Chapter 11

Pip returns to Satis House and witnesses its decay and dereliction up close. He is especially struck by the miserable state of the gardens. He is also made to meet Miss. Havisham’s many unlikeable relatives—Camilla, Sarah Pocket, Georgiana, and Raymond—who are at the manor for Miss Havisham’s birthday. Estella and Pip engage in a conversation where he tells her that she is ruthless, insulting and pretty. After the relatives leave, Pip, Estella, and Miss Havisham play cards. The chapter ends with Pip being allowed to kiss Estella on the cheek as a reward for his victory in a physical duel against a cheerful, pale gentleman.

Chapter 12

Pip worries about the consequences of having punched the gentleman at Satis House. However, when he returns to the manor there is no mention of the fight at all. Pip continues to keep Miss. Havisham company for the next eight to ten months. Meanwhile, Miss. Havisham encourages Estella to break Pip’s heart. Unaware of Miss. Havisham’s true intentions, the family believes that she would help out with Pip’s education and even offer financial assistance. However, much to Mrs. Joe’s dismay and Pip’s embarrassment, the family finds out that Miss. Havisham has no intention of helping them. In the end, she only offers to help Pip secure the paperwork that would allow him to become Joe’s official apprentice.

Chapter 13

Much to Mrs. Joe’s disappointment, only Joe and Pip are invited by Miss. Havisham to Satis House. At the bungalow, Estella and Miss. Havisham mock Joe for his “uncultured” manner of speaking and attitude. Discomfited by their rudeness, Joe is only able to direct his answers to Pip. Miss. Havisham then hands twenty-five guineas to Pip for his service at the house and demands that he use the money to become Joe’s official apprentice. This also marks the end of Pip’s tenure at Satis House. Mrs. Joe is thrilled to receive the money; Pip, however, does not look forward to being a mere apprentice to a blacksmith.

Chapter 14

In this chapter, Pip’s embarrassment at his own situation deepens. He is unhappy about the apprenticeship and dismayed by the limited worldview of his family. He imagines Estella mocking him for leading a “common life.” Even though he is able to hide his turmoil from Joe, the situation becomes extremely dire.

Chapter 15

Having completed his formal education, Pip strives to make Joe a better man by educating him and continues his own independent studies. Pip points out to Joe that Orlick, one of Joe’s workers, is a ruffian. Pip tries to convince Joe to pay a visit of gratitude to Miss. Havisham, but his efforts are in vain. He is granted a half-day leave to make this visit to Satis House himself. Following this, Mrs. Joe and Orlick get into a fight when Orlick, too, demands a half-day leave, an encounter that ends with Joe punching Orlick.

At Satis House, Pip finds out that Estella has been sent abroad for education. Miss. Havisham is delighted at Pip’s misery and does not offer anything in return for his visit. However, she asks him to visit Satis House on her birthdays. On his way back home, Pip discovers that Mrs. Joe has been attacked and rendered unable to move.

Chapter 16

Pip learns that Mrs. Joe was attacked by something “blunt and heavy,” which is later identified as the convict’s iron leg. This worries Pip, and he believes that he might have had some connection with the crime. He suspects the first convict, the one he had given Joe’s iron file to, as well as Orlick. Due to the injury, Mrs. Joe is unable to communicate clearly; she is reduced to using a slate to draw and express her thoughts. She also becomes more patient but less independent after the incident. Biddy moves into their house to nurse Mrs. Joe, whereas Joe is heartbroken by the events.

When Mrs. Joe draws a hammer on the slate, it is Biddy who understands that Mrs. Joe is referring to Orlick. Mrs. Joe asks Orlick to visit her daily. She does not provide any proof to show that it was Orlick who had attacked her.

Chapter 17

Other than having to visit Miss. Havisham on her birthdays, nothing much changes in Pip’s routine. He spends the money he is given on books and his studies. It is during this time that he begins to find Biddy beautiful. He is especially struck by her intelligence and wit. Meanwhile, Biddy tells Pip that their first lessons together were memorable and special.

During one of his walks with Biddy, Pip tells her that he does not see the blacksmith trade as a long-term choice. He also tells her that he is deeply bothered by Estella’s mockery of him. Biddy wisely advises Pip to ignore Estella’s comments about his “commonness”; they are rude and untrue, she assures him. She is also extremely insightful when she asks Pip if he wants to become a gentleman mainly to prove Estella wrong and to win her over. Though he is angered by the question, Pip admits that Biddy is right. He is jealous when Orlick tries to flirt with Biddy.

Chapter 18

By now, Pip has completed four years as Joe’s apprentice. He is at a pub one evening, watching Mr. Wopsle’s performance of a recent murder described in the newspaper, when a tussle breaks out. A gentleman Pip had once spoken to at Satis House rebukes Mr. Wopsle for his insinuation that the suspect is indeed guilty of murder. The gentleman highlights that, as per the British legal system, every man is innocent until proven guilty. He makes quite an impression on the crowd.

This man, who identifies himself as Mr. Jaggers, a London-based lawyer, tells Joe and Pip that an anonymous benefactor has promised to take care of Pip’s education in London on two conditions. First, the identity of the benefactor must not be sought. Second, Pip should retain his original name. Pip assumes Miss. Havisham to be the anonymous benefactor. Joe is surprised when Mr. Jaggers tells him that he will be financially compensated for Pip’s absence from his forge.

As Pip prepares to leave for London, he begins to see the folks from his community as “coarse” and “common.” When Joe and Biddy congratulate Pip, he even mistakes their goodwill for jealousy.

Chapter 19

As Pip prepares for his departure to London, he notices that people, including Mr. Trabbs, the tailor, now treat him with respect.

Pip is also perplexed by the loneliness and confusion he feels even though he is about to set forth on the journey he had always dreamt of. Meanwhile, Biddy tells Pip that his condescending attitude toward Joe might be excessive and uncalled for. She tells him that Joe is deeply proud of his own skills and independence, and that it would be unfair and disparaging to say, as Pip had, that Joe lacks culture.

Chapter 20

Pip feels out of place in London. He discovers that Mr. Jaggers is an intimidating and corrupt man. Pip is then informed about his accommodation and funds and also learns that his tutor’s name is Matthew Pocket. Pip is overwhelmed by London’s enormity and is afraid that he might lose his way—literally and figuratively—if he is not careful enough.

Analysis of Chapters 11- 20

These chapters deal with Pip’s time at Satis House and his growing desire to become a “gentleman.” Toward the end of this section, Pip is given the opportunity to travel to London, a journey he hopes will aid his transition into a gentleman. The difference between the residents of Satis House and the novel’s other characters becomes more stark in these chapters. Pip experiences a wide range of emotions as he tries to come to terms with these two starkly different worlds. Prior to meeting Estella, Pip had been eager to become Joe’s apprentice; however, he now sees Joe and his work as coarse and embarrassing. He begins to feel ashamed of Joe’s speech and manners.

While Pip admits that Biddy is extraordinarily intelligent, he is still obsessed with Estella. In fact, Pip longs for Estella, now that she has gone abroad for her studies. He is disdainful of his poor life and low social stature, and yearns for acceptance and respect.

It is at this juncture that Pip is presented the opportunity to travel to London. He is eager to leave his poor life behind and chase his dreams in London. Upon arriving in London, however, he is overwhelmed by the city, and does not find it pleasant or welcoming.