Great Expectations Character Analysis

Estella is brought up in an abnormal childhood. Miss Havisham constantly teaches her to be brutal and harsh towards men and gives her bizarre and odd views of men and life. She is lectured and manipulated by Miss Havisham from the moment she can walk and grows to become an ‘emotionless robot’. As children, Estella plays “hard to get” and “too good for you” towards Pip who ends up falling for her. Estella, through her corrupted views of life, makes Pip eat off the ground and treats him like dirt.

In Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, Miss Havisham’s internal conflict shows readers that forgiveness is the only way to get through a heartbreak. Miss Havisham’s heart was broken when she was very young. Instead of forgiving her antagonist, she swore revenge on all men. To accomplish this, she raised the beautiful Estella to be cold and heartless. “‘What ?’ said Estella, ‘do you reproach me for being cold? You?’ ‘Are you not?’ was the fierce retort. ‘You should know,’ said Estella. I am what you have made me’” (Dickens 307).When she sees Pip relive her experience,, she has a change of heart. “‘Until you spoke to her the other day, and until I saw in you a looking-glass that showed me what I once felt myself, I did not know what I had done.

With a beautiful angelic face and a cold-heart Estella serves an important role as Pip’s love interest in the story. Although she is everything that Pip should never want in a friend, that doesn’t stop him from loving her. In the novel, Estella is an important character in both the literal and figurative

In the original ending of Great Expectations, there is no Chapter 59, and Dickens reunites Pip and Estella in four short paragraphs. Although this ending is generally referred to as the unhappy ending since Pip and Estella definitely part ways again, it does give the reader hope that Estella finally understands how she treated Pip. This is important because it ties Estella and Pip together by the fact that they are both able to feel remorse for the way they treated other people. In Estella's case, she mistreated Pip, but after suffering at the hands of Drummle, she is finally able to empathize with Pip. She understands what it is like to be under the control of another human being. Throughout the novel, it is Estella who has power over Pip and every other man she meets. However, during her marriage, Estella is subjected to "outrageous treatment" (440), physical abuse, from Drummle.

Miss Havisham also mocks the "angel in the house" in the way she raises Estella. Instead of teaching Estella to be loving and obedient, she teaches her coldness and hatred, planning to use her to seek revenge on all men. "With this boy? Why, he is a common labouring boy!" Estella says when Miss Havisham orders her to play cards with Pip. "Well! You can break his heart," Miss Havisham replies. She teases Pip by constantly pointing out Estella's

In Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations, the text shows the reader the grotesque side of love when Pip enters a metaphorical labyrinth in which he will never reach the end where Estella lies. Pip begins his journey at Satis House where Estella refuses to spend time with Pip because of his reputational standpoint on the social hierarchy. "'With this boy? Why, he is a common laboring boy,'" Estella says when Miss Havisham forces her to play cards with Pip, but this only makes Pip want to pursue her even more (Dickens 59). "'I have no softness there, no—sympathy—sentiment—nonsense,'" Estella says to Pip speaking of her heart (242). Estella tells Pip about her having no feelings in her heart for love or care, and it is all just "nonsense" to her. Pip found himself helpless because the love of his life just told him that she will never be able to love him or anybody

Miss Havisham and Estella are portrayed as cruel individuals who only desire to hurt others mentally. This can be easily seen when Pip meets them for the first time. However, they have self-sacrificed themselves in this book. It is unfortunate that Miss Havisham felt such great sorrow ever since her fiancé left her on their wedding day. After that day, she remained bitter and indifferent towards everyone and everything that happened around her. She self-sacrificed her life to

Upon meeting Miss Havisham, a well-known, wealthy lady who led a life of seclusion, and her beautiful adopted daughter, Estella, for the first time, Pip’s life changes forever. However, falling for the beautiful, admirable Estella only causes Pip suffering. While Pip and Estella play a game of cards at Miss Havisham’s request, Estella comments on Pip’s coarse hands and thick boots with great disdain. Pip does not reply to Estella’s remark, but instead provides an insight into his thoughts at her words, “I had never thought of being ashamed of my hands before; but I began to consider them a very indifferent pair. Her contempt for me was so strong that it became infectious, and I caught it.” (60). In this passage, Pip mentions that before hearing the words of Estella, he had never been shameful of his hands before. Although his hands and boots have always been a part of him, the contempt that Estella has towards these little things gives them a whole new meaning to Pip- their appearance has now become something to be ashamed of, “I took the opportunity of being alone in the courtyard to look at my coarse hands and common boots. My opinion of them was not favourable.”

I have no softness there, no, sympathy, sentiment, nonsense.” (Dickens 251) Miss Havisham should have given Estella the freedom to choose her lifestyle, instead of finding pleasure in watching Estella harm other people. Miss Havisham has influenced Estella's whole life, to the point of her obstructing Estella's marriage. Estella ends up marrying a horrible man, not because she is in love, but to punish all of her suitors. Miss Havisham has trained Estella to pass on her

In Great Expectations, throughout Pip’s childhood and adulthood, he develops expectations and conceptions of others around him. In addition to Mrs. Joe Gargery, there is another character who influences Pip’s decision to pursue a lavish lifestyle in London. Mrs. Havisham is a wealthy, unmarried woman who requests to see Pip several times throughout the novel. Estella, Miss Havisham’s adopted daughter who Pip falls in love with early on, degrades Pip for being part of a common family. She represents this degradation through several rude commands and statements. “ ‘With this boy! Why, he is a common labouring-boy’ ” (Dickens 61). After being devastated by Estella’s comments, Pip begins to question the way Joe, his brother-in-law and father

I think there is something to say when a woman of so much pride breaks down in front of Pip. It shows us that Miss Havisham is starting to understand what all really mattered. It was not breaking hearts through Estella; it was that she should have treated Estella in a way where she could love. She shouldn’t have pushed away Pip and Estella, and she should have been kinder to Pip. This is where I learned that Miss Havisham isn’t just a ‘Proper Lady’, she wanted to be kind, and I think she learned that being kind is much more important than revenge. When Pip says that although Miss Havisham has made mistakes, it is important to him that he forgives her, that also really made me reflect on why Miss Havisham did what she did. She wasn’t trying to hurt Estella or be rude to her, but trying to help her. Miss Havisham’s idea of ‘well being’ although different than others, makes her, well, her. She of course has her own morals, so when we judge her, we have to know what she was doing was for what she thought would be good for

In great expectations, the book is mainly about social class and how money can change you and the ones around you. It also talks about a young boy named Pip who ends up falling in love with Estella, who was raised by Miss Havisham. Estella's name actually comes from a Latin word called star. Which they are far from our reach and very pretty. This sets Pip on a romantic expectation with Estella. My critical response will examine how the Victorian Era in 1837-1901 and a Modern Day women in 2016 will interpret the texts differently.

Most readers are appalled at the cold-hearted and cruel ways of Estella, but any criticism directed at her is largely undeserved. She was simply raised in a controlled environment where she was, in essence, brainwashed by Miss Havisham. Nonetheless, her demeanor might lead one to suspect that she was a girl with a heart of ice. Estella is scornful from the moment she is introduced, when she remarks on Pip's coarse hands and thick boots. However, her beauty soon captivates Pip and she is instilled as the focal point of his thoughts for much of the remainder of the novel. The fact that Pip becomes infatuated with her is also not Estella's fault. By no means is there any evidence that she loved him. She does not flirt with

With her plan of revenge in mind, Miss Havisham deliberately raises Estella to avoid emotional attachment and treat those who love her with cruelty. A specific quote in the book, where Miss Havisham tells Pip that he must love Estella at all costs, sheds light on Miss Havisham's vengeful character. One can draw parallels from the life of Miss Havisham to the life that she

Estella also is a victim to her guardian in the novel. She too is never given the chance to be her own person and live life to its fullest. Estella is conditioned by her guardian, Miss Havisham, to make men suffer, and in return it is Estella who will be made to suffer for her guardian's actions. Miss Havisham is a severely disturbed old woman who has adopted Estella. Miss Havisham was abandoned on her wedding day and as a result she forever maintains hatred toward men. Thus for her dirty work, Miss Havisham uses Estella to meet this purpose. Pip concludes that Miss Havisham "had done a grievous thing in taking an impressionable child (Estella) and had manipulated into the form that her wild resentment, spurned affection, and wounded pride, found vengeance in". Miss Havisham makes Estella have a fear of men being close to her and not to allow herself to become attached to them emotionally. Dickens’ made Estella an almost identical copy of Frankenstein: trained to perform specific tasks for the pleasure of their guardian. However someday, they crack and see the illness in their lives. Estella was Miss Havisham’s toy. Estella never