Miss Havisham Essay

People are born into certain levels of society, and some characteristics of their birthright remain throughout their lives despite how they have adapted to face various challenges. These remnants of early life are often characters’ defining features, such as is true in the case of Miss Havisham in the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. The theme of one’s original social class determining relationships is developed by Miss Havisham’s bitter obsession with her past. Vast amounts of wealth cause revenge plots and hatred to be central parts of a person’s life. The man who was engaged to Miss Havisham was chasing after her fortune, and did not love her. It was for her money alone that he pursued a relationship, and his abandonment of her on the altar set the stage for Miss Havisham’s warped perspective. She channeled all of her energy into raising her adopted daughter to be a lady that would despise men and purposefully break their hearts because of her traumatic past. Consequently, this caused her relationship with Estella to slowly shrivel and die as the two of them …show more content…
Miss Havisham lives a solitary life in Satis House, surrounded by decayed decorations, frozen clocks, and expensive bridal jewelry, which are all reminders of her failed relationship with a man from a lower class. She herself wears the same yellowed and brittle bridal garments from the day of her wedding years in the past. Despite these strange and disgusting facts about her lifestyle, the unrefined people of her village still look at her as an elevated figure. Mrs. Joe is ecstatic when Pip is chosen to go play at Miss Havisham’s manor because she has been isolated in their community where Miss Havisham is the highest power. She is focused solely on the assumption that Miss Havisham will take a liking to Pip and singlehandedly raise the social status of the entire