What's Up With Pip

Pip, an orphaned child, is at the cemetary wondering about who his parents were in the opening scene of the book. Once he is ready to conclude his visit, a dingy and mysterious man confronts him and grabs his attention by flipping him upside down. He openly says that he should be feared but has no interest in harming Pip. However, there is a man in the forest close by that is dying to get a piece of Pip. The first convict said that he is only holding the second back as long as he does a favor for them. Pip was to go into town and fetch a file to remove their shackels and some food. If he did not, he was threatened of having his heart and liver removed. To complete this task, Pip had to choose the lesser of two moral evils. He was forced to either let the convicts starve or steal from his sister whom is not fond of him in the first place.

His sister never finds any good within Pip and claims he is ungradeful for her beating him and bringing him "up by hand" whenever he questions her. She basically thinks Pip is just a burdon and a curse that was put upon her. Obviously, they do not have a loving relationship.

Joe is Pip's brother-in-law but acts as his father figure. He understands Pip and seems to be the only person in Pip's life that he trusts. Whenever he is in a situation, Joe somewhat absorbes the blow by comforting him. Without Joe, Pip would be lost. His life would have no bright spots.

Eventually, Pip decides to steal a pork pie and a bottle of alcohol and give it to the convicts. The decision constantly haunts him becuase he knows that he has done wrong. As the days passed, no one noticed that anything was missing. On Christmas Eve, the family invites members of the church over for dinner. Nobody noticed that the pie and wine were stolen but Pip knew that they soon would. All throughout dinner he worried about everyone finding out about what he did. As the day went on, the guilt built more and more. Eventually, it became too much for him to handle and he ran for the door. He was stopped by soldiers on his doorstep asking for Joe. They needed his help to build shackels for when they found the convicts that Pip helped survive. The prisoners were found and Pip was basically left off of the hook.