Many significant events occur in chapters 38-39. When pip is disssapointed to realize that he was never meant to marry Estella. Dickens makes us, the reader, believe that Pip is still destined to become the husband of Estella. That Mrs. Havisham is the benefactor of Pip and that the world will be wonderful. His relationship with Estella has gone from bad to worse, where he was once her abused playmate, and now he is expected to act as her companion, accompanying her to meet suitor after suitor at parties, making Pip her chaperone. This deflates Pip's hopes that he is meant for Estella.
Unfortunatly for Pip, his benefator was actually the convict who many years ago forced Pip to get him a file and some bread. The reappearence of the convict and the solution of the mystery of Pip's benefator mark an important milestone in the book's development.
Now Pip learns that his wealth and social standing come from the labor of an uneducated prison inmate, turning his world inside out. The fulfillment of his hope of being raised to a higher social class turns out to be the work of a man from a class even lower than his own. Which makes him think about his expectations. “Look'ee here, Pip. I'm your second father. You're my son—more to me nor any son. I've put away money, only for you to spend” (320).
Pip now has to rethink his expectations, that all of his hopes and dreams of the years have been shattered. Then the relation with them was shattered. Estella will move on and find a great suitor.
How do you know that Estella will find a "great" suitor and that Pip's "hopes and dreams...have been shattered" already? There's still two hundred pages left in the book and Pip's kept hope for over three hundred of them. Pip's desires will not die now and probably never will because that is what is keeping this book moving. Dickens engages the reader in a constant argument with Pip because we know what he should do, forget about Estella forever, but he won't do that. If he did, it would then be clear that his desire was gone but he hasn't. Also, if Estella finds a suitor, he won't necessarily be a "great suitor". what if the guy's a jerk?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that learning that the convict was his benefactor has turned Pip's world inside out. Because he always thought Ms. Havisham was his benefactor, and when the convict says he is the benefactor, the shock is even greater.
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