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Note to Self:
Fire the watchman.
Sincerely,
Pip
Names are significant to Dickens, as we saw earlier...what is significant about the names Provis and Magwitch? You may have to do some investigative work to figure this out.
Magwitch has been very generous to Pip, and he continues to throw money at him...the only reason given is that Pip gave him food and a file on the marshes and didn't rat him out. Seems like the two pound notes would have been sufficient payment for this "good" deed. So why is he paying Pip back in such an opulent way?
Jaggers is very careful with his words when he speaks with Pip, and he makes sure Pip is very careful with his words, as well. What more does this exchange tell us about Jaggers' character?
Why does Magwitch carry a Bible? More importantly, why does he only use it for this one purpose?
7 comments:
Provis is an abbreviation for provision, which is both "a stipulated condition" and "the activity of supplying or providing something." Both obviously pertain to Provis' role in the novel as Pip's benefactor, and the expectations that come with Pip's coming into fortune. And from what I found, "'Mag' is a slang name for a magpie (a bird associated with theft)... [and] the idea of a 'witch' also suggests a person unfairly condemned by society and the laws." This describes Pip's convict quite well. Provis' repayment for Pip's kindness as a child is probably a little bit more than repayment. There's some sort of catch involved-- something that Provis expects of Pip. We don't know much about him as of yet, so it's hard to tell what sort of expectations he has in mind. Provis also seems to have some strong need and desire to show up everyone, so he keeps feeding Pip money in order to make him a more enviable figure to others. As for Jaggers, the caution and deliberateness he has with his words shows that he is loyal to Provis (probably because he's been paid) and is trying to protect him. Luckily Pip isn't a complete idiot and managed to catch on to Jaggers' meaning. When Provis first mentioned the execution looming over his head in the event of his capture, I wondered whether Jaggers would remain loyal to his past client, or if he would try to milk some more profit out of the situation. Now I'm just a little bit suspicious of Herbert's role in the secret; his family has it in for Pip, so if he feels the need to choose sides he may just turn in Provis.
As already stated provis is short for provision which means a condition of an agreement. I think that this is a reference to the one condition of Pip’s expectations, that he always bear the name of Pip. I think that Abel is giving Pip such an excessive reward because he is trying to make up for past wrongs by trying to help someone out. Jaggers is probably careful with his words because he is trying to protect Abel because he has not been paid in full yet.
The names Provis and Magwitch describe Pip's benefactor perfectly. Magwitch is a combination of the words "magic" and "witch" with a meaning of someone with powers to escape and someone who was judged too quickly without any speculation. Provis is like the word providence which pretty much means your fate or god's will for your life. By the meaning of Magwitch's name, I think that he will end up helping Pip realize what is really important by guiding him in the right direction. Magwitch is probably still helping Pip out because he feels obligated to reurn the favor since Pip risked his life for him. I still feel like there are so many more mysteries about Magwitch though.
Provis is short for provision as everyone above has discovered. Provision is the activity of supplying or providing something, And i agree with Lauren with the name Magwitch. I believe half of the name symbolizes a man of crime and theft, while to other half symbolizes a man who was falsely accused, which states a lot, because during the whole chapter with meeting and learning about Magwitch the reader doesn't know if he is guilty for his crimes or innocent.I think Magwitch was very helpful with Pip for more then one reason, one that Pip helped in on the marshes when he was a boy, and secondly that he feels like he has to redeem himself by making another person into gentlemen to make up for himself being a no-good scoundrel. Jaggers is very careful with his words while dealing with Pip and the information with his benefactor. This shows us the Jaggers is again a very smart man who wants to make sure that if Magwitch is ever caught that he can honestly say that he has no information that he was in London. This shows us that Jaggers takes his duty very seriously but follows the law, and knows how to form loop holes around it to save himself. I think that magwitch carries a Bible because he has seen court systems use them so many times to help bind people to their words, i dont think he understands what the Bible is, or what it stands for, just that he knows people respect it when swearing an oath on it.
I found "mag" to mean a storehouse for goods. This could mean the money and pocketbook he has saved up for Pip. "Witch", I agree is relating back to the witchhunts and unfair trials. I also find it interesting that Dickens chose Abel for his first name. Abel, as we all probably know, was a man from the book of Genesis, who gave God a true sacrifice; much like the sacrifice of a gentlemanly life for the sake of Pip, the boy who saved him earlier in the novel. I feel the extravagence of how Magwitch is paying Pip back is a mixture of gratefullness, an attempt at redemption in his life, and help for himself. He is on the run, and a gentlman in London seems a great way to hide in style.
Magwitch may feel like he needs to pay back Pip for the favors Pip did for him on the marshes, but I think that Magwitch may be paying so much thanks to Pip for other reasons. Magwitch repeatedly says how no other man has been able to have something as rare as his own gentleman, and I believe that is why Magwitch feels the need to do so much for Pip. Although he could be doing favors for Pip with good intentions, I believe that might not be the case. Since Magwitch doesn’t exactly have a very good record, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was paying back Pip with hopes that he could better his own reputation. The fact that Jaggers is very careful with the way he speaks shows us that he may have a lot of information on his plate that he has to be careful not to reveal. By doing this, he also sets an example for Pip and encourages him to be careful in the way he speaks as well.
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