So....this chapter is all about Joe. We learn his backstory, and get a sense of who he is from his conversation with Pip. What conclusions can you draw about Joe? Let's do a little character analysis here. Don't forget to support your conclusions with evidence from the text.
We've seen the word "pompeyed" several times now.....and will see it again. You may have discovered that this word isn't in the dictionary. Any guesses as to what it means based on the context?
On the last page of the chapter Mrs. Joe says " this boy's fortune may be made by his going to Miss Havisham's" (51). What does this tell us about Mrs. Joe? Any connections with the title of the novel, or ideas from your anticipation guide?
Note: My edition of the novel is different from yours....so the page references will be off by a few pages. I'll correct this soon.
I think Joe is one character in the novel that Pip fully trusts and admires. Pip is often turning to Joe for comfort and protection when he is having a rough time. For example, at the dinner Pip was uncomfortable and Joe could sense that so he offered Pip gravy. "...but he always aided and comforted [Pip] when he could, ...and he always did so at dinner-time by giving [Pip] gravy..." (page 24). Joe was also very supportive of Pip's education in reading and writing even though he was illiterate himself and couldn't read what Pip had written. Joe's compassion and support for Pip are some traits that really stood out for me as I learnt about his character.
ReplyDeleteWe learn a lot more about Joe Gargery as a child in chapter seven when he talks to Pip. We learn that he grew up without proper schooling because of his need to support his fathers drinking habits. His father was abusive and Joe says that “my mother and me we ran away from my father several times” (45). Joe has gone through a lot of hardships and wants no one else to go through the same things he and his mom did, so he tries his best to make everyone else happy. For example when Joe meets Pip's sister he says, “and bring the poor little child. God bless the poor little child... theres room for him at the forge!”(p.47) This shows that Joe does not only look out for himself, but that he looks out for others as well. Joe wants to be there for people because he didn't have proper support when he was younger so he does his best to support Pip.
ReplyDeleteI think that pompeyed means pampered because Pip says, "When i was old enough, I was to be apprenticed to Joe, and until I could assume that dignity I was not to be what Mrs. Joe called pompeyed, or (as I render it) pampered."(p.42) His sister in this context is talking about how she's not going pamper Pip. I think that Mrs. Joe might be mispronouncing this word.
ReplyDeleteI agree with olaf. It makes much more sense in the context of 19 th century british society that Mrs. Joe Gargery is simply mispronouncing pampered, as she, a citizen of the lower class, would not have been burdened with an overabundance of schooling.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Bokrug and olafthesnowman82. Likewise, you have also stated yourself in Chapter 4 of the REC Lit Blog that commonfolk often mispronounce words!
ReplyDelete"You may have noticed by now that the common folk often pronounced words differently. "V's" and "W's" are often interchanged. So "wittles" is really "vittles" and "wiscious" is "viscious". This is an example of colloquial language. "
You've all got it!
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