Love in Great Expectations

Webster’s dictionary defines love in many different ways, “A feeling of intense desire and attraction toward a person with whom one is disposed to make a pair; the emotion of sex and romance. To have a feeling of intense desire and attraction toward (a person) (Webster, love)”. In Great Expectations, Pip is going through maturity, and is always undergoing maturity. We find that Pip is always longing for friends, family, and for love. Love can be a number of things to different people. Love is an emotion, where there is no wrong definition, for it suits each and every person differently, however some characteristics are the same amongst everybody. Pip thinks he is in love, but in my paper I investigate if it’s a real desire of infatuation for Estella, or just a first big crush which lasted through out his teenage years. Pip’s love for Estella is usually a one-way street, at least in his eyes. From the moment Pip meets her, he feels an attraction towards her. At the same token, Estella’s outward feelings towards Pip are confusing and cruel. From slapping him in the face as hard as she can, to making him feel as low as dirt saying he has coarse hands and thick soles and such, Estella is able to crush Pip inside. He feels as though he cannot let Estella know how he really feels besides telling Miss Havisham and Estella her self that she was pretty, yet mean. As time goes on, Pip learns all about Estella from her attitude and appearance. This attitude and appearance is what Pip wanted to attain so that Estella would love him. In chapter 17 Pip tells Biddy “ I am not at all happy as I am” (Dickens, 127). He wants to become a gentleman, a complement to a gentlewoman--Estella. Again telling his feelings to Biddy, he professes. “ the beautiful young lady at Miss Havisham’s. And she’s more beautiful than anybody ever was, and I admire her dreadfully, and I want to be a gentle man on her