Great Expectations, Chapter 39 summary

What happens

1. Alone during Herbert’s absence, Pip reads in his Temple rooms while a violent storm rages outside.
2. An elderly visitor arrives, and Pip recognizes the convict he once helps on the marshes.
3. The convict rejects repayment and reveals that his earnings provide Pip’s fortune through Mr. Jaggers.
4. Pip recoils as the convict celebrates making him a gentleman and describes his years of work abroad.
5. Learning that the convict faces hanging for returning, Pip secures the rooms and gives him Herbert’s bed.
6. Pip mourns his broken hopes, regrets abandoning Joe, and locks the sleeping convict inside before falling asleep near the fire.

In this chapter

What to notice

The declaration identifies the true source of Pip’s fortune. The convict celebrates their connection while Pip experiences it as the collapse of his hopes.

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