Section II questions (cribbed in part from this site)
1) What do you think about Pip’s roommate, Herbert and of their relationship? Do you agree with Pip’s thoughts that his benefactor was Miss Havisham? Why do you think Herbert told him about Miss HAvisham’s background, and did you find the story interesting? What did you think of the nickname of Handel for Pip?
2) What do you think of Jaggers? How does he help or hinder Pip's "great expectations?"
3) Why does Joe come to London, and what did you think of Pip’s reaction to his visit?
4) What did you think of Pip’s return to the village he grew up in, and of his visit to Estella? Do you think Estella loves Pip? And, why do you think that Pip did not visit Joe?
5) Describe Orlick and Pip’s feelings about him. Do you think Pip is correct in his assessment?
6) What did you think of Estella’s visit to London, and of Pip’s reaction to her visit?
7) As the section ends, how are Pip’s expectations panning out?
8) Anything I forgot?
posted by Mimi @ 6/14/2010 07:34:00 PM
8 Comments
8 Comments:
Let me start with #1 again ...
* Herbert -- He arrived just in time. It was starting to look like Pip was going to be in dirty, smelly London with a bunch of meanies and ne'er-do-wells, so thank goodness he met a friend. He seems like he'll be a good foil for Pip's character -- just as guileless and open, but able to provide occasional background and improve Pip's table manners.
Benefactor, Miss Havisham -- I'm trying to remember about that from the last time I read this. I'm not certain whether Pip is right or wrong, but the fact that he has never questioned his assumption (and never gotten anyone to corroborate it) makes me think he'll turn out to be wrong. It seems like it's bound to be one of the many ways that Pip's judgment of people's worth will be shown in the end to be errant and shallow.
Miss Havisham's story -- Well, I added a comment in the last entry about her character. She's central to the book, but I don't find much about her that rings true. Her story seemed too melodramatic to be true.
Handel -- Kind of silly, IMHO, not to just call him Pip, since that's already a nickname. But I'm probably just being a curmudgeon.
1. I like Herbert. I like anyone who can correct someone's manners so skillfully to not hurt their feelings. And Pip can kind of support him, financially, it's a win-win.
Miss Havisham is not the benefactor if I recall correctly. It's hard for me to understand wy Pip can't see through both her and Estell, but then I guess that's the point of the book.
NOt sure how I think about the nickname. It makes "Pip" seem more pretentious or something.
2. Jaggers seems the typical charismatic trial attorney. I think he can help PIp in that he is unlikely to be swindled. though it seems he is also bamboozled by Miss Havisham, etc.
3. Joe is a sweetheart, and Pip is a ....pip LOL. What an immature, narcissistic, selfish little jerk.
4. Stupid. No. Because he's ashamed of himself.
5. Yes. Orlick is bad news, I think.
6. He's an idiot. The only grace is that she seems as weary of being herself as we are of reading about her. If she can just give it up!
7. I guess okay because he has money. but he's lost his true friends and admits that he loves blindly and too well, Estella. So not great on the personal front.
8. I thought Jagger's assistant (name ecapes me, starts with W) and his Aged Parent's relationship to be very sweet in a Dickensian manner. And W's house where he kept all mention of his work and his work persona out.
Oh I wanted to say one more thing. When I was youner and read this book (early teens maybe) I don't remember Miss Havisham's story as being that weird or unusual or farfetched. But yes, in light of day, definitely. Very Gothic.
Okay, additional answers...
2. Jaggers seems like another character that Dickens can't do without: the completely unscrupulous Man of Business. All of his actions have to do with calculating humanity in a ledger, which he does very astutely, and never to any profit but his own. So he aids Pip in the short run, but only because he's being compensated for it. He seems to consider Pip a fool, when he notices him at all.
3. Joe coming to London -- I can feel liking and sympathy with Pip at all times except when he is ashamed of Joe. Then I'm disgusted with what an ungrateful, shallow jerk he is. I think Joe's visit to London didn't bother me half as much as Pip not even condescending to go see Joe and Biddy when he went to see Estella. What an awful thing to do.
4. Pip's visit -- Dickens study of Estella as a grown woman is accurate, in a clinical sort of way. Meaning that IF a girl was brought up expressly to be a cold heartbreaker, I think by adulthood she would lack the capacity to feel much of anything. As a girl, she's a spoiled terror, but as an adult, she doesn't even care enough to be mean. So she has these robotic conversations that are lacking any sociability or warmth. And Pip can't help but adore her?? I'd like to say that's improbable, but men are kind of simpletons when it comes to a machinations of a pretty woman.
5. Orlick -- yuck. He's really creepy. One of the most malevolent little touches running through the book is Orlick's attentions to Biddy.
6. Estella in London -- again, pitiful. I found that she reminded me of two young women I've known, but that may be something I save for the next round of questions.
7. Expectations -- Well, how about that turnabout in the last chapter? I remembered this "punchline" from the previous reading, but did anyone else notice the irony? Here's Estella, brought up solely in order to allow her surrogate mother a "do-over," and it turns out Pip has been nursed along by a surrogate father for the same purpose. And in both cases, the would-be parents have ruined their "children's" lives.
8. Anything else? -- As always, at about this point, I'm interested in what made the author tick. Dickens seems like he knows a lot of the ruinous effect of having expectations. (The aptly named "Bleakwood House" is also very much in this theme.) And he obviously felt the plight of the lower classes very astutely. What was his upbringing, and did he have expectations?
Way too long, of course, but oh well. On to Part III....
Quick correction to #8 in my last comment: The name of the book I was thinking of was "Bleak House," not "Bleakwood House." Probably doesn't matter, in the vast scheme of things. Still, accuracy is accuracy.
Hello Sweet Mimi!
hope you are enjoying your summer thus far! :) I wanted to thank you for the kind words about the eBook...hope you find it useful and create some things from it! Have a wonderful Tuesday! :)
1) I like Herbert, but as I mentioned, I was so worried that his usage of the nickname, "Handel," would void Pip's inheritance and seemed to serve no purpose. I agree that Miss Havisham was such a "gothic" character, and I could see the allure for those who were reading in a serial form.
2) I liked Jaggers, he seemed to be a good lawyer, and while he was pretyt hand's off Pip, he did offer advice.
3) I love Joe, and wanted to wring Pip's neck over the way he behaved towards Joe.
4) I think that Estella is the "tragic character" of the novel, and that her inability to love Pip is drawn to show the emotional stuntedness of Miss Havisham. I think that Pip truly loves Estella, though.
5) I found it hard to get my arms around Orlick, but he's definitely bad news, and Pip is well served to steer clear of him.
7) I think that Pip has that typical youth spending spree that gets in the way of his expectations - in a way, to show that money doesn't solve all ills.
@Grace, I've not read "Bleak House" but after this good experience with Dickens, I am hoping to get to it. The one I have on order is "Tale of Two Cities"
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