Playing Cards

Playing Cars
-Blog Post 1-
Topic G
April 17, 2015
by Anna Hoffman

In Great Expectations by Charles Dickens the symbol of playing cards shows up a couple of times in the text. When Pip goes to visit Miss Havisham’s manor, he is very confused and feels out of place. Miss Havisham forces Pip to play a game with Estella, and Pip chooses the game “Beggar My Neighbor” in this game the way you win is to have a card that has a higher denomination (58). This is symbolic because Pip is of a low class and Estella and Miss Havisham are considered high class. During their time together, Estella comments on Pip’s class ranking, and it makes Pip feel uncomfortable and he feels defeated. Estella makes comments on Pip’s appearances such as his “coarse hands” and his “thick boots,” which are signs of someone who has to do manual labor (59). She is having fun making Pip feel as low as possible and she makes a game out of this. Because Estella is of a higher class, or in playing card terms, of “higher denomination”, she feels like she will always win. The game continues but when Pip feels like giving up, Miss Havisham tells him, “play the game out” (60). In this particular quote there is some hidden meaning. I am predicting that Pip will run into a few more problems and will want to run away from him. But this will remind him that he needs to stay and finish the game, because no one is ever certain who will win in the beginning. There is always a chance for a game changing event.