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First, I love the description of March in the beginning...Dickens is spot-on here.
Pip tells Magwitch that he knows about enjoying freedom. Magwitch says Pip doesn't know what if feels like compared to him. Is there some similarity in their feelings of freedom? If so, what is the source of that feeling?
Pip says that Magwitch seems despondent. Though Magwitch denies this, what might be the cause of his looking despondent?
The capture scene would make for great movie action. Why was it so easy for Compeyson and the Custom House officials to catch them?
Why is Pip so devoted to Magwitch when he has basically abandoned Joe?
6 comments:
Magwitch seems so depressed and hopeless in this chapter. You get the feeling that Magwitch knows that the plan will not work, but he appreciates the gesture. He does not refuse the help, but rather goes along with the plan even though he knows that it is not cunning enough to actually help him escape unscathed. Being a convict, Magwitch himself is rather smart and by this point he knows that the plan will not work out and he will most likely be caught, sent to court, and sentenced to death. Out of love for Pip and Herbert, however, he doesn't refuse or suggest any other plan of action.
Pip's devotion to Magwitch is most likely fueled by his guilt. He feels bad that Magwitch has labored his entire life so that Pip could be a gentleman and Pip wasted the money and does not feel as if he has lived up to his great expectations. He feels he must do something to help this man get out of trouble, because of the guilt he feels. In a sense, Pip feels like he owes Magwitch this one last deed in order to pay him back for what Magwitch has done for him. As far as Joe, Pip believes that he can always go back to Joe and he will be accepted by him. Kind of like the parable of the prodigal's son. Pip is much like the lost son, who goes and wastes all his money and then goes back home and is welcomed home by his father (Joe).
Both Pip and Magwitch probably share a feeling of enjoying freedom since both of them were imprisoned in one way or the other. Pip growing up feeling imprisonment by having bigger dreams for himself but not having the funds to realize them. He knew he was going to be bound to the forge and the wayward lifestyle in his small town. While Magwitch was always back in forth going to prison literally for crimes. Elizabeth is spot on with Magwitch feeling despondent. Magwitch knows how smart and cunning Compeyson and his captors are. The plan Pip and his friend thought of is good, but not good enough.
I also agree with Elizabeth about Magwitch going along with the plan, and about Pip's feelings towards Magwitch and Joe. Pip's sudden warm feelings for Magwitch kind of annoy me and remind me of the earlier, more ignorant Pip. With the situation at the end of the chapter, Pip does not seem to have much time left with Magwitch. Since there is little time left with Magwitch it is easy for Pip to forget how he loathed him and remember all the good things about Magwitch. It reminds me of when Pip's sister died and Pip replaced her awful memory with a conjured-up warmth. He may not feel this for Joe now, but, in Pip's mind, Joe is always there to come back to. The minute that option to go back to Joe goes away, Pip will feel this way for Joe too.
I defanately see Pip acting so kindly toward Magwitch out of guilt for the way he treated Joe. I think that Pip thinks that it is too late to make it up to Joe, but he still feels guilty for treating him so poorly, that he decides to make it up by being kind to Magwitch. Also, Magwitch has devoted his fortunes to making Pip into a gentleman, and I can tell that Pip wants to repay Magwitch. I think that Pip is trying so desperately to repay Magwitch that he doesnt see that his plans are going to fail. I agree that Magwitch seems to be going along with Pip. I dont think that Magwitch expects the plans to work. He seems to just go with the flow and let Pip do all of the planning. Magwitch is an escaped convict, and if he truly expected to escape again, he would be thinking of plans just as hard as Pip is. Magwitch understands that his time has come and that this plan is not going to work but he still accepts the help from Pip because Pip is so completely devoted to repaying Magwitch.
Random side note, did you all know that most suicides are committed in March in the state of Michigan? Anyways, I agree with everyone here about Pip trying to repay Magwitch out of his guilt for Joe. How Pip knows Joe will always be there to fall back to and how he knows Magwitches time is slipping away. I also like to believe that Pip is finally learning his lesson here too. Magwitch has been kind to him, and Pip is finally learning that no matter how low someone is socially, they can still be a kind friend in the end. Magwitch is just accepting futile help from Pip; he knows the outcome but won't let on. The plan is a failure with being out on the open water, heading for the only way Magwitch could escape. There is nowhere to go out on the water in a small boat, hence the capture was simple.
Pip and Magwitch share the knowlege of what it is like for freedom to be taken away, just in different degrees. While Pip suffered at the hands of his abusive sister, Magwitch was literally locked away for years. Both have and understanding of how precious freedom is, they just have different past expereinces, making Magwitch's a little more severe.
I think Pip's loyalty to Magwitch stems from the guilt he feels about how he treated Joe. He recognizes that what he did to Joe was wrong and compensates for that with his devotion to Magwitch. I also believe that any good person realizes that they owe a great deal to those who are extremely generous to them. Pip, being a good person (even though he has had his moments in the past), is now mature enough to clearly see this and pay Magwitch the respect and loyalty he deserves.
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