Chapters 6 and 7
Chapters 6 and 7 Summary
Chapter 6
Chapter 6 is brief and mainly focuses on Pip's lingering guilt. There is little action beyond Joe taking Pip home on his shoulders from the place of the convict's arrest and then relating the story of the convict's confession to breaking into the house and taking the file and food (which Pip knows is a lie for his benefit). The other guests at the house make guesses as to how the convict got into the house, Mr. Pumblechook suggesting the intruder got inside by going down the chimney.
Pip feels a great deal of guilt about helping the convict and stealing from the house throughout the chapter. He does not tell Mrs. Joe, because he fears she will beat him for the offenses. He also does not tell Joe, because he feels Joe will view him in a lesser light. As a child, Pip craves Joe's affection and respect more than anyone else simply because Joe is a good man. This is an important detail, since once Pip meets Miss Havisham and Estella, he will start to care more about class than character when admiring other people.
Chapter 7
In the narration, Pip recalls that he was just starting to learn how to read around the time the incident with the escaped convict occurred. Even though the plan is that he will be apprenticed to Joe when he is old enough, Mrs. Joe keeps Pip busy by letting him do small errands and odd jobs for the neighbors. Pip keeps none of his earnings, as his sister insists he give them all to her.
Pip receives his schooling at Mr. Wopsle's great-aunt's house, even though she is incompetent and often asleep. Her kind granddaughter, Biddy, helps Pip learn to read.
About a year after the incident on the marshes, Pip writes Joe a letter. Joe is impressed and asks Pip if he wants to be a scholar. Pip says he does, but both know he must keep it a secret from Mrs. Joe, since she has no use for scholars.
Joe reveals that he would love to be able to read. As a boy, his mother tried to get him some schooling every time she ran away from Joe's drunk, abusive father. Unfortunately, his father prevented him from learning whenever he tracked the two of them down. Joe eventually had to go to work and ended up taking care of both his parents until they died, never getting the chance to gain literacy.
Joe also reveals why he married Mrs. Joe in the first place. He says he was impressed by her strength of character in caring for the infant Pip when her parents died. He married her out of compassion for her and Pip and as a way of alleviating his own loneliness after the loss of his mother and father.
Pip wants to teach Joe how to read. Joe accepts but says they will have to keep the lessons a secret from Mrs. Joe, who demands complete control over both Joe and Pip and would not appreciate them becoming literate and therefore a little more out of her control, or her "government," as Joe puts it.
Returning from a shopping trip with Mr. Pumblechook, Mrs. Joe is excited to reveal that a wealthy spinster, Miss Havisham, is willing to pay to have Pip come play at her home. This was arranged through Mr. Pumblechook, who is a tenant of Miss Havisham's. He told the old woman about Pip when she said she was specifically searching for a young working-class boy.
Pip's sister washes him and dresses him in good clothes before sending him to spend the night at Mr. Pumblechook's house.
Expert Q&A
What is the double entendre of the word "hammering" in Chapter VII of Great Expectations?
Here is the quote: "I'll tell you. My father, Pip, he were given to drink, and when he were overtook with drink, he hammered away at my mother, most onmerciful. It were a'most the only hammering he did, indeed, 'xcepting at myself. And he hammered at me with a wigour only to be equalled by the wigour with which he didn't hammer at his anwil."
In Chapter VII of Great Expectations, "hammering" serves as a double entendre. Joe uses it to describe his father's violent behavior, indicating repeated physical abuse of his mother and himself. Additionally, "hammering" contrasts with the lack of productive work his father did at the anvil, highlighting his failure as a blacksmith. Thus, the word reflects both literal violence and metaphorical ineffectiveness in his professional life.
What does the quote "Steam was yet in its infancy" mean in Chapter 7 of Great Expectations?
The quote "Steam was yet in its infancy" is used by Pip to describe Joe's education as being in its early stages, similar to the development of the steam engine during the nineteenth century. At this time, the steam engine was newly discovered and underdeveloped, paralleling Joe's basic educational level due to limited learning opportunities. As Pip gains literacy skills, Joe is fascinated by this newfound knowledge, highlighting his rudimentary educational status.
What does chapter 7 of Great Expectations imply about England's government through Joe's statement about Mrs. Joe's view on Pip's literacy?
Chapter 7 of Great Expectations uses Joe's statement about Mrs. Joe's opposition to Pip's literacy to critique the English government. Dickens implies that, like Mrs. Joe, the government intentionally keeps the lower classes uneducated to maintain control and prevent rebellion. This reflects Dickens' criticism of societal structures that exploit and suppress the poor, similar to how Mrs. Joe wants to keep Pip uneducated to ensure he remains a source of income.
How do the bramble bush and thieves references in Chapter 7 of Great Expectations contribute to the book's imagery?
The references to a bramble bush and thieves in Chapter 7 contribute to the imagery by paralleling Pip's struggles with education to his earlier encounters with convict-laden marshes. Pip describes learning the alphabet as navigating a painful bramble bush and learning numbers as falling among thieves, reflecting confusion and hardship. These images foreshadow his later moral confusion, as his wealth and education lead him to treat loved ones poorly, akin to being ensnared in a moral bramble or among thieves.
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