Back to a down-to-earth life

"Great Expectations" Author: Charles. Dickens

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In the previous section, we talked about Miss Havisham's eventual repentance, and Pip discovers the mystery of Estella's origins, which turns out to be the daughter of Magwitch and Jasmine.

So, in this section, let's take a look at how Pip can get Magwitch out of England under the ghostly stalk of Comperson.

The line between life and death

On Monday morning, Herbert and Pip were having breakfast when they received a letter from Vinmick saying that they could go as planned on Wednesday and that they would destroy it after reading it.

It seemed that the time had come, and Venmick gave the signal to send Magwich away. Herbert and Pip discuss that since Pip had injured both arms while saving Miss Havisham in the fire, and they needed someone to help row, Herbert wanted to ask his father's student, Stador, to help, saying that he was a decent and good man and knew each other well.

They devised a secret plan of action, first to see the schedule of the foreign ships going to sea in advance, and then when the tide was low, to take the Magwich, and the group first rowed out the boat, found a secluded place to wait, and when the foreign ships passed, they approached and asked for a ride on board.

Everyone sprang into action, and when they found the steadder, he was willing to help. Herbert went to the riverside house to bring a message, so that Magwäch, when Wednesday saw their boat approaching, hurried to the edge of the dock near the house, and waited to board the boat.

That afternoon, Pip received a letter saying that if he wanted to know what was going on in Magwech, he would go to the sluice hut near the marshland of his hometown, and take the letter with him, and go alone.

On the eve of his flight, he received a letter mentioning Magwechy, which made Pip really want to go. He left a note for Herbert, saying that he would visit Miss Havisham and return as soon as possible, so he hurried out and hitched straight to his hometown.

When Pip arrived at the gate of the sluice hut, it was late at night. It was a ruined and dilapidated wooden house with a tiled roof. When he knocked on the door and there was no answer, he pushed the door and entered, and there was a candle lit on the table, and it seemed that there was someone in the room. As soon as he turned around, he was slammed by something, and the candle flame went out, and a thick slipknot thrown from behind his back tightly wrapped around his body.

Pip struggles as he screams for help when a strong man covers his mouth and ties him to the wall. The man groped in the darkness for a while, lit a fire, and Pip recognized that the person who kidned him was the same helper used to be hired by the family's blacksmith shop, Orrick!

It turned out that Oric had always hated Pip, and it was Orrick who did the attack on Pip's sister. At that time, Pip suspected Orrick, but no evidence was found. Later, Beatty came to the house to take care of his sister, and Olek fell in love with Beatty, and felt that Pip was always with Beatty, and got in the way of him three times and twice. Therefore, he had long wanted to slaughter Pip.

Oric also tells Pip that Pip tripped on the stairs that day by a man who was him. He had already begun to keep an eye on Pip's whereabouts so that he could attack Pip. Unexpectedly, in order to find Pip, he actually found Magwedge, and he also found out that Pip and they wanted to quietly let Magwitch smuggle out of the country, so he used Magwitch as bait to trick Pip into this wilderness, ready to kill him.

With that, Orrick bent down to pick up a mallet and slammed it at Pip's head. At the same time, Pip hears someone outside shouting and breaks down the door, only to see Orrick take advantage of the chaos and knock over the table and rush into the darkness outside the door.

It turned out that Pip was in a hurry when he left home, and forgot the letter written by Ollick in the house, and Herbert and Stadder returned home, and when they saw the letter, they felt very disturbed, and immediately took a ride to find it. Thankfully, they arrived in time to save Pip, whose life was hanging by a thread.

The trio rushed back to London that night. It was decided that for the time being, they would not go to the government to file a complaint for the arrest of Orrick, so as not to cause trouble, and send Magwich away first.

The way to escape

Wednesday dawned, and in the cold air, Pip, Herbert, and Stardor set off early to row to pick up Magwech. Pip left behind all his belongings, carrying only a bag and a few essential things. Where he would stay, how he would live, and when he would return, he didn't have a little idea in his heart, and he didn't think much about it, but he was bent on getting Magwitch out of danger safely.

The boat had crossed Old London Bridge, mingled with the various steamers, and Pip's heart beat wildly at the sight of the riverside house in the distance. Fortunately, Magwich had already seen them, and he put on a cloak and carried a black canvas bag, and jumped lightly on board the boat as it approached the stone port [bù].

As soon as he sat down, he put his arm around Pip's shoulders and said, "Good boy, good boy with a conscience, well done, thank you very much!" ”

The boat weaved its way through the dense crowd of ships, and Pip kept his eyes on the lookout for any signs of being watched or watched by other ships, but nothing happened.

As the sun set, the men saw a little light from a distance, a lonely house, and leaned the boat against the small stone embankment on the shore, and Pip went ashore to look at it, and found that the place of light was a tavern, mostly for the smuggling adventures of the merchants. So he called them all ashore and prepared to spend the night.

The four of them had dinner by the kitchen fire, and they happened to hear the man in the shop say that there was a dinghy, and four people were rowing, and two people were on a boat, and they also passed by the front door of the tavern, and they were strangely cruising around, and during the time they had come to the store to buy beer, and the man recognized them as customs people.

Everyone was apprehensive when they heard this, especially Pip, who had a bad premonition. The steamer leaving the country will not arrive in this area until about one o'clock tomorrow afternoon, and after discussion, it was decided to stay here and wait for the steamer to arrive soon, and then set off from here and row to the course of the steamer.

Early the next morning, everyone got up and walked around to observe, and there was nothing unusual. At noon, they rowed smoothly to the course of the steamer, and in ten minutes it was one o'clock in the afternoon.

It was not until half past one that the steamer was greeted with black smoke spitting out black smoke, and Pip and Magwitch packed their bags and shook hands with Herbert and Starhelm cordially to say goodbye. Unexpectedly, at this moment, I saw a four-oared boat suddenly pop out of the embankment not far in front of them, rowing towards them quickly.

The steamer was already in front of us, but the dinghy was also attached to Pip's boat, and the man at the helm of the dinghy shouted: "There is an exile on board you who has absconded back to China, named Magwech, we have come to arrest him, please help him." ”

Before he could finish speaking, the man pounced on him, grabbed Magwech's shoulders, and the two boats whirled in a shake. The men on board noticed what was going on, and the sailors rushed to the bow of the ship to see. Magwich leaped to his feet, jumped into the dinghy, and ripped off the cloak of a cowering man. When the man's face was revealed, Pip immediately recognized him as another prisoner in the cemetery - Comperson.

In the chaos of the fight, the boat capsized, Pip overboard, and when he was dragged onto the dinghy in the struggle, he saw that Herbert and Starhelm were in the dinghy, and their own boat was gone, and Magwich and Comperson were gone.

The customs men quickly stabilized their dinghy, and everyone silently watched the river behind the boat. After a while, I saw

Magwitch swam over, but his hands and feet did not look very handy, and the customs men salvaged him onto the ship and shackled him in shackles.

Magwich had a deep cut in his head and a serious wound in his chest. He said that after he and Kang Peisheng fell into the water together, they twisted into each other and wrestled underwater for a while, and finally he shook off each other, turned around and swam away. When he floated up, he hit his head on the keel of the ship and his chest.

There was no longer a shadow of Kang Peisheng on the water, and in the end, the customs people gave up their plans to salvage him, and only asked people to look for a few places where the body might have washed ashore.

On the way back to London, Pip stood by Magwech's side, holding his hand, a poor man who had been so gracious to him for so many years, but now he was seriously wounded and caught in the net. Pip thought sadly that from now on, as long as Magwitch lived, he would watch over him for one day.

Magwech was sentenced to death for smuggling into the country as a lifelong exile. He was very ill and emaciated in prison, and as his condition deteriorated rapidly, Pip visited him every day.

On the tenth day, Pip noticed that Magwitch seemed to be much better, and the two talked for a while, and the warden quietly told Pip that Magwitch was dying.

Pip tells Magwitch that he has something to tell him, and Magwitch gently presses Pip's hand. Pip said, "You used to have a beloved daughter, but then you don't know her whereabouts." In fact, she did not die, but became acquainted with the family of Gaomen, and she is now a noblewoman, very beautiful. I love her so much! ”

Magwitch used his last strength to gently pull Pip's hand to his lips and kiss it, then put his hands on Pip's hand and swallowed calmly.

resume

After that, Pip fell seriously ill. When he wakes up, Joe is there to take care of him and pay off his creditors' bills. After this catastrophe, Pip realizes that he has gone astray and is determined to start afresh and do his best to live with his own hands.

Not long after, he left England and joined Herbert to work as a clerk in his company. Many years later, he took a stake in the company, sat in the third position, and lived a down-to-earth and peaceful life.

Eleven years later, Pip returns to his hometown to visit Joe and Beatty. At night, he returned to Miss Havisham's long-uninhabited, desolate and dilapidated manor, but unexpectedly met Estella.

It turned out that after Estella got married, she had been abused by her husband and tortured, and it was only after the unexpected death of Spider Mur that she was able to free herself from her painful life. Through the years and setbacks, Estella is no longer the cold and arrogant girl, she has become very mature.

The two sat on a bench under the moon, confided in each other their experiences and feelings over the years, and agreed to forget the pain of the past and reconcile. Pip takes Estella's hand and walks with her out of the ruins. He knew that from now on, they would never be separated again.

A journey of growth and self-discovery

Okay, at this point, we've almost introduced the book "Great Expectations". This novel is one of the masterpieces of British writer Charles Dickens, and the story revolves around the growth and experience of the protagonist Pip, describing his mental journey from a poor orphan to a young man who pursues a superior life.

Pip was raised by his older sister and gentle brother-in-law, Joe. One day, Pip meets Magwich, a fugitive prisoner, at the church's cemetery and helps him.

Later, Pip is invited to his home by the wealthy and eccentric Miss Havisham, where he meets the beautiful but cold Estella. Pip falls in love with Estella and begins to resent her humble origins, hoping to become a superior person worthy of Estella.

A few years later, Pip was suddenly blessed with the help of an anonymous benefactor who provided him with living expenses to travel to London to live a life as a member of the Upper Class. Pip mistakes his benefactor for Miss Havisham, and he excitedly travels to London to get an education, live a life of luxury, and gradually distances himself from Joe.

A few years later, Pip's true benefactor is revealed: it is Magwich, who made a fortune after being exiled and financed Pip's "great future" out of gratitude. Shocked and desperate, Pip finally realizes how fragile a future built on the bounty of others is.

Later, Pip and his friends helped Magwitch escape from England, but the plan failed and Magwärche was re-arrested and died in prison. After these setbacks, Pip re-examines his life values. He started over and lived an ordinary but real life.

Great Expectations is not only the pinnacle of Dickens's literary creation, but also a classic of growth and self-discovery. The novel explores themes such as vanity and disillusionment in the pursuit of wealth and social status, the awakening of true love and morality in the process of personal growth, and the self-reflection gained through difficult experiences. It emphasizes that true happiness comes from sincerity and good character, rather than external material and status.