Miss Havisham's goal is to exact vengeance on men for what one man did to her, standing her up at the altar years earlier. Her whole life is consumed by the fact of this rejection, and she uses Estella as a surrogate for retaliation against the male sex. This is the reason for her encouragement of Estella breaking a man's heart. In this case, Pip turns out to be the innocent victim of the sort of blind justice Miss Havisham carries out.
The interesting thing about it is that Pip seems at least unconsciously to enjoy participating in this triangular dynamic with Miss Havisham and Estella. In the very first encounter, when they are playing cards, Estella begins insulting him about his inferior social status and the way it is reflected in his speech: "He calls the knaves jacks!" One would think the boy would want to avoid her as a result, but it's the beginning of his attraction to her and eventual obsession with her. Miss Havisham does succeed in making Estella break Pip's heart, but Pip is an illustration of the fact that some men have a psychological need to be hurt and find fulfillment in it.
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Why does Miss Havisham say something like "well break his heart" to Estella?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
What is the theme of the chapter Lead?
Primo Levi's complex probing of the Holocaust, including his survival of Auschwitz and pre- and post-war life, is organized around indiv...
-
The statement "Development policy needs to be about poor people, not just poor countries," carries a lot of baggage. Let's dis...
-
Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that thrive in diverse environments (such as the ocean, the soil, and the human body). Various bac...
-
Note that these events are not in chronological order. The story is told by the narrator, looking back upon her life. The first notable even...
-
It seems most likely you are asking about Michael Halliday's theories of language. He argues children have seven main functions they use...
-
Under common law, any hotel, inn, or other hospitality establishment has a duty to exercise "reasonable care" for the safety an...
-
James is very unhappy on a number of occasions throughout the story, but he's especially unhappy with his life situation as the story be...
-
One of the plot lines in Pride and Prejudice is Mrs. Bennet’s plan to marry off her daughters, preferably to rich men. Throughout the novel...
No comments:
Post a Comment