Great Expectations Summary

A six-year-old boy named Pip lives on the English marshes with his sister and his sister’s husband, Joe. His sister is mean but his brother-in-law Joe is pretty much the best thing that’s happened to Pip.

One Christmas Eve, Pip meets a scary, escaped convict in a churchyard. Pip steals food from his bossy sister (Mrs. Joe Gargery) so that the convict won’t starve (and also so that the convict won’t rip his guts out). Soon after, Pip gets asked to play at Miss Havisham’s. Miss Havisham is a rich old lady who lives in a castle-mansion that is covered in vines, moss, and overgrown green things. Long ago she was jilted at the altar and since that very day, she’s never taken her wedding dress off, nor has she changed a single thing about her castle. As you might expect, there are lots of bugs and things creeping around.

Pip meets Estella, Miss Havisham’s adopted child. Estella is cold, snobby, and regal, but man is she pretty. She doesn’t really talk to Pip, but Pip soon realizes that he’s been asked to serve as Estella’s playmate.

Pip continues to go to Miss Havisham’s and continues to be snubbed by Estella. She grows on him. He develops a little crush. This crush turns into a big crush, and that big crush turns into full-blown, all-consuming L-O-V-E. We love what we can’t have, and there is no way in h-e-double-hockey sticks that Pip, the orphan, can ever have a chance with Estella, the adopted child of the richest lady in town.

When Pip is old enough (early teens), he begins an apprenticeship at his brother-in-law's smithy, thanks to Ms. Havisham’s financial support. He hates his new job, wanting more than anything to become a gentleman, mostly because he dreams of marrying Estella.

Then, one day, Pip comes into fortune by means of a mysterious and undisclosed benefactor (you’ll never guess who it is!), says goodbye to his family, and says goodbye to Miss Havisham. He leaves for London to become a gentleman. This ends the first part of Pip’s expectations.

London is pretty sweet at first, despite all of the grime. Mr. Jaggers, Pip’s caretaker, is one of the biggest and baddest lawyers in town. Criminals and their families hang out around Jaggers’ office just to be near his greatness. Pip also gets a new BFF named Herbert Pocket – he is Miss Havisham’s cousin’s son. Herbert shows Pip around town and helps him learn how to be a gentleman, which is –in short – really hard.

Pip's life in London is busy, full of dinner parties in castles with moats, encounters with strange housekeepers, trips to the theater, etc. He spends way too much money, so his debts just keep piling up. Occasionally, he takes a break from his London life and goes back home to visit Miss Havisham. He also returns home to attend his sister’s funeral. Back at home, though, Pip is too ashamed of his brother-in-law Joe to want to hang out with him.