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So Pip is in the fourth year of his apprenticeship...not the time leap here.
Why does Jaggers continually bite his finger? (I don't have an answer...it just seems like something we should know.)
Why does Pip assume that Miss Havisham is behind his "great expectations"?
This is like a dream come true for Pip -- he is to have a fortune and become a gentleman. It's kind of like hitting the lottery. Can you think of any movies with a similar plot?
24 comments:
Pip's assumption of Mrs. Havisham being behind his "great expectations" is logical, but also probably a bit of wishful thinking. Pip did do Mrs. Havisham a favor, and was inspired to be a gentleman through his experiences at her house, but I'm not sure if I'm fully convinced. Pip does really want to be with Estella, and feels like he must be a gentleman to do so. He seems to be coming up with the idea that Mrs. Havisham wants him to go through this so he may be a proper suitor for Estella. There are a lot of events that make it seem like Mrs. Havisham is the person behind all of this, but I wonder if it really is her. Also, something that reminds me of Pip's story is Annie. She starts out a poor orphan and Mrs. Hannigan treats her and her fellow orphans very poorly, much like Mrs. Joe treats Joe and Pip poorly. When Annie leaves to live with the rich Mr. Warbucks, she has to leave behind her friends at the orphanage, much like Pip has to leave behind Joe and Biddy.
Jaggers and his finger biting seems a constant charateristic of him. I thought about that gesture quite a bit and it could be that he is trying not to reveal what he knows; if someone has their finger in their mouth then it is a sort of gag, a stopper. That could be useful in the case of Jaggers because he obviously knows more than he has been told to reveal. Pip's assumption is just that, an assumption. He just believes that without any indepth searching for an answer, and that's how he wants it. He truly would like for that to be the truth and to marry the beautiful Estella and live out the rest of his days a rich man in the house with no sunlight. However, to assume is to make an ass out of you and me, and for those of us who are much farther in the story that is exactly what Pip's assuming does.
I think that Mr. Jaggers habit of biting his finger could simply be just a habit. I could name more then a few people that bite their fingers. As for Pip assuming that Miss Havisham is behind his "great expectations", maybe I'm not looking into it enough but I was pretty convinced that it was her also. I mean who else could it possibly be? A movie with a similar plot is The Great Gatsby, which I think we all know is also a book. I know that all aspects of the plot are certainly not the same but the part that I find similar is Gatsby going from rags to riches to win the woman he loves approval and heart, which is what Pip is trying to do.
I agree with Jessica’s reasoning behind why Mr. Jaggers bites his finger. There’s a good chance that he knows more information than he is allowed to tell Pip and Joe. Jaggers may also bite his finger as a nervous habit or as a way of showing others that he is in control of a situation. For example, in the beginning of the chapter when Mr. Jaggers is questioning Mr. Wopsle about the murder, Dickens continuously emphasizes the times when Jaggers is biting his finger and the times when he is pointing it at Mr. Wopsle. Perhaps when Jaggers is pointing his finger, he is trying to take control over a situation. In contrast, when he is biting his finger, Jaggers is more thoughtful and reserved. I think that Pip assumes Miss Havisham is behind his “great expectations” because he recognizes Mr. Jaggers from a previous encounter with him at the Satis House. When Pip is informed that Mr. Matthew Pocket may be his tutor, he has yet another reason to conclude that Miss Havisham is the person behind his “great expectations.” And, like Hannah said, Pip’s assumption that Miss Havisham is the one behind everything could be because he longs to be closer to Estella.
I honestly dont think that Miss Havisham is the person behind Pip's good fortune that is being given to him. I feel like its going to be someone totally unexpected because at this point in the novel it would just be too obvious if it was her. Also the quote, "this first night of my bright fortunes should be the loneliest I had ever known," really stood out to me in this chapter. i think this might be some forshadowing of what his future with these new riches is going to be like. His life as an apprentice so far has been good. He has a close friend in Joe and also he is being trained in a profession. The fact that as soon as he recieves news of his fortune he feels lonely seems like his life is going to shift from the friendly apprenticeship to the lonely life of the wealthy who have to worry about their friends only wanting their money like Miss Havisham's life.
Mr. Jaggers may bite his fingers as a way to show contrast to when he points his finger at Mr. Wopsle. When Mr. Jagger's bites his fingers it may show insecurity or merely a habit, but when he points his finger at Mr. Wopsle he may be trying to show authority (for after all Mr. Jaggers is a lawyer who has superiority over any case). It seems to me Mr. Jaggers is insecure but chooses to mask it by acting powerful and supreme. Pip might assume Miss Havisham is behind his "great expectation" because he longs to have some connection with Estella. Pip may also conclude his benefactor was due to Miss Havisham for he first met Jaggers at her house, and his tutor Matthew Pocket is her cousin. Like Hannah had said, the movie Annie seems to fit with Pip's rags to riches story.
Pip automatically assumes that Miss Havisham for a good number of reasons. First off, she is the only person he has ever known able to just give away such wealth. He also served her with his play dates for quite some time and makes sure to keep up visits, making him worthy of such an honor. Finally, it would is oddly coincidental that. Mr. Jaggers is given the position of his guardian when Pip first encountered him in Miss Havisham's home. If I were Pip, I would also come to the same conclusion. However, as readers, we have the advantage of knowing that there must be some sort of twist, and I do not believe Miss Havisham is Pip's benefactor. I have a hunch, or at least a hope, that somehow the criminals tie back into this.
As for Mr. Jagger, I think the sole purpose for him biting his finger is to create a memorable character. Dickens has a way of making each and every one of his characters unique with their own little quirks, and I believe this is one of Mr. Jaggers. It also is an action one can group with being deep in thought or impatient, both of which Mr. Jaggers is, and the reader is left to interpret it if they wish. I however believe it is just used to set him apart and make him memorable.
* First line: Pip automatically assumes that Miss Havisham is his benefactor for a good number of reasons. oopss :)
I was also wondering what the whole "biting his finger" thing was about. it reminded me of the part in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet where one of the characters says "yes I do bite my thumb at you". I don't think it has any relation, but maybe it could be. That was just what it reminded me of. I think Pip assumes all his good fortune has to do with Miss Havisham because she is the only person he knows of that would have any money to spend on him. Also, she is the only person, besides Joe, that has taken interest in him. I was actually surprised that he all-of-a-sudden came into this fortune and I think there may be a catch behind it because I don't think this is going to happen that easily and that fast. The movie Annie is similar to this, because she was an orphan and then went to stay at a rich man's house and he ended up adopting her, so in a way, she came into money.
I agree with Danielle about the "Biting his finger" thing too. I reminded me of the whole Shakespeare "biting your thumb" when you want to offend somebody. I think they may have similar relation.
Also, Pip has good reasons to think that Miss Havisham is the benefactor. The obvious reason is that Pip first saw Jaggers at her house, which causes Pip to make the connection. Also, Pip probably thinks this is a sign of gratitude for Pip being there for her earlier on, but I bear in mind that Miss Havisham was the one whispering to Estella to "break his heart". At this point I am unsure of whether Miss Havisham is the benefactor or not. What is certain is that Pip's dream of drawing away from the "common" lifestyle is coming to be a reality.
I felt that Jaggers' habit is some kind of subconcious tick. In some cases, people do things without knowing it when they are nervous, excited, etc. I think that Pip thinks that Ms. Havisham is behind his fortune because she is the only one of prominence that could allow him to be elevated, but I thought that it was kind of wierd that she would pay for him to apprentice with Joe and then give him all of this money.
As Chelsea described, I too feel like he's doing it unwillingly. I guess it's the action that allows him to think and rationalize. Miss Havisham continues to give him money during his visits and has been generously kind toward Pip. Considering she chose him to come over and over after their meeting for the first time. Pip realizes that Miss Havisham chose him particularly thinking that he has appealed to her.
I think that Jagger's habit of biting his finger is just that, a habit. In this case it may be a nervous habit because like many have said he may not be with holding information or have other motives. I actually believe as well as Pip that Miss Havisham is behind his "great expectations" just because everything seems to go back to her. I think if he hadn't gone to her to begin with he wouldn't have this opportunity. However, I could believe that it wouldn't be her just for the fact that she wants him to have nothing to do with Estella. She knows Estella doesn't approve of his "common" ways.
Haha, there was a big leap that Pip is in his fourth year of his apprenticeship, but i guess Pip visiting Mrs. Havisham on his birthdays kind of shows this time. As for Mr. Jaggers biting his finger, it could be because he is holding himself back from revealing the mystery of the fortune. Pip assumes its Miss Havisham that is giving him this fortune probally because she has always given him money and appears to have lots of it and looked out for his future. He also could think that because the lawer telling him is a man he has seen at Miss Havishams and the tutor that was recommended for him is related to Miss Havisham. However, it could be a random convict rewarding him yet again.
I found the biting of the fingers quite odd, but I did not think anything of it. I assumed it was a weird habit the author added in order to put some more life and uniqueness into the character. It seems, that overall, Mr. Jaggers is just an odd character. He says really offensive things in respectful non-offensive ways, AND he bites his fingers haha. Pip probably assumes its Miss Havisham, because that is the only really high class rich person whom took a special interest in him. He would be a fool if he did not think of her. Although Pip is “just a blacksmith,” Miss Havisham was interested in seeing him and creating some kind of relationship with him, although distant. Even Estella found it odd that Miss Havisham took an interest in such a common boy. I do wonder whether Pip would have went to give his goodbyes if he did not suspect Miss Havisham to be his benefactor. Did he take the time to say goodbye due to their relationship or due to the “obligation” because of her generosity? I’m trying to think of a movie with that plot, and it’s ringing in my head that there is a movie of that sort, but I can’t pinpoint what it is. For some reason, it feels like the character in the movie went off, and then started regretting the type of life and type of persona he undertook from the fortune, but I don’t know.
Pip assuming his secret benefactor is Miss Havisham makes complete sense. Already she picked him out and gave him experience to the higher end of the social ladder. For Pip was common and Miss Havisham taking an interest in him caused Pip to place her on a sort of pedestal in him mind. Although he still sees her as almost crazy, Pip assumes it's because of her that he gets to experience a better life. I agree with Melissa that Mr. Jaggers biting his finger would be just a habit that Dickens put in there to make him more realistic and more of a three dimensional character.
I would venture to guess that the act of Mr. Jagger chewing his own fingers compulsively could be some sort of bizzare mannerism of his. Like just some nervous twitch that he has no control of. Or perhaps it is a subconscious act of Jagger restraining himself from saying things that could either damage his reputation, or possibly reveal some secrets!
Reading this novel I have come to notice some certain similarities between the course of the book and the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Both involve a young unfortunate youth coming under circumstances that allow him to live in a better world. Fortunate twists of fate influence both characters' ways of life, changing them both emotionally and physically.
The obvious reason for Jaggers biting his fingers is that they are just delicious. I was a little lost during his confrontation of Wopsle. I think I understand why he would want to be angry at Wopsle, maybe because he is actually working to claim that the man is innocent, or maybe because he’s just involved in the courts. The thing I didn’t get was why everyone turned so quickly on Wopsle. The things Jaggers said weren’t really proving Wopsle wrong, Jaggers was just being really assertive. He showed that maybe Wopsle wasn’t as sure as he said he was, but in my mind I pictured the scene as being really outrageous because of the way Wopsle friends turned on him. I thought the scene where Pip received his money was a dream at first, but no, apparently it was real and I can’t believe it. Charles Dickens wanted Pip to get some money, and he just made it so. It’s like cheating. I hope there’s some underlying plot, some more sinister reason to get Pip rich that we won’t find out for a while in the story.
Pip automatically assumes the Miss Havisham is his mysterious benefactor because recently she seems to have taken an interest in him and she is the only rich person that he knows. This just does not seem right to me. For one if Miss Havisham was Pip’s benefactor why would she not just tell him so. It seem to me that Dickens added Jaggers finger biting just to add some memorable characteristics and to make Jaggers seem more lifelike.
One of the wisest of men i have ever had the likely-hood of meeting described the story of the novella "The Lottery" to me. This story describes the horrifying festival held by a rural town in which one "lucky" member is sacrificed so that the town may have good crops for the next harvest. Like most stories in which one person is chosen to be honored with a great gift (or terror in that case..) the new found life always seems to bring horrors and problems for those involved in the long run. In this case, this change in fortune already seems to have changed Pips personality, turning him into a bit of a snob toward those who truly care about him. This fortune will definitely be a game changer for the novel, but the change in Pips character that it has already caused seems to foreshadow the unfortunte downfall of Pip's morals, and perhaps his being as a hole.
Jaggers could bite his finger because of an old habit, possibly developed if he had arthritis or some issue or damage to his finger. He could bite it instead of popping the joint, or itching the finger. Sometimes itching is caused by the body healing things like broken bones. Jagger could have broke his finger, got in the habit of biting it when it itched, and continues to do so. It could also be a odd habit like sucking your thumb or biting you nails.
Pip assumes that Miss Havisham is behind his new fortune because she is the only rich person he knows and the lawyer 'mentioned' someone she knows.
I cant think of a movie, but I know that most people who win the lottery will blow all thier money and end up in debt.
So I know it too late to comment but i was rereading what other people put because I'm bored and my comment got deleted and I don't even know how it happened. I know your probably still going to take points off for me but I have it in my Word document still so I'm just going to repost it now. If you look at the times of my blogs the comments that were deleted were during the time between my comments from last chapter and the one following this...I have no idea how i deleted it but this is what it was.
I agree with the thoughts that Jagger bites his nails to keep himself from saying things he knows. He seems very hesitant and scared which makes me think that maybe he has some dark secrets that will hopefully be revealed later. I think Miss Havisham is behind Pip's "great expectations" because she is the origin him wanting to be what he considers better and more important in society. Pip came and visited her and was her companion almost, which would be a reason to reward him. This does almost seem like hitting the lottery so I'm hoping that this isn't too good to be true. I will be very disappointed if Pip's dreams are crushed.
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