Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Describe Pip's first meeting with Miss Havisham.

Pip's first meeting with Miss Havisham is one of the most startling passages in the novel. It is told by different, but intermingled voices, those of the "young" Pip and the "adult" Pip. We see Miss Havisham through both pairs of eyes.
To the young Pip, she is a frightening witchlike creature, living in a darkened room around the the mouldering remains of her wedding cake and still dressed in her yellowing wedding gown.
The "young Pip" can only put this startling woman within the context of a "ghastly waxworks" he has seen. He finds her inhuman and frightening:

Now, waxwork and skeleton seemed to have dark eyes that moved and looked at me. I should have cried out, if I could.

He says of her:

she had a crutch-headed stick on which she leaned, and she looked like the Witch of the place.

We see an example of the "adult Pip" in the following passage:

It was not in the first few moments that I saw all these things, though I saw more of them in the first moments than might be supposed. But I saw that everything within my view which ought to be white, had been white long ago, and had lost its lustre and was faded and yellow.

The adult Pip takes a more reasoned view. In the first sentence quoted above, this Pip, looking back, says he saw more on first seeing Miss Havisham than might be expected. He also generalizes, summarizing, as an adult would, that everything that should have been white was yellow.
In this scene, we are offered much description of the very strange Miss Havisham. As you go through it, you can try to pick out which parts are shown through the eyes of the young Pip and those of the adult Pip.


Miss Havisham is known to be an immensely wealthy woman who leads a secluded life. She has requested for Pip to go and play at her house. Pip lives with his sister and Joe, her husband since he was little. They lead an average life with Joe working as a blacksmith. When the opportunity presents itself, Pip’s sister is upbeat and encourages Pip to proceed as requested. Pip’s fortunes are set to change for the better.
On his first meeting, Pip describes Miss Havisham as a strange lady. Pip is anxious to meet the woman, and everything about the place only adds to his anxiety. Finally, Miss Havisham engages Pip in a short conversation and asks him to play. Pip is unable to comply with the request and opts to remain fixed to his position. Pip realizes that Miss Havisham leads a miserable and lonely life. The meeting is extremely strange, and Pip hopes to take his leave as soon as it is possible. He is, however, forced to play cards with Estella, the cruel young girl.

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