Great Expectations 11

• "The man who was pulling a lock of hair in the middle of his forehead, like the Bull in Cock Robin pulling the bell-rope." (p. 166)
  

Dickens alludes to the poem "Cock Robin" as Pip compares the bull in the poem to the man tugging at a lock of hair. In this poem, the death of Cock Robin is declared:

Who killed Cock Robin? I, said the sparrow With my bow and arrow I killed Cock Robin.

Numerous animals gather to prepare for Cock Robin's funeral when the Bull announces:

Who'll toll the bell? I, said the bull, Because I can pull, I'll toll the bell.

The image of the man pulling at a lock of his hair instantly reminds Pip of the Bull in this childish poem.

Work Cited:
"Notes on the Novel." Discovering Dickens. Web. 3 Jan. 2010. http://dickens.stanford.edu/archive/great/great_issue7gloss.htm.

Photo Credit:
Who Killed Cock Robin? Photograph. Mama Lisa's World. Web. 3 Jan. 2010. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mamalisa.com/images/mother_goose/cockrobin_gut.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.mamalisa.com.