Reading Assignment 3

Uncle Pumblechook escorts Pip to Miss Havisham's home to play. A girl about Pip's age, named Estella, greets them at the gate. Estella then takes Pip to Miss Havisham. Dressed in an old wedding gown, wearing one white slipper, and flowers in her hair, Pip finds Miss Havisham to be quite strange. Miss Havisham mentions that her heart is broken and wants to see Pip play. Therefore, Estella comes to play cards with Pip. He then notices that all of the clocks are stopped at the same time. He later discovers that Miss Havisham's wedding was cancelled at exactly twenty minutes to nine while she was getting dressed in her room. Since then she has left everything exactly how it was that morning. Miss Havisham asks Pip what he thinks of Estella. He replies that she is proud, pretty and insulting. Miss Havisham wants Pip to love Estella because she knows that Estella will never want him. She wants Pip's heart to be broken. Pip was given permission to explore the yard and premises. It is plain that Estella is pleased when Pip is upset and humiliated. While walking, Pip spots Miss Havisham hanging by the neck on a wooden beam. Frightened, Pip ran and returned but only sees Estella walking around the area he just saw Miss Havisham. This shows that even if Miss Havisham dies, it will not matter because Estella is just like her. Miss Havisham wants her revenge on the male sex because of what happened on her wedding day. As a result of Estella's actions, Pip returns home thinking how much of a common boy he is. This is exactly what Miss Havisham wants.