Why does Jaggers show interest in Bentley Drummle in Great Expectations?
It's not so much that Jaggers likes Drummle but more that he has a sneaking admiration for him. In his capacity as a lawyer, Jaggers moves in a world populated by criminals and so he comes across numerous unsavory—but endlessly fascinating—characters like Drummle on a daily basis. Jaggers knows full well that Drummle is up to no good with regards to Estella, but he chooses not to get involved. Here we can observe Jaggers' detached view of the world, a disinterested, amoral perspective which keeps him separated from the common run of humanity. This is what makes Jaggers such an effective attorney.
Drummle is a truly fascinating specimen of nastiness and provides Jaggers with the same degree of fascination as so many of his criminal clients over the years. That Drummle hails from a well-to-do, socially respectable background makes this all the more ironic. As with Abel Magwitch, Dickens is...
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once more challenging the notion that you can always judge a book by its cover.
What nickname does Mr. Jaggers give to Bentley Drummle in Great Expectations?
In Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, one of the major antagonists is Bentley Drummle. He is described as incredibly rude, despite the fact that he a gentleman in terms of social class. His is wealthy and willing to use every means at his disposal, no matter how cruel, to get what he desires and is usually successful in this despite being described as not especially smart.
He earns the nickname "The Spider" from Mr. Jaggers for both his cruelty and successful machinations. The validity of this nickname is best shown by Drummle's dealings with Estella. His goal was to marry her in the hopes of acquiring her money. Although he knew that Pip loved her, Drummle pursued Estella and mocked Pip when Estella favored Drummle. After he caught Estella and married her, he treated her cruelly. In this case, he was only partially successful as he died before Estella and never attained his ultimate goal - her inheritance.
Jaggers refers to Drummle as spider, apparently refering to his ability to get what he wants (getting the flies) even if he does so using his ruthless nature. Drummle is lazy, but he is ruthless, he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants, no matter who is in the way. He is rude to those around him as well. He ends up marrying Estella for her fortune (although he didn't outlive her)