Her relationships are symbiotic, as we discussed in class. Her relatives try to feed off her wealth, and she feeds off their envy and subservience. The feeding relationship is symbolized by the mice, which eat the bridal cake and which she claims have gnawed at her heart.
She even imagines herself laid out on the table for their consumption after her death. Miss Havisham feeds off both Estella and Pip to achieve her own ends. The feeding or attempting to feed off of others for self-gratification is one manifestation of the dehumanization or depersonalization that runs through the novel; repeatedly characters use others as objects, to enhance their own prestige and self-image, like Pumblechook constantly taking credit and Mrs.
Joe raising Pip "by hand. Depersonalizing human beings by using them as objects is such a heinous moral transgression that it is identified as a crime.
Pip calls Pumblechook "that basest of swindlers"; taking credit for events to which he has no connection, he takes Pip "into custody, with a right of patronage that left all his former criminality far behind" page Because of its dehumanizing emphasis on wealth and status, society itself is implicitly accused of criminality.
As the cruelties and destructive consequences of society's values reveal themselves, society is condemned as criminal. Miss Havisham encourages Estella to entrap Pip and break his heart, for practice. Estella complies, and they play a card game, Beggar My Neighbor. Later, Miss Havisham explicitly urges Pip to love Estella:. Though Pip is aware that the love she refers to sounds like hate, despair, revenge, and death, a curse rather than a blessing, he perseveres in his attachment for Estella.
His attachment had and continues to have adverse effects on him. Pip, both in his dream of having great expectations to win Estella and in the realization of those expectations, is passive; he waits for others and for events to act upon him and give him direction, meaning, and purpose.
He wishes to become a gentleman because he is unhappy with his status, and his desire to be a gentleman makes him unhappy. His feelings about Joe and home make him feel guilty. Once he is made a gentleman, he becomes a snob and leads a futile, empty life.
Never in Estella's presence is he happy, as he well knows, yet he dreams of being happy with her in some future, when Miss Havisham will bestow her upon him. That Miss Havisham, as well as Estella, is guilty of manipulating Pip is obvious; is he also guilty of the same offense? Miss Havisham's effect on Estella is equally unhappy. Surrounded by Miss Havisham's conniving relatives and impressed by her example and teachings, Estella is an emotionally abused child.
He knows that Estella does not love him but this does not affect his determination to one day call her his. Although Pip is aware that Estella is not emotionally interested in him he goes on believing that she will change her mind. Then, I thought, if she were, as I feared, by no means rapturously grateful for that destiny yet, when would she begin to be interested in me? When should I awaken the heart within her that was mute and sleeping now?
And, even if she does not this would not be reason enough for Pip to drop his plans of a future life with her for, as I am going to show later on in this essay, in those moments when Pip allows himself to be honest to himself he is well aware that his love for Estella can only end in tears. Like Estella, Pip grows up in a place where he is often not allowed to act as a child. Living with his extremely dominant and irascible sister and his kind but submissive brother-in-law, he longs for a warm home, to shelter and protect him from a dangerous and unforgiving world.
Great Expectations. Introduction: Margaret Cardwell. In: Critical Essays on Great Expectations. M H Martina Hrubes Author. Add to cart. Table of Contents 1. Introduction Main Part 2. The significance of the two endings 5. Conclusion 6. Bibliography 1. Sign in to write a comment. Read the ebook. His opulence in possessions gives others around him in London the impression that he is a gentleman of high status. Since Pip is unsure of an affluent identity, he attempts to prove it usng his fortune, which demonstrates dissatisfaction of self.
Accessed November 12, Download paper. Essay, Pages 8 words. Don't use plagiarized sources. Get your custom essay on. Get quality help now. Verified writer. Deadline: 10 days left.
Number of pages. Email Invalid email. Related Essays. A Victim or a Villain? This is just a sample. You can get a custom paper by one of our expert writers. Stay Safe, Stay Original. Not Finding What You Need? Copying content is not allowed on this website. Give us your email and we'll send you the essay you need. Send me the sample. By clicking Send Me The Sample you agree to the terms and conditions of our service. We'll not send you spam or irrelevant messages.
0コメント