1) It's interesting to note that Herbert thinks Magwitch was "softened when last I saw him" (435). What do you make of this? Is he really becoming less harsh and objectionable....or is Herbert and Pip's perception of him changing?
2) What do you learn about Magwitch's backstory that may make his becoming benefactor to Pip more understandable?
3) So...Compeyson jilted Miss Havisham...Molly and Magwitch are the parents of Estella...and Miss Havisham ended up with Estella. In all of this tangled web, who do you think is the biggest victim here?
1) I think Pip and Herbert's perception of Magwitch is changing because they are starting to know him and his story. When Magwitch tells the story of his daughter they feel sympathy for him when Herbert says "the darkest part of Provis's life" (Dickens 408) was when Molly "destroyed" the child. They feel bad for Magwitch because he loved his daughter and she was ripped away from him. Maybe Magwitch is softening in the way that he told Herbert and Pip the story of his lost daughter but I think he did it so the boys could trust him more than they do. In my experience, if I didn't trust someone and they told me such a sad story like Magwitch's, I would probably trust them more than I did because they trusted me enough to tell me their story. I think that was what Magwitch was trying to do. He was trying to get the boys to trust him more and by doing so Pip and Herbert's perception of Magwitch changed.
ReplyDelete2) Magwitch has lost his wife and child. In that, he's lost time and trust. Magwitch refers to Pip as a "boy", because that's exactly what he sees Pip as; a boy. (This might be why the one term of Pip's inheritance was that he always have the name of "Pip") Children are often seen as innocent figures, so its entirely believeable that Pip-being a child at their first encounter-would be the first person whom he might trust. In a way, Pip reminds Magwitch of his lost child. It makes sense that, not being able to help his child with her life, he'd want to help Pip with his.
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