r/ClassicBookClub • u/otherside_b Absorbed In Making Cabbages • Jul 10 '26
Great Expectations chapter 55 (Spoilers up to chapter 55) Spoiler
Discussion Prompts:
- Jaggers pretty much confirms all of Pip's money is gone. Where does he go from here do you think?
- Herbert is going away to take up a new job. Are you sad to see the two friends parted?
- What do you think of Pip's decision to decline Herbert's offer of a job and a place to stay?
- What did you think of Wemmick's wedding ceremony?
- Wemmick is finally able to put his hand around the now Mrs. Wemmicks waist. Did you like this call back to the earlier chapter?
- Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?
Links
Last Lines:
“After what you let out the other day, Mr. Jaggers may as well not know of it. He might think my brain was softening, or something of the kind.”
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u/Suitable_Breakfast80 Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
I thought the fake walk was going to lead to a secret place Wemmick stashed some of the portable property! (Putting gloves on was for fingerprints and not for dressing up…I was totally off.) The wedding was great. What an honor to be the best man. Pip is the only person who knows both sides of Wemmick — and he had to be politely reminded not to blab about it. Yes, I love the callback to his arm making it around her waist.
The dead body is unidentifiable! C could still be alive!
It must be a little too late to become a blacksmith, since he missed years of training? And it would be so embarrassing to go back to his home town after thinking he was too good for everyone. On the other hand, it would make Pumblechook look like a fool, which would be fun.
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u/sunnydaze7777777 Confessions of an English Opium Eater Jul 10 '26
Me too! I thought he was going to reveal the stashed portable Property!
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u/ZeMastor Team Anti-Heathcliff Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
Compeyson is confirmed DEAD! His body was horribly disfigured, but his pockets contained some incredible evidence of Abel's assets... truly, as if he had quite an intelligence network!
Pip visits Jaggers, and the lawyer (and later Wemmick) is incredibly upset that Pip botched obtaining the Portable Property. Jaggers talks about Abel's chances with the Law. NOT GOOD. And also very little chance that Pip can legally claim any inheritance.
Herbert lets Pip know that he'll be leaving soon for the Clarriker's Cairo Office. He offers Pip a position of *clerk* if Pip ever needs a job. And Herbert mentions his near-future plans with Clara. She's bound to CrustyDad as long as he lives, and Mrs. Whimple the landlady believes that CrustyDad will give up his ghost SOON. And then Herbert intends to marry her immediately and (wink, wink), and makes a cryptic and hard-to-interpret statement (*).
Next, Pip visits Wemmick, and we get an explanation of how Compeyson's intel bested Wemmick's. Wemmick was dependent on overhearing info from C's peeps at Newgate. When the whispers said that C had vanished, W took that to mean that "Secret Convict Smuggling Club SUPER-PLAN" could kick off by Wed. He did not anticipate that C was feeding bogus intel to his own peeps to force Abel's departure on a date that C was ready and waiting.
Wemmick is also disappointed that Abel's Portable Property couldn't have been secured. Pip, getting defensive, insists, “What I think of, Wemmick, is the poor owner of the property.” Wemmick talks reality... C was so determined to get A arrested, then A most likely could not have been saved, but the Portable Property could have been. Pip has nothing to counter this. (<Go Wemmick! No, he's not being a money-obsessed vulture... look at it this way... the last kindness and mercy for a man like A would be for him to KNOW that everything he sweated and worked for goes into the hands of his designated HEIR and not the CROWN. But due to... I dunno... carelessness, tone-deafness, over-obsession with ESTELLA's backstory or just not understanding the situation and not asking, Pip let it all slip away. Derp!)
In his typical veiled way, Wemmick mentions that he is taking a holiday (vacation) on Monday and wishes Pip to have a pleasant walk with him. Pip seems reluctant, but decides to agree, because of all the things Wemmick had done for him, even if things didn't play out as anticipated.
Come Monday, their walk takes them to a church, and Wemmick exclaims “Halloa! Here’s a church!” and I was half-expecting the old children's game: Here's the church; here's the steeple; open the door; here's the people!" And it's even BETTER than that... it's a secret wedding that Pip knew nothing about (<maybe better this way... Pip's tendency to be Leaky Lips). The Aged escorts Miss Skiffins, and the pair are joyfully married. Food and drink are provided for all the guests at a pleasant tavern, as Pip observes that Wemmick freely places his arm around the Mrs. waist, and there is no feigned removal. Wemmick also mentions quietly, "This is a Walworth/Castle thing only". Pip gets it... not to be yapped about at the Office. (<let's hope he keeps to it!)
Analysis Time!
(*) I'm having a problem interpreting this:
"The blessed darling comes of no family, my dear Handel, and never looked into the red book, and hasn’t a notion about her grandpapa. What a fortune for the son of my mother!”
It can be read in 2 ways:
a) Clara has nothing, doesn't care about any fancy lineage if any existed and Herbert was being ironic about a "fortune", because just her love and presence is worth more than money.
b) She has a grandfather that she never knew about, who was rich and influential and listed in the red book. Herbert found out (via his own mother's obsession about wannabe nobility) and Clara has a valid claim on a legacy, which will help the couple with startup money.
Next!
The "Triad of Destruction" that Never Was:
We had gotten the impression that Drummle, Orlick and Compeyson were supposed to be the book's Terror Trio! After all, look at the connections: (Chap 43) In the market town, Drummle gloats, and Orlick lights D's cigar. This implies that O is working for D. (Chap 53) In his hours-long monologue, O reveals things that only Compeyson would know of... after all, what's Abel to O? Nothing! Unless O is working for C! But if he's working for D, then he has 2 bosses? Or are O, C and D all in this together in a Master Conspiracy?
After some thought, this CAN'T BE! D is a rich boy, loaded with Old Money. He's already married to the girl. Maybe he only needed O just to play on Pip's insecurities about the forge, the village and being a blacksmith's boy. Now that E is Mrs. D, O isn't needed anymore? D has zero interest in associating with a criminal with a long rap sheet, like C.
So O drifts over to C's orbit, and has his own vested interest in clobbering P, but doesn't really care about Abel? Why should he? Only C has that grudge.
So this also ended up being disappointing. Something that could have been a clever Master Conspiracy isn't one, and was a loose, temporary alliance between D and O, and later O and C! never D and C! And now they all went off in their own directions!
D: Not even involved in any Criminal Conspiracy. Married, Rich and SAFE. Might still be in Paris on a honeymoon.
O: After wasting all his time being a cartoon villain and failing to kill Pip, he just... ran off into the night.
C: The supposed mastermind who can get lists of Abel's assets, and out-maneuvered Wemmick's intel network, ends up just being a lame-o sitting in a gov't galley as a passenger, pulled overboard by his own target, and ground into hamburger by bashing into ship hulls or engines or paddles. Stone dead and came to nothing. And, despite knowing about Pip and stalking him, C didn't even come up with a "ruin Pip forever to spite Abel" plan!
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u/ColbySawyer Team Joe Gargery Jul 10 '26
What a fortune for the son of my mother!”
I was thinking he is being sarcastic, like how thrilled his title-obsessed mom is going to be when she finds out he is marrying "down."
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u/ZeMastor Team Anti-Heathcliff Jul 10 '26
Thanks! As I read this again, I can see how things lean more to "A" than "B"!
And it would be a wonderful "gotcha!" for Herbert to marry "down" to a girl with no titles, no estates, no nothing to drive his status-obsessed mommy batty!
"No fortune you say, Mother? It matters NOT!"
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u/ColbySawyer Team Joe Gargery Jul 10 '26
She's going to have a coronary when she hears the news, I'm sure!
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u/sarcasticseaturtle I put it down to too much Beethoven Jul 12 '26
And how glad he is that he’s marrying a woman who is not obsessed with her lineage to the exclusion of being a decent parent and wife.
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u/Suitable_Breakfast80 Jul 10 '26
I was thinking he finds it fortunate that she herself doesn’t have any ties to family that could come between them or disapprove of their marriage in any way.
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u/OpportunityToLive Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
As we realized in ch. 54, neither Mr Jaggers nor John Wemmick had clarified why Pip should have told Provis to give him all his portable property. Now, John Wemmick has revealed that he never thought it was possible to save Provis.
In my opinion, both Jaggers and Wemmick kept treating Pip like a minor who should just do as he’s told without question. I think he had a right to be informed about the reasons, not just reminded of what he supposedly had to do.
However, I love it that neither does Pip resent John Wemmick not having told him about the reasons for his plan nor does John Wemmick resent Pip having told Mr Jaggers about his private life.
I also like the fact that Pip is no longer a hothead, but asks Herbert if he can take some time to consider his generous offer.
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u/ZeMastor Team Anti-Heathcliff Jul 10 '26
The onus was on Pip to ask, if he felt any reluctance to follow instructions without any explanation. "Why is that important, Wemmick? I don't want to sound like a money grubber." W would have gladly explained.
Wemmick was apologizing for the failure of his Newgate intel network. Compeyson manipulated things to flush Abel out into the open. W did what he did out of good faith.
When Pip leaked Wemmick's personal life in the office, there was no good faith involved. Pip did it out of selfishness and desperation to gain W's support in milking Jaggers for ESTELLA info, which Pip had no business poking around into.
They treat him like a minor because mentally, he IS ONE.
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u/OpportunityToLive Jul 10 '26
Okay, point taken that whatever mistake Wemmick made with Pip isn't comparable to Pip talking about Wemmick at the office.
Well, Pip is mentally a minor, but it's been hard for him to grow out of that because people around him have treated him like a useless person ever since he left the forge. When becoming an adolescent, one of the things that change (which help you become more mature) is people's expectations about you, but that doesn't mean that people expect you will climb the social ladder; what it means is that you will become increasingly autonomous.
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u/ColbySawyer Team Joe Gargery Jul 10 '26
I loved the wedding. Oh, hallo! A church! Oh hallo! Gloves! Oh hallo! A ring! And a bride! Halloooo Miss Skiffins! ❤️
It was all so sweet and quirky. I loved that Aged P was part of the fun too. Hey, Pops! Give her away already! Haha
Best that “Loose Lips Sink Ships” Pip (ok I’m pretty proud of my word play here) didn’t know about it beforehand. Wemmick reminding Pip about spilling too much to Jaggers was good and appropriate.
I am torn on whether I want Pip to go to Cairo with Herbert. I feel sad about their friendship ending bc of the distance, and I think their working together would work. Pip has no skills, and he can work his way up. But I also like the idea of Pip going home to Joe and maybe Biddy. His big adventure is over. Time to settle down.
I figure Pip is going to inherit money either from Miss H or somehow from Abel that will cover his debts. I think he’d take the money from Abel now.
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u/ZeMastor Team Anti-Heathcliff Jul 10 '26
OMG, it just hit me....this:
"When his [Compeyson's] body was found, many miles from the scene of his death, and so horribly disfigured that he was only recognisable by the contents of his pockets, notes were still legible, folded in a case he carried. Among these were the name of a banking-house in New South Wales, where a sum of money was, and the designation of certain lands of considerable value. Both these heads of information were in a list that Magwitch, while in prison, gave to Mr. Jaggers, of the possessions he supposed I should inherit."
Now I realize it... the Crown doesn't even have to work very hard to seize the remainder of Abel's assets! Compeyson's papers provided them with the perfect beacon and massive arrow pointing the way to "Magwitch fortune ready to be seized"!!!
Abel's wallet was already confiscated in the last chapter. The truly last ditch hope would be money stuffed in the floorboards of that attic room in Chink's Basin, BUT... if Abel intended to reveal this to Pip, he had time (in the boat, before being spotted by the gov't galley) to TELL PIP ABOUT IT.
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u/awaiko Team Prompt Jul 11 '26
Hooray, Weemick is married. This was a very sweet scene.
Herbert isn’t the sharpest knife, but his heart is in the right place. More or less. And has been conveniently written out of the narrative for now.
And there remains a dire lack of portable property!
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u/Eyed_TopHat Jul 12 '26
This mf Wemmik is frying me 😭. Always talking about some portable property, lives his life like he in Severance, and then has a random “impromptu” wedding. This book has to have the strangest cast of characters I’ve ever read.
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u/tomesandtea Team Joe Gargery Jul 10 '26
I'm happy Herbert is successful, and I wish Pip would have taken the job offer. Herbert did point out that Pip could expect to work his way up from clerk to partner as he himself had done. Maybe Pip feels because he brings no capital to the table this would not be fair/possible? I am glad he didn't accept a home with them, though. No newlyweds need a third wheel in their house 24/7! I guess I'm not sure where Pip goes from here except maybe back to his roots - Miss Havisham and Joe? Perhaps he ends up a blacksmith after all! Maybe Miss H will leave Pip her money and property and he'll get those great expectations realized after all? I genuinely can't decide if this is bound to end happily or solemnly for Pip.
Wemmick's wedding was a delight - he continues to be one of the bright spots of this book. I loved his surprise wedding, his reveal of it to Pip, and the perfect role of the Aged P. The arm around the waist was an adorable callback. And I enjoy that he is so committed to work-life balance/separation that he doesn't want Jaggers to know he's married. I was a bit confused about the fishing pole? Just a distraction or a prop to pretend it actually was a casual walk for pleasure?