He is a famous, feared London lawyer. He handles Pip’s money and acts for both Miss Havisham and Pip’s secret benefactor.

Why does Mr. Jaggers wash his hands so much?

He scrubs them with scented soap after seeing clients, as if washing off their crimes and troubles. It is one of his odd habits.

Does Mr. Jaggers know who Pip’s benefactor is?

Yes, from the start. But he is bound to keep the secret, and he never tells Pip until Magwitch reveals himself.

From Great Expectations

Mr. Jaggers

The London lawyer • Sharp and stern

A famous London lawyer with piercing eyes and scented soap, who keeps everyone’s secrets to himself.

Who is Mr. Jaggers?

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.

Mr. Jaggers is a character in Great Expectations, the 1861 novel by Charles Dickens, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.

What is Mr. Jaggers like?

sharp
stern
secretive

Mr. Jaggers’s story

Pip first meets Mr. Jaggers on the stairs at Satis House, where the lawyer looks him over and tells him to behave himself. Years later he turns up at the village inn and then at the forge, where he announces that Pip is to be made a gentleman. There are conditions: Pip must keep the name Pip, and he must never try to find out who his benefactor is.

In London, Jaggers works from a dark office in Little Britain, with his clerk Wemmick. Everyone is afraid of him, and after seeing his clients he washes his hands with scented soap, as if washing them away. He pays Pip’s allowance and, when Pip turns twenty-one, gives him five hundred pounds a year. He never tells Pip that Miss Havisham is his patron, but he never corrects him either.

When Magwitch returns, Jaggers confirms that he is the benefactor, while carefully avoiding knowing anything that might get him in trouble. Pip later works out that Jaggers’s quiet housekeeper, Molly, is Estella’s mother. Jaggers once defended Molly in court and brought her baby girl to Miss Havisham, hoping to give the child a better life.

“Now, I return to this young fellow. And the communication I have got to make is, that he has great expectations.”

Mr. Jaggers, announcing Pip’s fortune to Pip and Joe. From the original 1861 novel by Charles Dickens.

A moment to remember

Standing by Joe’s fire, Mr. Jaggers announces that Pip has great expectations, and Joe and Pip can only gasp and stare at each other.

Pip: young man whose fortune he manages
Abel Magwitch: secret client
Miss Havisham: client at Satis House
Estella: girl he brought to Satis House

Talk about it

Mr. Jaggers only trusted facts he could prove. What is the difference between a fact and a guess? Can you think of a time you guessed wrong?

Questions about Mr. Jaggers

Who is Mr. Jaggers?: He is a famous, feared London lawyer. He handles Pip’s money and acts for both Miss Havisham and Pip’s secret benefactor.
Why does Mr. Jaggers wash his hands so much?: He scrubs them with scented soap after seeing clients, as if washing off their crimes and troubles. It is one of his odd habits.
Does Mr. Jaggers know who Pip’s benefactor is?: Yes, from the start. But he is bound to keep the secret, and he never tells Pip until Magwitch reveals himself.