Great Expectations Summary

Plot overview

Great Expectations, Charles Dickens's 1861 novel, charts the life of Pip, a poor blacksmith's apprentice in the marshes of Kent, from his childhood encounter with an escaped convict through his rise into London society and back down again. When an anonymous benefactor gives Pip the means to become a gentleman, he takes it without hesitation and abandons his origins, along with the people who loved him, in pursuit of wealth and the beautiful, cold Estella.

The novel is a coming-of-age story of unusual honesty. Dickens gives Pip real flaws, the snobbery and ingratitude of a young man ashamed of where he came from, then makes him earn the right to call himself a man of good character slowly and at real cost. The mystery of who is funding Pip's rise gives the story a thriller's momentum, and the revelation forces both Pip and the reader to reconsider everything that came before.

The book holds some of Dickens's most lasting characters: Miss Havisham, stopped in time in the wedding dress she was jilted in; the lawyer Jaggers, washing his hands between clients; Magwitch looming out of the marsh fog. It is also one of the sharpest accounts of class ambition Dickens ever wrote.

Chapter summaries

1. Chapter 1: A Graveyard EncounterYoung Pip meets a terrifying, leg-ironed convict in the churchyard who forces him to bring food and a file by morning.
2. Chapter 2: Home, Fear, and TheftPip endures Mrs. Joe's harshness, hides stolen bread, and, terrified by the escaped convict's demand, sneaks out at dawn to steal provisions and a file.
3. Chapter 3: Mist, Meeting, and the Fettered ManPip carries food and a file through the mist to a chained, starving convict, who devours the food, questions Pip, and begins to work at his fetter.
4. Chapter 4: Christmas at the GargerysPip endures a humiliating Christmas dinner while fearing discovery for the pantry theft, until soldiers appear at the door with handcuffs.
5. Chapter 5: The soldiers and the huntSoldiers arrive seeking convicts; Joe helps repair muskets, the village joins a marsh hunt, and Pip sees his convict recaptured and taken to the Hulk.
6. Chapter 6: Guilt and CowardicePip feels guilty about the stolen food but keeps silent, fearing losing Joe's confidence; visitors speculate wildly about how the thief entered.
7. Chapter 7: Learning and InvitationPip describes his early schooling, Joe’s humble past and character, and is cleaned and sent by Uncle Pumblechook to play at Miss Havisham’s.
8. Chapter 8: Visit to Satis HousePip, escorted by Mr. Pumblechook, visits Miss Havisham and meets the cold, strange household and proud Estella, who humiliates him.
9. Chapter 9: Home, Lies, and ConsequencesPip returns home, invents extravagant lies about Miss Havisham to avoid Mrs. Joe's questioning, then confesses to Joe and reflects on consequences.
10. Chapter 10: An Evening VisitorPip attends a shabby village school, learns from Biddy, then meets a secretive stranger at the inn who unnerves him by recognizing a convict connection and gives him a shilling and two banknotes.
11. Chapter 11: Miss Havisham's BirthdayPip returns to Satis House for Miss Havisham’s birthday, endures humiliations, is forced to walk her, plays cards, fights a pale young gentleman, and receives a token kiss from Estella.
12. Chapter 12: Visits, Fears, and ProspectsPip frets over the pale young gentleman, resumes regular visits to Miss Havisham and Estella, begins pushing Miss Havisham in a chair, and learns she wants him apprenticed to Joe.
13. Chapter 13: A Day at Satis HousePip, Joe, and Mrs. Joe visit Miss Havisham; Joe's awkwardness and Miss Havisham's gift lead to Pumblechook arranging Pip's formal apprenticeship.
14. Chapter 14: Ashamed of HomePip reflects on his shame about his home and apprenticeship, blaming himself, Miss Havisham, and his sister while praising Joe's constancy.
15. Chapter 15: Visits, Violence, ConsequencesPip contemplates visiting Miss Havisham, endures comic and violent scenes at the forge, and returns home to find his sister brutally attacked.
16. Chapter 16: Aftermath and DiscoveryPip and the household deal with Mrs. Joe’s brutal assault while clues point at a filed manacle and Orlick is identified by Mrs. Joe’s slate-sign.
17. Chapter 17: Apprenticeship and ChoicesPip alternates between loyalty to his home and longing to be a gentleman while growing closer to Biddy and uneasy about Orlick.
18. Chapter 18: Pip's Great ExpectationsA mysterious lawyer, Mr. Jaggers, announces that Pip has "great expectations," lays down strict conditions, and arranges his removal to be educated as a gentleman.
19. Chapter 19: Departure Preparations and FarewellsPip prepares to leave for London, buys new clothes, visits Miss Havisham, and takes an emotional farewell from Joe and Biddy.
20. Chapter 20: Arrival in LondonPip arrives in London, waits at Mr. Jaggers’s office, witnesses clients and intrigues, and receives instructions and hospitality from Jaggers and Wemmick.
21. Chapter 21: Meeting Mr. Pocket, JuniorPip tours London with Mr. Wemmick, reaches Barnard's Inn, and meets Mr. Pocket, Junior — the 'pale young gentleman.'
22. Chapter 22: Meeting Herbert PocketPip meets Herbert Pocket in Barnard’s Inn, they become friends, Herbert recounts Miss Havisham’s story, and Pip visits the Pocket household.
23. Chapter 23: House of the PocketsPip is installed at the Pocket household, meets its eccentric members, endures a chaotic dinner, and learns more about Drummle and the household's disorder.
24. Chapter 24: Settling and Jaggers's HousePip establishes his London arrangements, discusses his studies with Mr. Pocket, and visits Mr. Jaggers's offices and the court with Wemmick.
25. Chapter 25: Drummle; Wemmick's CastlePip describes Bentley Drummle and Startop, grows closer to Herbert, and visits Wemmick’s whimsical Walworth 'Castle' and his aged parent.
26. Chapter 26: Jaggers’s Soho DinnerPip and his friends visit Mr. Jaggers’s Soho home for dinner, meet his striking housekeeper Molly, and witness tension between Startop and Bentley Drummle.
27. Chapter 27: Joe Visits PipJoe visits Pip in London, awkwardly polite, brings Miss Havisham's message that Estella wishes to see Pip, and then takes his leave.
28. Chapter 28: Coach, Convicts, and DreadPip travels by coach home, sits near two convicts (one he recognizes), overhears them mention 'two one pound notes,' and reads a local paper praising Pumblechook.
29. Chapter 29: Return to Satis HousePip returns early to Satis House, meets Orlick as porter, reunites with Estella, and hears Miss Havisham urge him to love her.
30. Chapter 30: Pride, Confessions, PlansPip endures public humiliation in his village, returns to London, confesses his love and anxieties to Herbert, and they plan an evening out.
31. Chapter 31: Wopsle as HamletPip and Herbert watch Mr. Wopsle’s ludicrous performance as Hamlet, follow him backstage, and invite him home after his disastrous evening.
32. Chapter 32: A Visit to NewgatePip awaits Estella's coach, wanders into Newgate with Wemmick, and reflects on crime and social contrast before meeting her.
33. Chapter 33: Estella to RichmondEstella departs for Richmond; she and Pip ride together, she teases and reveals attitudes toward Miss Havisham's circle, and Pip returns heartbroken.
34. Chapter 34: Debt, Society, and NewsPip recognises how his expectations change him and those around him, drifts into costly habits with Herbert, and receives news of Mrs. Joe’s death.
35. Chapter 35: Funeral and FarewellsPip attends his sister's funeral, copes with neighbours' pretence, comforts Joe, and has a revealing talk with Biddy before leaving.
36. Chapter 36: Coming of Age and MoneyPip comes of age, learns he has an allowance from an unknown benefactor, and seeks advice from Wemmick about helping a friend.
37. Chapter 37: Wemmick's Walworth CastlePip visits Wemmick's Walworth 'Castle', meets the Aged Parent and Miss Skiffins, and secretly arranges help for Herbert.
38. Chapter 38: Visits to Satis HousePip describes his painful visits to Satis House, the strained dynamics between Miss Havisham and Estella, and Drummle's pursuit of Estella.
39. Chapter 39: Return of the ConvictOn a stormy night in his Temple rooms Pip is visited by the man from the marshes, who reveals himself as Pip’s secret benefactor and claims responsibility for making him a gentleman.
40. Chapter 40: The Return of Abel MagwitchPip discovers that his benefactor Abel Magwitch has returned secretly to England and takes steps to hide and disguise him while seeking counsel from Jaggers.
41. Chapter 41: Decision and DisclosurePip and Herbert confront the moral and practical dangers of Provis's presence and decide to learn his story and get him out of England.
42. Chapter 42: Magwitch's life and CompeysonMagwitch (Provis) tells Pip and Herbert the story of his early life, his partnership with Compeyson, crime, trial, and sentence.
43. Chapter 43: Visit to Satis HousePip visits Richmond and Satis House, confronts Drummle at the Blue Boar, and wrestles with fear for Abel Magwitch and his feelings about Estella.
44. Chapter 44: Confrontation and FarewellPip confronts Miss Havisham and Estella about his disappointment; Estella reveals she will marry Drummle, and Pip receives Wemmick's urgent note.
45. Chapter 45: Wemmick's Advice and ShelterPip hides in the Hummums, then goes to Wemmick’s Castle where Wemmick arranges a safe hiding-place and warns him to secure the portable property.
46. Chapter 46: Mill Pond Bank and the Boat PlanPip visits Herbert and Clara at Mill Pond Bank, meets Provis (under an alias), and arranges a discreet river-escape plan while he trains at the Temple stairs.
47. Chapter 47: Waiting, the theatre, and a sightingPip endures anxious waiting, sees Mr. Wopsle at a pantomime, and learns Wopsle thinks he saw one of the convicts behind Pip that night.
48. Chapter 48: Dinner at Jaggers'sPip dines with Mr. Jaggers and Wemmick, receives a note from Miss Havisham, and becomes convinced that Jaggers's housekeeper is Estella's mother after hearing her story.
49. Chapter 49: Miss Havisham's Confession and FirePip returns to Satis House, hears Miss Havisham confess the harm she did to Estella, secures money for Herbert, and rescues her from a devastating fire.
50. Chapter 50: Reveal about ProvisWhile Pip heals from his burns, Herbert recounts Provis’s dark past and Pip realizes the hidden man is Estella’s father.
51. Chapter 51: Seeking Estella’s ParentagePip visits Jaggers and, after describing his accident and procuring funds, reveals to Jaggers and Wemmick that he believes Provis (Magwitch) is Estella’s father.
52. Chapter 52: Plans for FlightPip, Herbert and Startop plan to take Provis down the Thames to a foreign steamer while Pip receives an anonymous summons to the marshes.
53. Chapter 53: Rescue from the Sluice-housePip is ambushed and bound by Orlick in a marsh sluice-house but is rescued at the last moment by Herbert, Startop and Trabb’s boy.
54. Chapter 54: Escape by the RiverPip, Herbert, Startop and Magwitch attempt to flee by boat; Magwitch is recaptured after a struggle and rescued from drowning.
55. Chapter 55: Committal and Walworth WeddingMagwitch is committed for trial; Pip faces loss of any inheritance, arranges with Herbert, and witnesses Wemmick's quiet wedding at Walworth.
56. Chapter 56: Magwitch’s Decline and SentenceMagwitch lies dying in the prison infirmary, is tried and sentenced with many others, and tells Pip of his lost daughter before he dies.
57. Chapter 57: Recovery and ResolutionPip lies gravely ill, is tended by Joe, learns of Miss Havisham’s fate, and discovers Joe has paid his debt before quietly leaving.
58. Chapter 58: Homecoming and RepairPip returns to his village humbled, reunites with Joe and Biddy on their wedding day, repays debts, and begins a steady career with Herbert.
59. Chapter 59: Return to the gardenPip visits Joe and Biddy, learns of their child named for him, then unexpectedly reunites with Estella at the ruined Satis House garden.

Characters

• PipProtagonist
• Joe GargeryMajor character
• Miss HavishamMajor character
• Herbert PocketMajor character
• EstellaMajor character
• Mr. JaggersMajor character
• Mrs. Joe GargeryMinor character
• BiddyMajor character
• WemmickMajor character
• Abel MagwitchMajor character
• Matthew PocketMajor character
• Mr. WopsleMinor character

All 29 characters ›