Analyse how Dickens presents the characters of Miss Havisham, Estella, Biddy and Mrs Joe in "Great Expectations"

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Analyse how Dickens presents the characters of Miss Havisham, Estella, Biddy and Mrs Joe in “Great Expectations”

In “Great Expectations”, Charles Dickens presents the four major female characters of the decaying Miss Havisham, the cold-hearted Estella, the violent Mrs Joe and the sweet Biddy. These four women change in many different ways over the course of the novel. The events in “Great Expectations” shape these women to better themselves. The social standings of the women are from upper and lower class Victorian England.

These four women are somehow damaged; Miss Havisham passionately hated all men after she was jilted by Compeyson on her wedding day, since then she has been lurking in Satis House (Enough House) plotting her revenge. Mrs Joe however hates herself to be allowed into a domestic life she despises genuinely. Estella – after the enduring years of emotional abuse, has learnt to channel her depression into “bullying” Pip and later Herbert. Last of all Biddy, she however was damaged before the novel even started, during her childhood. It was only mentioned she was brought up “by hand” which is similar to Pip’s upbringing.

Many critics have debated whether or not Charles Dickens’ presentation of women is realistic or misogynistic. The arguments are that he hates women so much. Women are portrayed as people who have to be beaten to “behave,” which is true for Biddy, Mrs Joe and Estella. However it can be said Dickens’ is confronting the social beliefs of Victorian England as he did with workhouses in “Oliver Twist”.

Mrs Joe Gargery is a vicious, self-important woman who abuses her younger brother and husband. This may be because of the pressures of marriage. Women, rich or poor, are viewed upon as outcasts just because they remained single. Miss Havisham, for example, she is only visited by the Pockets who only want a portion of Miss Havisham’s large sum of money. Mrs Joe obviously felt strongly about women’s standings in society. She hated the fact that she were to be treated as a possession. Proof of this is her name, “Mrs Joe Gargery”, this shows a lack of identity and independence, showing women were similar to a chair in the eyes of men two hundred years ago.

Mrs Joe loathes herself, she is unhappy about the way she is:

“My sister… had such a prevailing redness of skin that I sometimes used to wonder whether is was possible she washed herself with a nutmeg-grater instead of soap… that was stuck full of pins and needles.”

We see throughout the novel that she has serious issues, she isn’t a pretty woman, shown earlier when Pip mentions, “She was not a good-looking woman, my sister,” this is why she washes herself until her skin is red. She isn’t content with the life she has. She wants more that being a facilitator to Joe. The “pins and needles” – paint a violent picture, warning everyone away from her. She could also be dong this as she is afraid of losing Joe, as she lost both her parents and five other brothers, she is afraid of being left by Joe.

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She hates the fact that she is just a “blacksmith’s wife” and being forced to look after Pip. She probably wants to lead a good life in upper class England. Thus threatening Pip, when she says:

And he had better play there,”…

“or I’ll work him.”

She threatens Pip to behave, obviously hoping for a sum of Miss Havisham’s large fortune.

Mrs Joe Gargery is purposely made to be violent and despised by the reader. What makes you hate her at first is the nasty weapon, “Tickler”. Which does not tickle as it is ...

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