Who’s who in Great Expectations, the 1861 novel by Charles Dickens, with a guide to every character in our retelling for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.
Great Expectations has a big, memorable cast, and the eight people below are at the heart of it. In the village by the marshes there is Pip, the orphan boy who tells the story; Joe, the gentle blacksmith who loves him; and clever Biddy. At Satis House there are Miss Havisham, who still wears her wedding dress, and proud Estella. And between the marshes and London there are Abel Magwitch, the convict Pip helps; Mr. Jaggers, the stern lawyer; and Herbert Pocket, Pip’s sunny best friend.
For parents and teachers, the characters are a wonderful way to talk about kindness, gratitude, pride and saying sorry. Pip is ashamed of the people who love him most, and he learns to be grateful. Magwitch looks frightening but has the most loyal heart in the book. Miss Havisham shows what happens when we cannot let go of a hurt. Use the guides below to see each character’s part in Charles Dickens’s original novel, and to find questions to ask your child after reading.
An orphan boy • Eager and dreaming
Pip is an orphan boy growing up beside the misty Kent marshes, raised by his sharp-tempered older sister and her kind husband, Joe the blacksmith. A frightening meeting with a convict in the churchyard, and visits to a strange old lady’s house, set him dreaming of becoming a gentleman. The story follows him from a small boy to a grown man as he learns what really makes a person good.
Full character guide
The village blacksmith • Gentle and true
Joe Gargery is the village blacksmith, married to Pip’s older sister. He is huge and strong, slow to speak and the gentlest person in the book. He treats Pip as a friend and an equal from the start, and he loves him just the same whether Pip is a poor apprentice or a fine gentleman.
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A proud young lady • Guarded and graceful
Estella is the proud, beautiful girl brought up by Miss Havisham at Satis House. She has been taught to be cold to everyone, especially boys, and she makes young Pip cry with her scorn. Yet in her own way she is honest with Pip, and she warns him more than once not to love her.
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The lady of Satis House • Brokenhearted recluse
Miss Havisham is a rich, strange lady who lives shut away in Satis House, a gloomy old mansion near Pip’s village. Long ago she was abandoned on her wedding day, and ever since she has worn her yellowed wedding dress, kept the clocks stopped and left the wedding cake to crumble on the table.
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A runaway convict • Grateful and loyal
Abel Magwitch is the escaped convict who leaps out at Pip in the churchyard on Christmas Eve, soaked, starving and dragging an iron on his leg. He looks terrifying and growls dreadful threats, but he never forgets the small boy who brought him food. His gratitude ends up shaping Pip’s whole life.
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A village friend • Clever and kind
Biddy is an orphan girl from Pip’s village who helps at the little evening school and later keeps house at the forge. Clever, patient and plain-spoken, she teaches Pip everything she knows. She always tells him the truth, but she tells it kindly.
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Pip’s city roommate • Loyal and sunny
Herbert Pocket is the cheerful young man Pip lives with in London. His father, Matthew Pocket, is a relation of Miss Havisham and becomes Pip’s tutor. Herbert has little money but endless hope, and he teaches Pip city manners so kindly that Pip never feels foolish.
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The London lawyer • Sharp and stern
Mr. Jaggers is a powerful London lawyer with a large head, bushy eyebrows and a habit of biting his great forefinger. He knows everyone’s secrets and gives nothing away. It is Jaggers who brings Pip the news of his great expectations and looks after his money.
Full character guide