Chapter threeA New beginning
My journey to London was a very pleasant one. Even though the trip took five hours, the time went by very quickly.1 It was just after twelve o’clock in the afternoon when I finally arrived.
The driver of the coach took me to Mr. Jaggers’ office. It was not quite what I had expected.2 The building was rather old and gray-looking.
I went into the office and asked the clerk, “I have come to see Mr. Jaggers.”
The clerk replied, “He is in court at the moment.3 Are you Mr. Pip?”
“Yes, I am,” I said.
“We have been waiting for you to arrive. Mr. Jaggers told me to take you to your new home if you arrived while he was away,” the clerk told me.4
He then got his coat and hat and we left the building.
Check up
Mr. Jaggers was in _____________ when Pip arrived in London.
a. hospital
b. court
c. office
Key Words
journey (n): chuyến đi
go by: trôi qua
quite (adv): hoàn toàn
expect (v): mong đợi
clerk (n): thư ký
gray-looking (adj): có màu nâu
court (n): tòa án
at the moment: lúc này, hiện giờ
Key Sentences
1 Even though the trip took five hours, the time went by very quickly.
2 It was not quite what I had expected.
3 He is in court at the moment.
4 “Mr. Jaggers told me to take you to your new home if you arrived while he was away,” the clerk told me.
He took me to a very nice little house. On the mail box, I could see the name, “Mr. Pocket, Junior.”
“This is it. You can just go in and wait in the living room,”1 he said.
I went up the front stairs and entered the house. I went into the living room and not long after, I heard someone walking up the steps.2 A young man a little older than me entered the room. He was carrying some grocery bags.
He looked at me and asked, “Are you Mr. Pip?”
“Yes, I am,” I replied. “Are you Mr. Herbert Pocket?”
We looked into each other’s faces. He looked very familiar to me.
“We’ve met before,” he told me. “You’re the boy I fought and who knocked me to the ground in Miss Havisham’s courtyard.”3
I remembered now and said, “Yes, of course!” We both laughed.
“I heard about your good news,” Herbert told me. “I still remember so clearly when we first met. Like you, I had been invited to play with Estella.4 But Miss Havisham didn’t like me. It turned out that she liked you more.5 It was actually good because she’s a nightmare.”
Check up
What happened when Pip and Herbert first met?
_________________
Key Words & Sentences
Junior (adj): con, em (ghi sau tên, họ người để chỉ người nhỏ hơn có cùng tên)
not long after: không lâu sau đó
steps (n): những bậc cầu thang
grocery (n): tạp hóa, thực phẩm
familiar (adj): quen thuộc
knock A to the ground: đánh ngã A
clearly (adv): rõ
turn out: hóa ra
actually (adv): thật sự
nightmare (n): ác mộng
1 You can just go in and wait in the living room.
2 I went into the living room and not long after, I heard someone walking up the steps.
3 You’re the boy I fought and who knocked me to the ground in Miss Havisham’s courtyard.
4 Like you, I had been invited to play with Estella.
5 It turned out that she liked you more.
“Who do you mean? Miss Havisham?” I asked, confused.
“No, no! Estella. Miss Havisham taught her to hate men,”1 he said. “Do you know the story about Miss Havisham?”
“No,” I replied.
“I’ll tell you later over dinner,” Herbert promised.
For the rest of the afternoon, I settled into my new room.2 Dinner time came and just as he had promised, Herbert told me about Miss Havisham.
“Miss Havisham’s father was a very rich man. He was married twice and with his first wife, he had a daughter, Miss Havisham, and with the second wife, he had a son. The son was a terrible person and so Mr. Havisham gave most of his money to Miss Havisham.3
Miss Havisham’s half-brother was extremely jealous. He asked a friend to pretend to fall in love with her and ask her to marry him.4 She agreed and prepared everything for the wedding. However, he never showed up for the wedding. Instead, she received a letter from him saying that he would never marry her.”
Then I said, “That must be why all of her clocks have stopped at twenty minutes to nine.5 She must have received the letter at that time.”
“Yes, that’s right,” agreed Herbert. “She stopped all of the clocks just then and never went out of the house again.”
“Well, do you know how Estella came to live with Miss Havisham?” I asked him.
“I have no idea,” he replied.
Check up
Why did Miss Havisham’s half-brother arrange to have her heart broken?
a. He didn’t like the way she treated him.
b. He was jealous that she got all the money from their father.
c. He thought it would be funny.
Key Words & Sentences
mean (v): muốn nói
confused (adj): bối rối, không hiểu
settle (v): làm cho ổn thỏa, đâu vào đấy
(settle into: thích ứng với)
half-brother (n): anh (em) cùng cha khác mẹ
extremely (adv): cực kỳ, vô cùng
jealous (adj): ghen tỵ, đố kỵ
pretend + to V (v): giả vờ
show up: xuất hiện, đến
come to (v): đến
1 Miss Havisham taught her to hate men.
2 For the rest of the afternoon, I settled into my new room.
3 The son was a terrible person and so Mr. Havisham gave most of his money to Miss Havisham.
4 He asked a friend to pretend to fall in love with her and ask her to marry him.
5 That must be why all of her clocks have stopped at twenty minutes to nine.
Later, I went to bed and awoke to a bright new morning.1 The next day, Herbert’s father started teaching me to become a gentleman. He was a wonderful teacher and he gave me so many books to read.
I read adventure and mystery stories as well as essays, comedies and even plays. We often went shopping together and he helped me to develop a good sense of style.2 He taught me how to dress and how to behave at parties. Herbert was a wonderful teacher too. He taught me table manners and he was always a great example for me to follow.3
I was not the only person Mr. Pocket was teaching.4There were two other students. One student was named Startop. We became very good friends. I found him to be very warm and friendly and we often went rowing together.5 The other student was named Bentley Drummle. I did not like him at all and neither did Startop. He had a very mean personality and was very proud and lazy.
Check up
Fill in the blanks with the adjectives that describe each person.
[ friendly proud warm lazy ]
Startop is ____________ and ____________.
Drummle is ____________ and ____________.
Key Words & Sentences
bright (adj): tốt đẹp, vui
mystery (n): điều bí ẩn
as well as: cũng như
comedy (n): truyện hài
play (n): vở kịch
develop (v): hình thành
behave (v): cư xử
table manners: phép tắc ăn uống
go rowing: đi chèo thuyền
(row: sự chèo thuyền)
personality (n): phẩm chất, nhân cách
1 Later, I went to bed and awoke to a bright new morning.
2 We often went shopping together and he helped me to develop a good sense of style.
3 He taught me table manners and he was always a great example for me to follow.
4 I was not the only person Mr. Pocket was teaching.
5 I found him to be very warm and friendly and we often went rowing together.
One day, Mr. Jaggers invited my fellow students and me for dinner.
Startop, Drummle, and I met at Jaggers’s house and Mr. Jaggers kindly took us into his dining room.1
Mr. Jaggers asked, “Who are these fine men with you this evening, Pip?”
I introduced Startop and Drummle. I was very surprised because Mr. Jaggers seemed to like Drummle very much.2
We all sat down to dinner and the first course was served by a woman who looked about forty years old.3 She was very quiet and did her work very efficiently. I didn’t know what it was but something seemed very familiar about her.4 Each time she came in with a new course, I closely watched her. I wanted to know why she seemed so familiar to me.
The dinner finally came to an end. During the dinner, Mr. Jaggers and Drummle had had a great deal of conversation.
Mr. Jaggers said, “Mr. Drummle, I drink to you. You will be very successful in life.” I and Startop were astounded at this. Mr. Jaggers was a very smart man but he had been fooled by Drummle.5 Unfortunately, Mr. Jaggers would not be the only one.
Check up
Why were Pip and Startop surprised at Mr. Jagger’s dinner?
a. They had never eaten such good food before.
b. Mr. Jaggers seemed to like Drummle.
c. Drummle played a trick on Mr. Jaggers.
Key Words & Sentences
fellow (adj): cùng, chung (lớp)
dinning room (n): phòng ăn
course (n): món ăn (đưa lần lượt)
serve (v): phục vụ
efficiently (adv): thành thạo
closely (adv): gần
a great deal of: nhiều
drink to + something/someone:
nâng cốc (chúc sức khỏe)
astounded (adj): ngạc nhiên
fool (v): đánh lừa
1 Startop, Drummle, and I met at Jaggers’s house and Mr. Jaggers kindly took us into his dining room.
2 I was very surprised because Mr. Jaggers seemed to like Drummle very much.
3 We all sat down to dinner and the first course was served by a woman who looked about forty years old.
4 I didn’t know what it was but something seemed very familiar about her.
5 Mr. Jaggers was a very smart man but he had been fooled by Drummle.
My life passed by very pleasantly in London. I learned a great deal and spent my days trying to improve myself more and more.1 One day, I received a letter from Biddy. It read,
Dear Mr. Pip,
Mr. Gargery asked me to write to you. He plans to go to London and he would like to see you. He will visit you tomorrow morning at nine o’clock.
P. S. Even though you are now a refined gentleman, please see Mr. Gargery.2
He is such a kind and gentle man and so are you.
Biddy
Even though it was good news that Joe was coming to London, I did not want to see him. I still cared very much for him but he did not fit into my life anymore.3 If I could have prevented him from coming to the house, I would have.4 I felt guilty because I was not kind like Biddy said I was.
The next morning, I got up early to clean and get ready for Joe’s visit. Later in the morning, I heard him arrive. I could hear the sound of his heavy clumsy boots on the stairs.5 I met him at the front door and showed him in.
“Joe, it’s good to see you. How are you?” I asked him.
“Pip, how are you?” he replied.
Check up
What does Biddy think of Pip?
a. She thinks he is ungrateful.
b. She thinks he is kind and gentle.
c. She thinks he looks like Joe.
Key Words & Sentences
pass by: trôi qua
pleasantly (adv): vui vẻ, dễ chịu
a great deal: nhiều
improve (v): trau dồi, hoàn thiện
P.S (= postscript) (n): tái bút (trong thư)
refined (adj): có học thức, lịch lãm
care for: quan tâm đến
fit into: hòa nhập với, phù hợp với
prevent A from +V-ing: ngăn A làm gì
get ready: sẵn sàng
show A in: đưa A vào, dẫn A vào
1 I learned a great deal and spent my days trying to improve myself more and more.
2 Even though you are now a refined gentleman, please see Mr. Gargery.
3 I still cared very much for him but he did not fit into my life anymore.
4 If I could have prevented him from coming to the house, I would have.
5 I could hear the sound of his heavy clumsy boots on the stairs.
Joe put his hat on the floor and took both of my hands in his and shook them for the longest time.1For a moment I didn’t think that he was going to let go.2
“It’s so good to see you, Joe. Give me your hat,” I said. Joe felt very awkward in the house and he didn’t want to give me his hat. He picked his hat up off the floor and held it very tightly in his hands.3
“You’ve changed so much,” he said. “You’ve grown into a fine young man that this country should be proud of.”4
I felt very uncomfortable. When I introduced him to Herbert, Herbert tried to shake his hand. Joe backed away. He certainly wasn’t behaving like the Joe I once knew.5
Joe bowed his head.
“Would you like some tea or coffee, Mr. Gargery?” Herbert asked.
“Thank you, sir,” Joe said uncomfortably. “I will have whatever you are having.”
Herbert suggested, “Let’s have some coffee, then.”
Joe did not like coffee and so he said, “Isn’t coffee a bit bitter?”
“Then we shall have some tea,” Herbert kindly said. We all sat down to breakfast and Herbert poured the tea. We spoke, very stiffly, to one another for a while and then Herbert left for work.6 I felt relieved when he left and so did Joe.
Check up
How did Joe act when he was with Pip and Herbert?
________________
Key Words & Sentences
let go (= release): thả ra
awkward (adj): lúng túng, ngại ngùng
tightly (adj): chặt
uncomfortable (adj): không thoải mái
back away: lùi lại
bow (v): gật đầu
bitter (adj): đắng
pour (v): rót
stiffly (adv): không thân mật,
thiếu tự nhiên
relieved (adj): bớt căng thẳng, bình tĩnh trở lại
1 Joe put his hat on the floor and took both of my hands in his and shook them for the longest time.
2 For a moment I didn’t think that he was going to let go.
3 He picked his hat up off the floor and held it very tightly in his hands.
4 You’ve grown into a fine young man that this country should be proud of.
5 He certainly wasn’t behaving like the Joe I once knew.
6 We spoke, very stiffly, to one another for a while and then Herbert left for work.
“Now that we are alone, sir,” Joe started.
I interrupted by saying, “How can you call me sir?1You are like a father to me.”
Joe looked at me nervously and started talking again.
“Now that we are alone, I want to tell you that I have a message from Miss Havisham.”2
“From Miss Havisham?” I asked in surprise.
“Yes, Estella is home and will be happy if you visit.”
I felt my face burn. If I had known Joe had this message for me, I would have been kinder to him.3
Joe now stood up and prepared to leave.
“You are doing well, Pip, and I wish you nothing but the best.4 I hope you prosper here in London.”
“Where are you going now? Aren’t you going to return for dinner?” I asked him.
“Pip, I should return home. We live different lives now. You are very comfortable living this life but it doesn’t suit me.5 I belong in the country as a blacksmith. I feel very awkward here in London. God bless you, Pip.”
Joe put his hat on, said good-bye, and left.
Check up
What message did Joe have for Pip?
a. That Estella wanted him to visit her in Europe.
b. That Pip’s sister had died.
c. That Estella was back and wanted Pip to visit her.
Key Words & Sentences
now that: bây giờ thì
in surprise: một cách ngạc nhiên
nothing but: không có gì ngoại trừ
prosper (v): thành công
suit (v): thích hợp
God bless you: Chúa phù hộ bạn
1 I interrupted by saying, “How can you call me sir?”
2 Now that we are alone, I want to tell you that I have a message from Miss Havisham.
3 If I had known Joe had this message for me, I would have been kinder to him.
4 You are doing well, Pip, and I wish you nothing but the best.
5 You are very comfortable living this life but it doesn’t suit me.
Understanding the Story
In this story, Pip and Biddy are all orphans. Let’s find out about the social environment in which orphans became the main characters of stories.
Orphans in the Victorian Age
Orphans were very common during the time Dickens wrote “The Great Expectations.” Life was more dangerous then, with unsafe working conditions and primitive medical techniques. In addition, families were very large with usually eight or more children. These factors contributed to the numbers of orphans who roamed the streets of London. If an orphan was from a rich family, relatives or inherited money made their life easier. However, the majority of orphans were from poor families and their lives became hell.
Dickens himself had to work in a factory at a very young age to support his brothers and sisters because his father was frequently in prison. Many orphanages were built to house, feed and educate poor orphans. Unfortunately, many of the adults who managed these places were not nice people. It was not easy being an orphan then. Most of Dickens’ stories show the hard life orphans had during these times. Readers felt pity for these characters and remembered their stories well.
primitive (adj): thô sơ, sơ sài
in addition: thêm vào đó
factor (n): yếu tố
contribute (v): góp phần
roam (v): lang thang
hell (n): địa ngục
support (v): phụ giúp
frequently (adv): thường xuyên
house (v): làm chỗ ở cho
feed (v): nuôi nấng
pity (n): lòng thương cảm, lòng trắc ẩn