When Pip meets Estella and Miss Havisham we start to feel sorry for him, as we know that both characters are intimidating him. This part of the novel is set in a dark room, which is in an old derelict house. When Pip is in the house a rude and ignorant young lady greets him. When being left in a large room he notices and old lady sitting on a chair. She was sitting in ‘…rich materials-satins, and lace, and silks all of white.’ The closer he got to the woman the weirder she seemed, he noticed that the things he thought were white, once had been, but had now turned to a faded yellow colour. By the setting of this scene we can tell that something happened to Miss Havisham on her wedding day, something so big that she wishes to keep everything the same as on that day.
She tries to intimidate Pip by saying things like ‘you are not afraid of a woman who has never seen the sun since you were born?’ This sentence throws Pip back a bit he’s confused and does not really know how to react in the situation. This makes us have sympathy toward Pip as we feel as though he is being treated unfairly.
Pip tries desperately to not make eye contact with Miss Havisham when he first go into see her ‘…avoiding her eyes…` This shows us that he is intimidated by her and is scared of her. She likes the fact that he is scared and worried, this makes her feel happy with herself.
The way, in which Miss Havisham talks confuses Pip, this makes us feel sorry for Pip as he is in a strange place as it is and Miss Havisham was making matters worse. Miss Havisham also talks in short sharp statements, which sound very rude and impolite to Pip, who has always spoken in a polite manner towards others. She has a hostile manner towards Pip just because he is a boy; her hatred for all men is obvious.
The way in which Estella talks to Pip is rude and impolite. She talks to him as though he is a piece of dirt. ’With this boy! Why, he is a common labouring-boy!’ This comment makes Pip feel hurt and confused, why would he be invited round to play with Estella if she doesn’t want to play with him? Estella also likes to make fun out of Pip ‘And what coarse hands he has. And what thick boots!’ Both these comments make Pip very self-conscience. She also talks about Pip as though he is not there; she criticises Pip while he is there. She does this as though she gets enjoyment out of Pip feeling sad. Estella does not call Pip by his name but refers to him as ‘boy`.
Although we see that Estella is cruel; and scheming we don’t actually know what her intentions are. We only find out what she trying to do when Pip hears Miss Havisham say ‘…break his heart…`. This makes us feel sympathy towards Pip as we feel as though he’s only there to be mocked and to be made to look a fool.
As Pip is so polite and respectful he tries not to lose his temper and become as rude and ignorant as Miss Havisham and Estella. When Miss Havisham asks Pip what he thinks of Estella he tries to think of kind things to say, but from the way in which she treated him he could not think of anything apart form the fact that ‘…she is very pretty.’ Miss Havisham keeps asking him for more and more of his views on Estella, and soon his true views on Estella come out ‘I think she is very insulting.’ When Pip said that, he expected Miss Havisham to throw him out of the house, but to his surprise she just asks him for more of his opinions on Estella.
At this point in the extract Pip really wants to leave, he had been treated harshly, evilly and cruelly. But Miss Havisham refuses to let him leave until the game was played out. Pip is not asked if he would like to return but is told that he has to go back in six days. This makes us feel sympathetic and feel sorry for the fact that he is being ordered around.
When he was left in the courtyard Pip start to reflect on all the cruel and hateful things that Miss Havisham and Estella have said to him. He starts to feel ashamed of himself and becomes very self-conscience of the things that Estella had pointed out to him like ‘ He calls the knaves, Jacks, this boy! ` This makes him feel ashamed at the fact he was not up to their level of sophistication. He blames his brother-in-law for not telling him to call the ‘…Jacks, Knaves…`
In my opinion I think that Charles Dickens was very clever making us feel sympathy towards young Pip. In this extract alone Pip is mocked, teased, criticised and mentally hurt. I feel that only intelligent authors can write a moving book, which makes the reader feel sympathy or hatred towards one of the characters. Pip is treated unfairly and this makes
