Great Expectations #3

After many years of a sort of blind ignorance for pip and Estella, they both stumble upon some very upsetting truths. During the beginning of the novel, Pip has held a crush for Estella but after seeing her again recently after several years, he falls into a deep emotional attachment that borders on obsession. He begins to show the signs of a garden variety romantic and believes that Miss Havisham is the only possible benefactor for Pip, as part of a preexisting plan to pair Estella and him for marriage. But in chapter 38, Pip comes to the shocking conclusion that Estella is also leading on a one Bentley Drummle, a young man that Pip finds less than flattering. Estella had been warning Pip for a long time that she would never love him, and he never took heed until he believed she betrayed him. While Pip is obviously devastated by this sudden upset, it is not quite clear of what Pip will go about doing. There are many possibilities for Pip: he could stay with the convict, his actual benefactor, go with Herbert Pocket, among the other possibilities for a young wealthy gentleman. But it is evident that as with most romantics, such as Romeo in the end of the famous Romeo and Juliet, after making the pursuit of Estella the center of his existence, he will have an immensely hard time coping with the "loss" of his love. On of the most prominent reasons for Pip wanting to distinguish himself as a gentlemen and develop his potential was to be able to woo Estella, but since that possibility is extinct, he most likely will not commit suicide as Romeo did, but Pip may find himself without a purpose in his life. Estella has spent her entire life being groomed by her adoptive mother, Miss Havisham, for her personal revenge plot against the male gender. But after all those years in chapter 38, Estella begins to find her mother's constant attention to her very annoying and finally realizes that her mother is demanding too much from her. After a long and violent debate between the two, they soon seem to have re-sewn the holes but an unsettling sense has fallen between them. "Nor, did Miss Havisham's manner towards estella in anywise change, except that I believed it to have something like fear infused among it's former characteristics" (308). I believe that after this sudden spurt of individuality by Estella, Miss Havisham will try to make her squeeze even tighter. How Estella will respond is up in the air; however, she has already proved that she can speak and defend for herself.