Miss Havisham Character Analysis in Great Expectations

The wealthy daughter of a brewer, Miss Havisham was abandoned on her wedding day by her fiancée (Compeyson) and, traumatized. She preserves herself and her house in wedding regalia, shutting out the world for over twenty years. To exact her revenge on men, Miss Havisham adopts and raises Estella to be beautiful and desirable but completely heartless. Miss Havisham is capricious, manipulative, bitter, and, until novel's end, unable to recognize anyone's pain but her own.

Miss Havisham Quotes in Great Expectations

The Great Expectations quotes below are all either spoken by Miss Havisham or refer to Miss 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: (speaker), , , ,

Page Number and Citation: 55

Explanation and Analysis:

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: (speaker), ,

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Page Number and Citation: 85

Explanation and Analysis:

"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: (speaker),

Page Number and Citation: 238

Explanation and Analysis:

"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: (speaker), , ,

Page Number and Citation: 284

Explanation and Analysis:

"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: (speaker),

Page Number and Citation: 313

Explanation and Analysis:

Miss Havisham Character Timeline in Great Expectations

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

Ambition and Self-Improvement Theme Icon

...market and excitedly explain that Pip has been asked to play at the house of Miss Havisham , Uncle Pumblechook's rich landlady who lives in seclusion uptown. She has been looking for... (full context)

...Pip on arithmetic instead of engaging in conversation. He walks Pip to the gate of Miss Havisham 's house, a large brick house with some of its windows boarded up. In front... (full context)

Pip knocks and enters a room lit only by candlelight. Miss Havisham , an old woman in a yellowed wedding gown, sits at a dressing table amidst... (full context)

After they finish playing cards, Miss Havisham tells Pip to return in six days and sends the children away for a snack.... (full context)

Upon returning home, Pip is barraged with questions about Miss Havisham by Mrs. Joe and Uncle Pumblechook, who has ridden over for tea. Yet, because he... (full context)

Pip returns to Miss Havisham 's the next week and is told by Estella to wait in a gloomy sitting... (full context)

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

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

...in their fight, and suspects that either the law will come down on him or Miss Havisham herself will seek revenge. But when he returns to Miss Havisham's he is surprised to... (full context)

That day at Miss Havisham 's, Pip agrees to return every other day to walk her or wheel her in... (full context)

Next day, Joe and Pip set off for Miss Havisham 's. Mrs. Joe has insisted on walking to town with them in all her finest... (full context)

Pip and Joe leave Miss Havisham 's and walk to Uncle Pumblechook's where Mrs. Joe has been waiting for them in... (full context)

During one of these lessons, Pip proposes to Joe that he pay a visit to Miss Havisham . Joe is skeptical, thinking that Miss Havisham would assume Pip wanted something. When Pip... (full context)

Pip anxiously walks to town to visit Miss Havisham and is lead upstairs by Sarah Pocket, who is suspicious of his presence. Upon seeing... (full context)

Pip persists in the same routines, varied only by a birthday visit to Miss Havisham 's where she gives him a guinea he spends on books to study. But Pip... (full context)

...a parlor. Pip recognizes the stranger as the man he met on the stairs at Miss Havisham 's. The stranger introduces himself as Mr. Jaggers, a London lawyer, and explains that an... (full context)

The day before leaving for London, Pip visits Miss Havisham to say goodbye. He is escorted inside by Sarah Pocket. Miss Havisham keeps Sarah Pocket... (full context)

...suddenly recognize one another—young Mr. Pocket is the pale young gentleman Pip fought with in Miss Havisham 's greenhouse. (full context)

...pale young gentleman is Herbert Pocket and he explains that his father, Matthew Pocket, is Miss Havisham 's cousin. Herbert was in Miss Havisham's greenhouse that day after Miss Havisham sent for... (full context)

At dinner, Herbert tells Miss Havisham 's story. Miss Havisham was the spoiled daughter of a wealthy, genteel brewer. Her mother... (full context)

All of Miss Havisham 's relations were poor and all of them except for Matthew Pocket were jealous and... (full context)

Herbert concludes by telling Pip that he has revealed everything he knows about Miss Havisham . He promises that nothing shall come between he and Pip in the future and... (full context)

...leaves for work, 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... (full context)

Going to Miss Havisham 's the next morning, Pip is surprised to find Orlick employed as the porter to... (full context)

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

As he falls asleep at the Blue Boar, Miss Havisham 's injunction to "love her!" resounds in Pip's mind and he feels grateful, convinced that... (full context)

...receives a note from Estella informing him that she is coming to London and that Miss Havisham wants him to meet her at the coach. Pip, anxious to see Estella, arrives at... (full context)

...that Sarah Pocket, Georgiana, Camilla, and Raymond resent Pip and are futilely trying to damage Miss Havisham 's opinion of him. Estella explains that she is delighted by their frustration because they... (full context)

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

Pip stays up late trying to process the 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... (full context)

Herbert passes Pip a note telling him that Miss Havisham 's brother's name was Arthur and that her devious fiancée was named Compeyson. (full context)

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

Pip tells Miss Havisham that Matthew and Herbert Pocket, unlike her other relations, are upright and kind. Pip asks... (full context)

...who invites Pip home to dinner with him and Wemmick. Mr. Jaggers' informs Pip that Miss Havisham has requested that Pip visit her. To Pip's great discomfort, Mr. Jaggers' then talks about... (full context)

Next day, Pip visits Miss Havisham , who is melancholy and distracted and tells him she wants to show Pip that... (full context)

Showing tender concern for Pip's unhappiness, Miss Havisham hopes Pip will someday be able to write out "I forgive her" under her name.... (full context)

Miss Havisham kneels at Pip's feet crying "What have I done!" She tells him that witnessing him... (full context)

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

Pip goes to Mr. Jagger's office and collects Miss Havisham 's money for Herbert. Pip tells Mr. Jaggers' that he not only knows who Estella's... (full context)

Joe updates Pip on the village news: Miss Havisham has died and left a large sum of money to Matthew Pocket, crediting Pip's account... (full context)

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Miss Havisham Character Analysis

Miss Havisham Quotes in Great Expectations

Miss Havisham Character Timeline in Great Expectations

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