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Uncle Pumblechook, a money-obsessed merchant, is Pip’s pompous and arrogant uncle. He is technically Joe’s uncle, but Pip and his sister both refer to him as “Uncle Pumblechook.” He plays an essential role in the novel’s unfolding plot, as he is the reason that Pip is called to Miss Havisham’s house in the first place. This initial meeting between Pip and Miss Havisham sets off a chain of events, including but not limited to Pip falling in love with Estella, Pip meeting Herbert for the first time, and the discovery of various secret identities and mysteries.
Uncle Pumblechook is also significant because his character allows for the introduction of key themes such as greed, ambition, and socioeconomic mobility, which will persist throughout the text. Uncle Pumblechook, along with Mrs. Joe, is thrilled that Miss Havisham has taken an interest in Pip because he thinks that Miss Havisham intends to raise him into wealth and a higher social class. His greedy ambitions infect Pip’s young and impressionable mind until he, too, believes that greatness is in his future. This sets Pip on a dangerous path full of ideas about social advancement that he will spend the next fifty chapters unlearning.
Unfortunately, Uncle Pumblechook never has Pip’s epiphany that loyalty and human affection are more important than social standing and money. He remains steadfast in his arrogance and greed, even going so far as to repeatedly and publicly take credit for Pip’s success. His stagnation can be effectively contrasted with Pip’s development; Pip, in the end, is able to overcome the greed that consumed his uncle.
