Estella’s first appearance is her opening the gate to pip. Pip immediately tells the reader that he finds Estella ‘very pretty and very proud.’ This again plays on people’s experiences; it is likely the reader has had experience of being in love with someone either out of reach or who is rude to them. Estella’s nature is quickly revealed, she rudely forbids Mr. Pumblechook from entering the property. The rude comment does not sink in for Pip and only the reader can see the hurt that Pip is going to inflict on himself if he continues to go after Estella.
Miss Havisham is introduced very slowly making her seem intimidating and terrifying. She is described in detail first as an intimidating far higher classed lady. The description changes, making the reader aware that like her dress ‘once white’ ‘now yellow and withered’ she has become less of a person and more an ornament. Creating Miss Havisham’s inhuman and emotionless coldness shuts off Pip from any welcome he may be expecting. I think Dickens tries to indicate to the reader that Pip is involved in the ideas and plans of the eccentric old lady. The reader can therefore understand more than Pip and this plays to the maternal/paternal instincts of the reader to protect the bewildered and threatened child.
To effectively create sympathy for Pip the reader must involve himself or herself in Pip’s situation. Dickens has Pip talk directly to the reader ‘I think it will be conceded by my most disputatious reader, that she…’ This pulls the reader into the story and creates empathy for the frightened Pip. The reader must imagine their reaction in Pip’s situation and understand that Pip is scared and uncomfortable in the strange new surroundings.
Miss Havisham and Estella enjoy taunting Pip and reminding him of his inferior social class. Miss Havisham addresses him as ‘Boy’ and commands him and insults him whenever there is opportunity. Estella enjoys toying with Pip’s emotions; she reminds him that she is out of his reach. ‘He calls the knaves, Jacks, this boy!’ Pip is too young to understand that he has anything to dislike about himself, but Estella constantly reminds him that she is only available to a member of the upper class.
Pip, however, still continues to be polite in the hope that they will reciprocate, he stills tries his best to impress the two ladies even though they dismiss anything he says. He fears that he may upset them ‘I stopped, fearing I might say too much, or had already said it and we took another look at each other.’ This shows that Pip fears these people, he especially fears giving them opportunity to tease him. ‘I misdealt, as was only natural, when I knew she was lying in wait for me to do wrong.’ Pip feels excluded because of the two ladies actions, the reader will no doubt sympathise based on an experience of there own.
Dickens must keep the sympathy at its peak by constantly adding new descriptions and images that effect Pip’s mood. He adds every action and reaction of Pip, and his thoughts at the time. ‘She threw the cards down on the table when she won them all, as if she despised them for being won of me.’ This provokes anger toward Estella for upsetting Pip. Pip cries when he goes out into the yard, when given the image of a crying child through Dickens descriptive writing the reader cannot help but feel disgust toward the two ladies and sympathy toward Pip.
Even toward the end of the chapter Dickens does not stop describing Pip’s surroundings, instead he constantly reminds the reader of the extent to which Pip is bewildered by his current predicament. Dickens powerful descriptions of emotion and very detailed imagery are the main ingredients in this chapter that bring out experiences in the readers past and their basic instinct to protect the defenceless. The sympathy created in this scene is important for later in the novel. It shows the large contrast between the young and vulnerable Pip and the older Pip who is embarrassed of Joe and abandons his family.
