What happens in Chapter XXXVI of Great Expectations?
Pip and Herbert have been anticipating this moment, hoping that Jaggers might finally provide some solid details about Pip's benefactor. During their meeting, Jaggers questions Pip about his spending habits, confirms that he is in debt, and then hands him a bank note for five hundred pounds — a gift "in earnest of your expectations." Pip discovers that he will receive one hundred and twenty-five pounds every quarter directly from Wemmick, continuing until the anonymous donor decides to reveal their identity. When Pip asks Jaggers when that might happen, Jaggers avoids the question, saying it would put him in a tough spot, and reiterates that his role will end once the benefactor comes forward. Pip privately concludes that Miss Havisham hasn’t shared her plans regarding Estella with Jaggers. Jaggers then agrees to Pip's invitation for dinner and steps away to wash his hands. Wemmick, in his professional capacity, strongly advises against investing "portable property" in a friend, comparing it to throwing money off one of London’s bridges. However, when Pip asks if Wemmick’s view changes at Walworth, Wemmick admits his feelings there are different from those in the office and invites Pip to visit him. The evening wraps up with Jaggers dining at Pip's chambers, leaving Pip and Herbert feeling both downcast and guilty.
Analysis
The chapter unfolds through a series of tightly controlled exchanges, each showcasing Jaggers's power over Pip by withholding rather than sharing information. Jaggers's questioning approach—quizzing Pip about his living situation while knowing he can't respond and predicting that Pip will downplay his debts—paints him as someone who knows the answers before asking the questions. The irony at the chapter's core lies in a birthday meant to reveal truths, which instead deepens the mystery: the five hundred pounds are referred to as being given "in earnest of your expectations," yet those expectations go unnamed.
The two "ghastly casts" on the shelf reappear as a comic-grotesque motif, their "stupid apoplectic attempt to attend to the conversation" and readiness to sneeze reflecting Pip's own mounting frustration. Jaggers's physical quirks—warming his legs, frowning at his boots, washing his hands—highlight his self-contained nature and reluctance to engage more deeply.
The chapter then shifts to the Wemmick scene, which starkly contrasts the "office" and "Walworth" as two conflicting moral landscapes. Wemmick's bridge-counting dialogue—mentioning six Thames bridges and suggesting Pip toss his money off one instead of lending it to a friend—delivers a darkly comic and succinct message. It concludes with Pip's realization that Jaggers creates an atmosphere of "guarded and suspicious" feelings, alongside Herbert's quip about feeling as if he had "committed a felony and forgotten the details of it"—a wry, poignant note that encapsulates the lawyer's stifling influence on those around him.
Key quotes from Chapter XXXVI
“that handsome sum of money, Pip, is your own. It is a present to you on this day, in earnest of your expectations.”
Jaggers explains the five-hundred-pound bank-note to Pip during their birthday meeting in his office.
“he thought he must have committed a felony and forgotten the details of it, he felt so dejected and guilty.”
Pip reports Herbert's remark about how he felt after Jaggers dined with them on Pip's birthday evening.
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