What happens in Chapter XXXVII of Great Expectations?
Pip visits Wemmick's Castle on a Sunday afternoon and notices the Union Jack flying with the drawbridge raised. The Aged lets him in and engages him in friendly conversation until Wemmick returns from his walk with Miss Skiffins — a woman with a stiff demeanor, dressed in an orange gown and green gloves, who works at the post office like Wemmick. Wemmick proudly shows off his clever mechanical name-plates by the chimney that announce visitors to the Aged. During the tour, Pip mentions his desire to quietly help Herbert Pocket — aiming to support him toward a small partnership without Herbert knowing — and asks Wemmick for advice. Wemmick is eager to help, noting that Miss Skiffins's brother is an accountant and agent. The evening continues with a hearty tea, where the Aged reads the newspaper aloud while Wemmick repeatedly tries and fails to put his arm around Miss Skiffins's waist, only to have it gently removed each time. After enjoying warm drinks, Pip heads home. In the following weeks, Wemmick and Miss Skiffins's brother discreetly arrange for Herbert to join a young merchant named Clarriker, with Pip covering half of his five hundred pounds down and managing various other payments. Herbert remains oblivious to Pip's involvement, and his excitement about the opportunity brings Pip to tears. The chapter concludes with Pip stating that a significant turning point in his life is approaching, but first, he must dedicate a chapter to Estella.
Analysis
This chapter contrasts two very different worlds: the cozy and whimsical home life of Walworth and the cold, business-like atmosphere of Little Britain. The Castle is portrayed with a sense of humorous affection; the mechanical name-plates, the drawbridge routine, the Aged's hay-stack of toast, and the near-disaster with candles all create a tone of gentle absurdity that softens the chapter's more serious emotional undercurrents.
At the heart of the chapter is the moment when Wemmick's arm gradually creeps around Miss Skiffins, only to be carefully moved back to the table, a scene that plays out twice. Dickens presents this as a kind of comic pantomime—"straying from the path of virtue and being recalled to it"—which reflects the broader theme of restrained emotions finding indirect ways to express themselves. Just as Wemmick can only show his kinder side at Walworth, his courtship unfolds through stolen, silent gestures.
The narrative stays firmly in Pip's first-person viewpoint, showcasing his self-deprecating warmth: he nods at the Aged "as Wemmick himself might have nodded," mimics surprise, and confesses he can't imagine entertaining the old man nearly as well. The chapter ends on a rare note of unguarded feeling, with Pip crying in bed over Herbert's happiness, adding a quietly poignant depth to the comic domestic scenes.
Key quotes from Chapter XXXVII
““Ecod,” replied Wemmick, shaking his head, “that’s not my trade.””
Wemmick's response when Pip asks him to 'help me to be good,' drawing the line between his professional and private selves.
“Taking the table to represent the path of virtue, I am justified in stating that during the whole time of the Aged’s reading, Wemmick’s arm was straying from the path of virtue and being recalled to it by Miss Skiffins.”
Pip's comic narration of Wemmick's repeated attempts to place his arm around Miss Skiffins while the Aged reads the newspaper.
“I did really cry in good earnest when I went to bed, to think that my expectations had done some good to somebody.”
Pip's private emotional response after Herbert enters Clarriker's House and speaks to him all evening in happiness.
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