Chapter 15 (Volume 1, Chapter 15) (Instalment 9):

Joe makes a point / Old Orlick and Mrs. Joe / An Intellectual Evening / Murderous attack on Mrs. Joe

Synopsis of Chapter 15 (Volume 1, Chapter 15) (Instalment 9)

Pip tries to pass on what he learns to Joe so that he will not be so embarrassingly ignorant, and more worthy of the ambitious Pip. Joe advises Pip not to visit Miss Havisham; he thinks it best not to mix with those who are out of reach socially. Pip reveals (to the reader, if not to Joe) that what he really wants is to see Estella. Joe agrees that a visit to thank Miss Havisham is acceptable.

The aggressive and jealous Orlick is introduced. He sees Pip as privileged, and Joe has to intervene in a quarrel between Orlick and Mrs. Joe. Pip goes to Satis House and is received by Miss Havisham, who enjoys his disappointment that Estella is away being educated ‘for a lady'. They meet Orlick on the way home, and find that Mrs. Joe has been attacked and seriously injured.

Commentary on Chapter 15 (Volume 1, Chapter 15) (Instalment 9)

like Cain or the Wandering Jew Cain was one of the sons of Adam and Eve; he murdered his brother Abel and became a wanderer (see Exodus 4:1-31.)The Wandering Jew is both a description of Cain and of the symbolic figure of the Jew wandering the world without a home after the expulsion of the Jews from Israel. The Wandering Jew is also seen as someone who insulted Christ on his way to be crucified and who was condemned to wander for ever as a punishment. The reference to murder here, in connection with Orlick, is ominous.

the Devil lived in a black corner of the forge Another ominous reference in connection with Orlick.

Investigating Chapter 15 (Volume 1, Chapter 15) (Instalment 9)

There are several phrases in brackets in this chapter
- What is their effect?
How would you describe Pip's relationship with Orlick?
Have you any thoughts about who might have attacked Mrs Joe?

English Standard Version
King James Version

¹Then Moses answered, But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, The Lord did not appear to you. ²The Lord said to him, What is that in your hand? He said, A staff. ³And he said, Throw it on the ground. So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. ⁴But the Lord said to Moses, Put out your hand and catch it by the tail - so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand - ⁵that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you. ⁶Again, the Lord said to him, Put your hand inside your cloak. And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. ⁷Then God said, Put your hand back inside your cloak. So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. ⁸If they will not believe you, God said, or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. ⁹If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground. ¹⁰But Moses said to the Lord, Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue. ¹¹Then the Lord said to him, Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹²Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak. ¹³But he said, Oh, my Lord, please send someone else. ¹⁴Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. ¹⁵You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. ¹⁶He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. ¹⁷And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs. ¹⁸Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. ¹⁹And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead. ²⁰So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand. ²¹And the Lord said to Moses, When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. ²²Then you shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, ²³and I say to you, Let my son go that he may serve me. If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son. ²⁴At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. ²⁵Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it and said, Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me! ²⁶So he let him alone. It was then that she said, A bridegroom of blood, because of the circumcision. ²⁷The Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. ²⁸And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him to speak, and all the signs that he had commanded him to do. ²⁹Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. ³⁰Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. ³¹And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.

¹And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. ²And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. ³And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. ⁴And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: ⁵That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. ⁶And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. ⁷And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. ⁸And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. ⁹And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land. ¹⁰And Moses said unto the LORD, O my LORD, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. ¹¹And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? ¹²Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. ¹³And he said, O my LORD, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. ¹⁴And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. ¹⁵And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. ¹⁶And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. ¹⁷And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs. ¹⁸And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. ¹⁹And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life. ²⁰And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand. ²¹And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. ²²And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: ²³And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. ²⁴And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. ²⁵Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. ²⁶So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision. ²⁷And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him. ²⁸And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him. ²⁹And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel: ³⁰And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. ³¹And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

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Great Expectations Contents

Chapter 15 (Volume 1, Chapter 15) (Instalment 9):

Synopsis of Chapter 15 (Volume 1, Chapter 15) (Instalment 9)

Commentary on Chapter 15 (Volume 1, Chapter 15) (Instalment 9)

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