Sunday, June 8, 2014

What did the convict say and do to frighten Pip?

When the convict comes up to Pip in the graveyard at the beginning of the novel Great Expectations, he greatly frightens the boy. The convict had a motive behind his actions—first to ensure that Pip wouldn't sell him out or try to apprehend him in any way and then to frighten him into giving him food and a file to get his chains off his leg.
The first thing the convict does is grab Pip by the chin and force his head up, which made Pip fear that he would slit the boy's throat. Then, the man lifts and flips Pip to empty his pockets and take anything of use or value. Finally, the man comments on how fat Pip's face is (implying that he is well fed) and comments that he could eat the boy's cheeks, which deeply frightens Pip. The man, of course, does not eat Pip's face.

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