In Chapter 1, Philip Pirrip, as an infant, was incapable of pronouncing his full name. In his attempts, he came up with the nickname “Pip,” which ended up becoming his permanent moniker. Currently, Pip is a young orphan residing in his sister’s residence situated in the marshy region of western England.
One night, Pip is in the lonely village churchyard, gazing at his parents’ tombstones. Without warning, a terrifying man, dressed in tattered clothes, growling and with his legs shackled, emerges from behind the gravestones and grabs hold of Pip. This fugitive convict interrogates Pip brutally and insists that Pip bring him sustenance and a tool to remove his leg restraints.
In Chapter 2, Pip is scared into obedience and runs back to the house he shares with his sister and her husband, Joe Gargery, who is a blacksmith. Despite trying to hide bread and butter in his pants, Pip is unable to escape quickly. It is Christmas Eve and he is made to stir the holiday pudding all evening. Pip’s sister, known as Mrs. Joe, is loud and threatening, using her cane named Tickler and a bitter drink called tar-water to intimidate Pip and Joe. The next morning, Pip secretly goes to the pantry to steal some brandy (unknowingly replacing it with tar-water) and a pork pie for the convict. He then goes to Joe’s smithy, where he steals a file. Quietly, he returns to the marshes to meet the convict.
Chapter 3 Unfortunately, Pip encounters a different convict hiding in the marshes. This convict strikes Pip and quickly runs away. Eventually, Pip finds his original tormentor, who is now suffering and in a miserable state. Despite the convict’s condition, Pip shows kindness towards him. However, when Pip mentions the other escapee he met in the marsh, the convict becomes violent again. It seems that this news greatly troubles him. Meanwhile, as the convict scrapes at his leg irons with the file, Pip takes advantage of the foggy conditions and quietly leaves, heading back home.
In Chapter 4, Pip finds himself burdened with guilt after assisting the convict and anticipates facing consequences upon returning home. However, upon his arrival, he discovers that there are no policemen waiting for him at Joe’s house. Instead, he finds Mrs. Joe engaged in preparing Christmas dinner in the kitchen. Pip has breakfast with Joe in solitude before they attend church together. Surprisingly, Mrs. Joe, despite her usual tendency to moralize, chooses to stay behind.
During Christmas dinner, Pip’s uncomfortable position at the table is heightened by his wealthy Uncle Pumblechook and the church clerk, Mr. Wopsle, crowding him into a corner. Pip is filled with terror as he fears that his secret nighttime activities of aiding the convict will be exposed. This fear intensifies when Pumblechook requests some brandy and discovers that the bottle is actually filled with tar-water. To further alarm Pip, several police officers unexpectedly enter the house, wielding a pair of handcuffs.
In Chapter 5, Pip mistakenly believes that the policemen have arrived to arrest him. However, their intention is simply for Joe to repair their handcuffs. The clumsy policemen inform Pip and Joe that they are on a hunt for a pair of escaped convicts, to which the two agree to assist. In the presence of the policemen, Pip experiences an unusual feeling of concern for his selected criminal.
After an extensive search, both convicts are found in the marsh, engaged in a fierce fight. Trapped and apprehended, Pip’s convict defends Pip by confessing to stealing the provisions and file himself. Consequently, the convict is transported to a prison ship, seemingly never to be a part of Pip’s life again.
Chapter 6 Joe carries Pip home and they finish their Christmas dinner. Pip sleepily goes to bed while Joe narrates the scene of the capture to Mrs. Joe and the guests. Pip still feels guilty about the incident, not because of his sister, but because he has not told Joe the whole truth.
Chapter 7: Some time passes after the incident. Pip carries the burden of his guilty secret and finds it challenging to learn reading and writing at Mrs. Wopsle’s school. While at school, Pip becomes friends with Biddy, the teacher’s granddaughter. On one occasion, Joe and Pip are having a conversation when Joe, who is unable to read, admires a writing piece that Pip has recently completed. Suddenly, Mrs. Joe enters the room accompanied by Pumblechook. With utmost self-satisfaction, they unveil that Pumblechook…
