accepts the terms. He abandons the devoted Joe Gargery and goes to London. Here he studies diligently under a Mr Matthew Pocket, works hard in an office and achieves his goal. He befriends Mr Jaggers' good-hearted clerk, Wemmick, and is invited to his intriguing home and introduced to his his deaf father: 'the aged parent' or 'the Aged P'. 'Nod away to him Mr Pip'. 

The new gentleman, Pip, lives very comfortably in a flat, visited frequently by his best friend and adviser, Herbert Pocket, (the boy he fought with at Miss Havisham's) who called him Handel (because of the Harmonious Blacksmith association). Pip was able get a sizeable sum of money secretly bestowed on Herbert, to set him up in business. During this period he is informed that Mrs Joe Gargery, his sister has died, and he unthinkingly maltreats his old friend Joe.

One of his highlights was an invitation to Mr Jaggers for a meal. Here he meets a strange and sinister woman-servant, Molly, who has extremely strong but disfigured wrists. He again is asked to accompany Estella, who advises him to avoid her as she was trained to destroy men. He, still in love with her, can't accept this. Soon afterwards she marries his arch-rival Bentley Drummle, who treats her cruelly (rough justice!). They part, and he is killed by a horse. Eventually Pip pieces together information that points to Molly being Estella's mother.

Pip received a request to go and see Miss Havisham, she asks (and receives) his forgiveness for the hurt she has caused him and Estella. At the point of his departure her dress catches fire and Pip rescues her, but burns himself badly in the attempt.

In the meantime he discovers, to his horror, that Magwitch is his secret benefactor. 'What were you brought up to be?' asked Pip. 'A warmint, dear boy.' Magwitch declares he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice, and it was the 'second escaped convict, Compeyson' who was the real villain. Since then he had made his fortune in Australia, and wanted to share it with Pip ('my dear boy'), who had helped him so much in the graveyard. He also works out that Magwitch must be Estella's father, but keeps this information to himself.

Out of the blue Pip gets an enigmatic unsigned note to urgently travel to his home village, to a place on the marsh. Responding to this 'emergency' he is trapped by Orlick. Orliick confides to him that he attacked Mrs Joe and that he was now going to kill Pip for getting him sacked from Miss Havisham's. 'I won't have a rag of you, I won't have a bone of you, left on earth. I'll put your body in the kiln . . .they shall never know nothing'. Pip is saved in the nick of time by Herbert and a friend who found the strange note in Pip's flat and followed him to the marsh, wrestled with Orlick (hammer in hand), and released Pip from his bindings to the wall-ladder.

However Pip now feels he cannot accept any further financial help, and uses his talents and Herbert's' assistance to keep Magwitch from the clutches of the law. He finally gets him in a boat to meet a ship going to abroad, where he will be safe, but Compeyson catches up with them. A fight ensues, Compeyson is killed and Magwitch taken prisoner. He eventually dies in captivity, with Pip in constant attendance ('You never deserted me, dear boy'). On his death-bed Pip told him that his long-lost daughter was alive and he, Pip, was in love with her. Magwitch, in this knowledge, dies peacefully.

Pip determined to make his own way, then fell into debt, and had a serious breakdown in health. For many weeks he was unconscious and awoke to discover dear Joe had been looking after him and nursing him. He had also paid Pip's debts. When he was better he was delighted to discover that Joe had re-married, to Biddy, Pip's old schoolmistress. Pip then went abroad for several years to work for his friend Herbert, ultimately becoming a partner. Eventually Herbert discovers the great service Pip paid him in acquiring his initial capital.

After several years he returns to his home village, to discover one of Joe and Biddy's children has been named Pip, that the Manor House is no more, and - the biggest and best surprise - that Estella is also paying the old place a last visit. They swap tales of their lives since earlier years, and admit their contrition, and we are left believing that they had at last found each other again: 'I saw no shadow of another parting from her'.

1.    Footnote: Great Expectations was first serialised in the All The Year Round magazine in 1860-1, and was published in book form in 1861. People actually queued to purchase each instalment of the story when it appeared.  Return to story.

Now for some adventures with David Copperfield . . .

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