Estella Havisham Role Model

Estella Havisham JM 02/06/06 Final Draft

Estella is an obsequious yet proud individual whose harsh upbringing hinders her ability to lead a happy and productive life. She is a bossy, showy, flippant heart breaker who uses her power – her beauty – to wreck havoc in men’s lives. She gets a blatant reality check when she marries Bentley Drummle, who abuses her to the point of desperation and separation. She ultimately learns that the man she thought would provide for her in the highest fashion did not treat her as well as the steady working man who truly, madly, deeply loved her, would have. Estella does not seem to be innately pompous, just misguided and without a strong sense of her personal self. She acts according to Miss Havisham’s orders, and doesn’t actually think for herself about her motives or actions or much of anything until the very end of the story. This is shown by the way she tells Pip that they are part of a greater plan and must follow the orders given. (pg. 266) She has known no adult role model other than Miss Havisham most of her life, and so of course acts in the same cruel, revengeful way, sort of “monkey see,
monkey do,” and it doesn’t serve her well. She knows that her beauty captures men’s hearts and that her demeanor crushes them. Pip gives his heart to Estella and finds nothing in return throughout the story. But he is thoroughly warned by the devilish beauty herself in Chapter 29; “ ‘You must know,’ said Estella, condescending to me as a brilliant and beautiful woman might, ‘that I have no heart, - if that has anything to do with my memory.’ ” (pg 259) Estella continues to warn Pip, as if she cares about him just a little, and then ends up marrying Bentley Drummle instead. This turns Pip’s life upside down in exactly the way Miss Havisham would want it to happen, as breaking men’s hearts is exactly what she raised Estella to do. This constant fury towards members of the male sex comes from Miss Havisham’s want of revenge for being left at the altar by the one she loved many years ago. Pip’s despondency over Estella drives him into debt in an attempt to soothe himself by buying new furniture and other objects. However, nothing relieves his ever-increasing obsession with Estella. We are constantly reminded of Estella’s beauty, both as a child and as an adult.
Her presence in the book ranges from approximately ages 9 – 30. When Pip first meets her, he is captivated by her fresh beauty and is smitten by her radiance. As a young woman, she is the ultimate image of charm and sophistication: tall and thin, with porcelain skin and very sharp, defined features. She wears fancy clothes, and acts with grace and poise because of her education in France. She seems to have a way of gliding glamorously about a room as if she were walking on a cloud above everyone else. She has grown up all of her life in Satis House, which Miss Havisham keeps dark and spooky. Despite this, Estella seems to live a semi-normal life, even though she is also isolated from all other children besides
Pip. Estella uses her beauty as a controlling weapon. She takes advantage of her elegance and class status to make everyone, not just Pip, feel less than she. This is, however, through no fault of her own, as Miss Havisham’s tragic past is what fueled her to raise Estella in a way she would get the best revenge toward all men in general. Estella’s clever and witty remarks shoot through Pip’s heart like ice, and she constantly teases him about the ways he expresses his affection for her. Her teasing Pip about being common is unjustified from an outside view because she herself comes from common beginnings. As the child of Molly, Mr. Jaggers’s maid, and Magwitch, the convict who is Pip’s benefactor, Estella herself is taken away from a life potentially filled with values and love - however simple and small. She is forced into a life that is harsh and controlling, even though she is rich and has everything she wants. It is ironic that she thinks she can treat everyone so bitterly, when her beginnings are more humble than Pip’s. Her deliberate demeanor and Pip’s thoughts about being a gentleman after Magwitch returns tell the moral of the story; that it is better to be happy and poor than rich and deprived of love and happiness. In the end, Estella tells Pip that: “Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching...I have been bent and broken, but - I hope - into a better shape.” (pg. 493) Estella realizes that hurting everyone close to her has only left her with more pain, and she conveys that she has found a new way of living if Pip is willing to give her a second chance. By this time she has also had a chance to break ties with Miss Havisham, and to get out into the world to see how most people act. But in real life a broken heart is not that easily repaired, and Estella must live with the actions of her past, and the damaging effect that they have on her future.