Estella Havisham Character Analysis in Great Expectations

The adopted daughter of Miss Havisham, Estella is proud, refined, beautiful, and cold, raised by Miss Havisham to wreak revenge on the male sex. Though her beauty and elegance attract countless suitors (including Pip), Miss Havisham has raised her to lack a true human heart and she is unable to love.

Estella Havisham Quotes in Great Expectations

The Great Expectations quotes below are all either spoken by Estella Havisham or refer to Estella Havisham. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

…my young mind was in that disturbed and unthankful state that I thought long after I laid me down, how common Estella would consider Joe, a mere blacksmith: how thick his boots, and how coarse his hands. I thought how Joe and my sister were then sitting in the kitchen, and how Miss Havisham and Estella never sat in a kitchen, but were far above the level of such common things.

Related Characters: Pip Pirrip (speaker), Joe Gargery, Miss Havisham, Mrs. Joe Gargery, Estella Havisham

Page Number and Citation: 55

Explanation and Analysis:

After his conversation with Joe, Pip becomes perturbed at how Miss Havisham and Estella would think of his pseudo-father. Instead of heeding Joe’s advice, he is consumed by anxiety about social class and how others may interpret Joe’s behaviors. This passage shows how Pip is becoming increasingly aware of and unhappy about his social status. He focuses on specific signifiers of that status—“how thick his boots, and how coarse his hands”—that would allow Estella to observe that Joe performs physical labor for a living. Similarly, he notes that certain spaces, such as a kitchen, as only inhabited by members of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut.

I wanted to make Joe less ignorant and common, that he might be worthier of my society and less open to Estella's reproach.

Related Characters: Pip Pirrip (speaker), Joe Gargery, Estella Havisham

Page Number and Citation: 84

Explanation and Analysis:

Pip begins to give Joe weekly lessons. While they might seem to come from a spirit of goodwill, he explains here that they are partially selfish: an effort to be less embarrassed by Joe in front of Estella. Pip here adopts an increasingly judgmental and patronizing tone. He describes Joe as “ignorant and common” and positions himself as a kind educator. That Pip differentiates “my society” from Joe’s shows just how snobbishly distant he has become from his upbringing. Their respective societies, after all, are not yet different in any real way—but Pip feels them to be so, based off Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae ea

Miss Havisham and Estella and the strange house and the strange life appeared to have something to do with everything that was picturesque.

Related Characters: Pip Pirrip (speaker), Estella Havisham, Miss Havisham

Related Symbols: Satis House

Page Number and Citation: 85

Explanation and Analysis:

Pip plans to visit Miss Havisham’s house (Statis House) after an extended absence. He reflects here on the way he continues to idealize the dwelling and those within it. This description is deeply ironic in its use of the term “picturesque.” The term means, in a general sense, pretty or attractive, but it has a specific connotation of quaintness and delicacy. Recall that Satis House is decrepit, Miss Havisham is a deranged parody of upper class sensibilities, and Estella is a mean-spirited critic of Pip’s every action. None of this is particularly picturesque. Yet Pip reduces these qualities to the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque o

"We have no choice, you and I, but to obey our instructions. We are not free to follow our own devices, you and I."

Related Characters: Estella Havisham (speaker), Pip Pirrip

Page Number and Citation: 207

Explanation and Analysis:

Contrary to Pip’s hopes, Estella still remains extremely distant. Here she summons their need to remain separate and conform to social mandates instead of personal desires. Her ambiguous comment has a series of different interpretive layers. In the most direct sense, she means that in the moment they must take the carriage at once to Richmond. More broadly, she implies that Miss Havisham has selected a destiny for her in Richmond that leaves her “no choice” as to who she will marry—or who she will be close to. Both characters must “obey [the] instructions” of their benefactors and are therefore Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto vo

"I am what you have made me. Take all the praise, take all the blame; take all the success, take all the failure; in short, take me."

Related Characters: Estella Havisham (speaker), Miss Havisham

Page Number and Citation: 238

Explanation and Analysis:

When Estella pulls away from Miss Havisham, the older woman grows possessive. The two quarrel in front of Pip for the first time, and Estella makes this comment on how all her actions are the result of her upbringing. With characteristic coldness, Estella describes her behaviors in a deterministic way. She reasons that she cannot be judged accountable for them because, as Miss Havisham’s pet, all her behaviors are the direct result of Miss Havisham herself. The repeated use of the word “all” to apply to “praise” and “blame,” “success” and “failure” highlights that Estella is entirely the result of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro

"Miss Havisham gives you to him as the greatest slight and injury that could be done to the many far better men who admire you, and to the few who truly love you. Among those few, there may be one who loves you even as dearly, though he has not loved you as long as I. Take him, and I can bear it better for your sake."

Related Characters: Pip Pirrip (speaker), Miss Havisham, Estella Havisham, Bentley Drummle

Page Number and Citation: 284

Explanation and Analysis:

When Pip finally confronts Miss Havisham and Estella at Satis House, he expresses his deep love for Estella. He begs her not to marry Drummle, but rather to select someone who truly cares for her. This passage characterizes Pip’s increasingly selfless behavior. He does not phrase his criticism of Drummel in terms of personal motivation, but rather is perturbed by how it is “the greatest slight and jury” to a variety of “far better men.” That is to say, Pip is more concerned with the theoretical ethics of Miss Havisham’s cruel act than with his own desires to be with Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit

"Believe this: when she first came to me, I meant to save her from misery like my own. At first I meant no more…But as she grew and promised to be very beautiful, I gradually did worse, and with my praises, and with my jewels, and with my teachings, and with this figure of myself always before her, a warning to back and point my lessons, I stole her heart away and put ice in its place"…[Miss Havisham] burst out again, What had she done!

Related Characters: Miss Havisham (speaker), Estella Havisham

Page Number and Citation: 313

Explanation and Analysis:

During Pip’s visit, Miss Havisham repents the way she has raised Estella. She claims that her intentions were originally relatively kind but became crueler as Estella grew older. Though we should remain skeptical of Miss Havisham by this point in the novel, her tone does seem honest and repentant. That she originally “meant to save [Estella] from misery like [her] own” casts Miss Havisham’s intent as selfless, even feminist: her goal was to protect her daughter from being preyed upon by men, and thus she prevented her from forming emotional attachments. Yet Miss Havisham was, in a sense, herself seduced Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic

"…now, when suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but – I hope – into a better shape."

Related Characters: Estella Havisham (speaker), Pip Pirrip

Page Number and Citation: 380

Explanation and Analysis:

In the novel’s final scene, Pip and Estella reunite at the remnants of Satis House. Estella comments on her tortuous marriage with Drummle and how it has changed her character deeply from the one that Miss Havisham crafted years before. Estella juxtaposes two forms of teaching: the “suffering” she experienced in her marriage and “all other teaching” that had been provided by Miss Havisham. Whereas the second type had given her an emotionally-vacant heart of ice, the first has allowed her to make sense of human emotions. Evidently, Estella has experienced great physical and/or psychological abuse, implied by the phrase Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit n

Estella Havisham Character Timeline in Great Expectations

The timeline below shows where the character Estella Havisham appears in Great Expectations. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Ambition and Self-Improvement Theme Icon

...in an environment so "new," "strange," "fine" and "melancholy." Miss Havisham has Pip call for "Estella" and the young girl who led Pip in appears. In response to Miss Havisham's suggestion... (full context)

...away for a snack. Pip feels dazed and humiliated by what just transpired. Back downstairs, Estella lays Pip's food in front of him on the ground and looks delighted by Pip's... (full context)

...and asks Pip what possessed him. Pip tells Joe the truth about the day, including Estella's insults and his shame at being "common." Joe replies that lies are lies, no matter... (full context)

Pip returns to Miss Havisham's the next week and is told by Estella to wait in a gloomy sitting room where Miss Havisham's relatives Camilla, Sarah Pocket, Georgiana,... (full context)

Miss Havisham has Pip call for Estella who comes with Camilla, Sarah Pocket, Georgiana, and Raymond following behind her. These four try... (full context)

Pip and Estella play cards and Miss Havisham points out Estella's beauty. Pip wanders out onto the grounds... (full context)

...continues for eight to ten months. During this time, Miss Havisham continues to point out Estella's beauty to Pip, whispering fondly to Estella, "Break their hearts!" Pip tells no one about... (full context)

...despair from Joe. All of the places and activities that had delighted him before meeting Estella now disappoint him because he knows she would consider them coarse and common. Pip describes... (full context)

...educate Joe so that Joe "might be worthier of my society and less vulnerable to Estella's reproach." (full context)

...his dissatisfaction with the blacksmith trade and his wish to be a gentleman to disprove Estella's disdain for his commonness. At the same time, he admits he would have been happier... (full context)

...walk on and Pip, thinking how miserable he would be if he were walking with Estella, tells Biddy he wishes he could get himself to fall in love with her. "But... (full context)

...Pip himself goes back and forth between believing Biddy and forge life are superior to Estella, then remembering the Havisham days and growing dissatisfied and ambitious again. (full context)

Pip lies down at the battery and falls asleep, daydreaming of Estella. Pip is awakened by Joe, who has followed him. Pip tells Joe he will never... (full context)

...Miss Havisham sent for him to see if he might be a suitable betrothed for Estella (she'd decided not). Herbert criticizes Estella for being cruel and haughty, and explains that she... (full context)

...Joe tells Pip he has only come to convey a message from Miss Havisham: that Estella is home and would like to see Pip. Joe says Biddy had encouraged him to... (full context)

...protect the house from convicts and intruders. When he enters Miss Havisham's room, he finds Estella home from France and transformed into a beautiful, graceful woman. (full context)

Pip and Estella walk in the garden and recount old times. Estella notes the changes in Pip and... (full context)

Back in the house, Miss Havisham speaks frenziedly to Pip about Estella, telling him to "...love her, love her!" no matter how Estella hurts him. She tells... (full context)

Mr. Jaggers has come by on business and he, Miss Havisham, Sarah Pocket, Estella, and Pip have dinner together. Mr. Jaggers is unaffected by Estella's beauty and ignores her.... (full context)

...Pip's mind and he feels grateful, convinced that Miss Havisham is his patron and that Estella must therefore be destined to be his wife. The adult Pip narrator cringes to remember... (full context)

Back at Barnard's Inn, Pip tells Herbert about his love for Estella and is shocked to hear Herbert already intuited it. Herbert reveals that he too believes... (full context)

Pip receives a note from Estella informing him that she is coming to London and that Miss Havisham wants him to... (full context)

...on the marshes. He tries to shake off the dust and scent of Newgate. When Estella arrives, he again wonders who it is she reminds him of. (full context)

Upon meeting Pip, Estella is all business, informing him he must procure her some tea and accompany her in... (full context)

At tea, Estella tells Pip that Sarah Pocket, Georgiana, Camilla, and Raymond resent Pip and are futilely trying... (full context)

Pip leaves Estella in Richmond, and imagines how happy he would be if he lived with her, even... (full context)

Still lovesick for Estella, Pip visits her often at Richmond. Pip is on more familiar terms with Estella than... (full context)

One day, Estella informs Pip that Miss Havisham has asked him to escort her to Satis House. There,... (full context)

Later in the visit, Pip witnesses Miss Havisham and Estella argue for the first time in his presence. When Estella pulls away from Miss Havisham's... (full context)

...Grove meeting some time later, Drummle tells Pip that he has made the acquaintance of Estella. Pip hotly contests it and challenges Drummle to a duel, which is cancelled once Drummle... (full context)

When Pip confesses to Estella that he is jealous of the attention she gives Drummle, Estella asks him almost angrily... (full context)

...news. He is devastated to realize that Miss Havisham is not his patron and that Estella, therefore, isn't destined for him. He is even more devastated to realize that he has... (full context)

Pip resolves to see Estella and Miss Havisham before he invites Provis to go abroad (on the pretence of shopping... (full context)

Pip goes to Satis House and explains to Miss Havisham and Estella that he has met his patron but doesn't say who it is. He asks Miss... (full context)

Pip professes his love for Estella and explains he has long refrained from courting her directly because he assumed they were... (full context)

When Pip confronts Estella about Drummle, she tells Pip she is going to marry Drummle. In despair, Pip begs... (full context)

Pip passes several anxious weeks heartbroken by Estella and worried about Provis. Deeply in debt, Pip owes creditors but gives Provis' unopened pocketbook... (full context)

...great discomfort, Mr. Jaggers' then talks about Drummle, "the Spider," and his recent marriage to Estella. Mr. Jaggers' speculates that Drummle may lose Estella because of his dull wits, though he... (full context)

...Molly wait on them, Pip suddenly realizes to his amazement that she is the person Estella has continually reminded him of. He sees how much they look like each other and... (full context)

Walking alone with Wemmick after dinner, Pip finds out that Wemmick has never seen Estella and asks Wemmick to recount Molly's history. About twenty years ago, she had been accused... (full context)

..."What have I done!" She tells him that witnessing him profess his true love for Estella reminded her of the true love she herself felt in the past and made her... (full context)

Pip asks about Estella's past. Miss Havisham tells him Mr. Jaggers brought Estella to Satis House after Miss Havisham... (full context)

Pip realizes that Provis is Estella's father and tells Herbert. (full context)

...Miss Havisham's money for Herbert. Pip tells Mr. Jaggers' that he not only knows who Estella's mother is, but who her father is too. Pip can tell from Mr. Jaggers' surprise... (full context)

...amounts of money to all her other relatives, leaving the bulk of her fortune to Estella. Orlick is in jail for robbing and torturing Uncle Pumblechook. (full context)

...coaxes Pip to marry and, when Pip says he is settled in bachelorhood, asks about Estella. Pip says he no longer pines for her. (full context)

Still, Pip secretly wishes to revisit the site of Satis House for Estella's sake. He has heard that she has been abused by and separated from Drummle, who... (full context)

Estella Havisham Character Analysis

Estella Havisham Quotes in Great Expectations

Book 1, Chapter 9 Quotes

Book 1, Chapter 15 Quotes

Book 2, Chapter 33 Quotes

Book 2, Chapter 38 Quotes

Book 3, Chapter 44 Quotes

Book 3, Chapter 49 Quotes

Book 3, Chapter 59 Quotes

Estella Havisham Character Timeline in Great Expectations