1) Is there any hope for a relationship with Estella based on her letter to Pip? Why, or why not?
2) A little background knowledge about the conditions of Newgate prison in the 18th century would be helpful here. Google search anyone?
3) Based on what you read, what is Dickens' opinion of the penal system, as filtered through the descriptions of Pip?
4) What do you make of Wemmick's conversation with the Colonel? What does this interaction tell us about Wemmick's character?
5) What IS the nameless shadow mentioned in the last sentence of the chapter?
1) I don't think there is hope for a relationship between Estella and Pip. Estella only seems to contact Pip when Miss Havisham asks her to. In her letter she tells Pip that she "write[s] in obedience to it" (260) when she says that Miss Havisham has the impression that Pip will meet Estella. I think the only way Pip and Estella will have a relationship is if Miss Havisham arranges it as Estella doesn't seem that interested in Pip unless Miss Havisham asks her to.
ReplyDelete1) I do not think there is a meaningful relstionship between Pip and Estella right now. It seems more that Miss Havisham wants there to be a relationship between Pip and Estella. This is because Estella writes Pip that it is for certain that they should meet, as "[a]t all events Miss Havisham has that impression, and [that she] writes in obedience to it."(Dickens 280) It just seems like Estella is being forced to spend time with Pip by Miss Havisham.
ReplyDelete2) Newgate Prison is the oldest prison in the eighteenth century England. It is also one of the most famous and most important prison in England. It was under the control of the Lord Mayor. Newgate was overcrowded, unhealthy and they forced the prisoners to pay for bedding and clothing. The prisoners were forced to pay an admission and a fee for when they were allowed to leave as well. Since there was a lack of water light and fresh air, the prison had an awful smell, so bad that people wouldn't even go anywhere near it. Many people died there each year. The prison was meant for people who were awaiting trial in court and people who were awaiting execution.
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