estella Flashcards
‘the young lady who was very pretty and seemed very proud’
chapter 8
- Pip’s first impression of Estella
- he immediately focuses on her appearance (CONTEXT: in the Victorian era, women were second class citizens and often objectified and reduced to how they look. Upper class women had certain beauty standards they had to keep to in order to get a husband)
- he describes her as ‘very proud’ which foreshadows what’s to come
her contempt for me was so strong, that it became infectious, and i caught it
chapter 8
- she hates Pip because of his social class
- but she’s also doing this because of Miss Havisham, who is manipulating her to carry out her revenge
- start of Pip’s feelings of inadequacy as he ‘caught’ her contempt for him
- could also contribute to Pip’s great expectations
she touched me with a taunting hand
chapter 8
- Estella is needlessly cruel to Pip
- this sets her up as an antagonist alongside basically everyone in Pip’s life with the exception of Joe
- shows that she is a cold character
you must know…that i have no heart
chapter 29
- although she appears to be a cold cruel person who has belittled Pip, the warning is arguable quite kind
- this shows that she has developed as a character as the Estella in chapter 8 wouldn’t do this
- unlike all the other suitors she’s leading on, she’s warning Pip that she won’t be able to live him back
- shows the effect that an upbringing in Satis House has had in her
we are not free to follow our own devices, you and i
chapter 33
- shows there is a similarity between herself and Pip
- she reveals that she is also being manipulated by Miss Havisham
‘not free’ - like they are bound and not able to do what they want due to Miss Havisham’s manipulation
- could also bring linked to Satis House and it’s jail like exterior
you cold, cold heart!
chapter 38 (said by miss havisham)
- Estella’s heart has been reminded and misshaped by Miss Havisham
- however, she is now irrationally upset when she feels its effects
- shows that at this point Estella is supposedly beyond redemption and out of the picture as the full extent of her coldness is revealed
i am what you have made me
chapter 38
- she says this with barely any emotion displaying the heart (or lack of a heart) that Miss Havisham has left her with
- she is self awake that she is not like others, who are capable of feeling a wide range of emotions
- she is simply Miss Havisham’s puppet
i have been bent and broken, but- i hope- into a better shape
chapter 59
- refers to the abuse she suffered from Bentley Drummle who was always very cruel. she could’ve married Drummle as he is incapable of love, just as she believed she was however, she suffered in that marriage.
- this shows her growth and how she’s free from abuse at both Miss Havisham’s and Drummle’s hands
- she is a three dimensional character and this chapter shows her development. she is a character capable of change
i saw no shadow of a parting from her
chapter 59
- Estella has been associated with shadows throughout the book which suggested there was always a mystery around her (eg. her real parents)
this suggests that her and Pip will be together but like a shadow, it’s not definite
