Great Expectations

Estella is Miss Havisham’s adopted daughter. Unbeknownst to her, she is the daughter of the convict Magwitch and the murderess, Molly. She is beautiful, well-spoken, and refined; however, in the beginning of the novel, she is cold-hearted and aloof toward Pip. Despite her dismissive attitude toward Pip, he falls obsessively in love with her. Estella serves as the catalyst for Pip, as he wishes to become a gentleman to please her and hopefully marry her.

As Estella grows into a woman, she develops a certain fondness for Pip. She feels, however, that she must remain cold toward him because Miss Havisham’s “plan” is for her to marry a wealthy and make him miserable. Miss Havisham intentionally raises Estella to be a cold person who is concerned only with material goods. She also wishes Estella to take pleasure in emotionally harming people. Estella repeatedly points out that her cold, dispassionate attitude is the product of Miss Havisham’s upbringing. By the end of the book, Estella finds herself changed (and softened) by twenty years of a loveless, bitter marriage. 

Miss Havisham is a rich and eccentric old woman who lives in a manor near Pip’s home village. An emotionally disturbed, eccentric woman, she spends her days wandering in her dark house with the curtains drawn, wearing her ancient, yellowed wedding dress. She keeps her old wedding cake on a dining table covered in cobwebs and beetles, and she has turned all the clocks in the house to twenty past nine, the time when her conman fiancé sent a letter calling off their wedding.

Deeply embittered by this jilting, Miss Havisham harbors a perverse desire to exact revenge on any and all men. She deliberately trains Estella to break men’s hearts, including Pip’s. By the end of the book, however, Miss Havisham feels remorse when she sees how badly she has hurt Pip, and she begs for his forgiveness. Her actions, taken with her agoraphobia, hint at a possible mental illness. While she is cruel at times, she loves Estella and Pip and tries to make amends for her poor treatment of them.

As the husband of his older sister, Joe is both Pip’s brother-in-law and an adoptive father figure. Joe is also the village blacksmith, and Pip is preparing to become his apprentice at the beginning of the novel.

Throughout Pip’s childhood, Joe is his closest friend and confidant. Joe is good-natured, gentle, and generous to Pip, often protecting him from his sister’s wrath. Though poor and uneducated, Joe behaves nobly and unselfishly over the course of the novel. Even when Pip shuns him, Joe continues to treat him warmly and generously, nursing him through a difficult sickness and paying off his debts.

Pip’s older sister (and adoptive mother) is only called “Mrs. Joe” throughout the novel. She is a tyrannical woman who often takes out her frustrations violently on Pip and Joe. She frequently guilts Pip about how she has brought him up “by hand.” Whenever Pip defies her strict rules, she beats him with a cane she calls “Tickler.” In contrast to Joe, Pip’s sister is petty about money and material advancement. Whenever Pip goes to see Miss Havisham, she eagerly asks if the wealthy woman has given him anything.

When Orlick beats Mrs. Joe and she becomes an invalid, she is slightly more sympathetic. Her death and subsequent funeral also serve as a major turning point for Pip.

Mr. Pumblechook is a money-grubbing local merchant who arranges Pip’s meetings with Miss Havisham. Though he is Pip’s uncle-in-law, both Pip and his sister refer to him as “Uncle Pumblechook.” When Pip becomes a gentleman, Pumblechook pompously boasts that he was responsible for Pip’s rise in status.

Biddy is the granddaughter of the woman who runs Pip’s school. She befriends Pip and helps him learn to read and write. When Mrs. Joe is bedridden after Orlick’s attack, Biddy moves into Pip’s home to serve as her caregiving nurse.

Biddy has a kind, generous, and unselfish personality, much like Joe’s. As Pip begins to acknowledge his love for Estella, he often wonders what life would be like if he loved Biddy instead and desired nothing more than the life of a humble blacksmith. Biddy and Joe are a symbol of Pip’s humble beginnings and function as the “absolute good” in the novel. Always wise, loving, humble, and forgiving, the two are practically caricatures meant to emphasize Pip’s guilt over his rise in status. 

Orlick is a surly, bad-tempered worker in Joe’s forge. In contrast to Joe, Orlick is a purely evil character who only acts in his own self-interest. In the first section of the novel, he violently attacks Mrs. Joe and effectively cripples her. Near the end of the novel, he captures Pip and attempts to murder him. He lurks everywhere in the story even though he is not usually a part of the major plot, making him more of an ominous symbol.

Mr. Jaggers is a powerful London lawyer who serves both wealthy clients like Miss Havisham, and common criminals, like Molly. Pip’s secret benefactor, Abel Magwitch, hires Jaggers to supervise Pip’s finances and living situation. Magwitch selects Jaggers for this role because he served as his defense attorney in a past trial.

As a prominent criminal lawyer, Jaggers is exposed to a great deal of “dirty” business. Though he presents as a hard, impenetrable, and often intimidating figure, the novel suggests that he harbors guilt and tender feelings beneath the surface. For example, Jaggers’s habit of compulsive handwashing suggests a desire to cleanse himself of corruption. He also assists Miss Havisham with her adoption of Estella, suggesting a certain degree of kindness and consideration for others.

Wemmick is Jaggers’s clerk. Though he also presents a hardened facade in the office, Pip quickly learns that he is friendly, jovial, and good-natured outside of the office. On multiple occasions, he invites Pip over for dinner at his quirky house, where Pip learns that he takes care of his elderly father.

Wemmick is also morbidly obsessed with “portable property,” valuable, tradeable belongings which he often collects from clients who are in prison or will be executed. This obsession indicates that he is materialistic and a little cold toward his clients, as he reserves his warmth for his home life.

Pip first meets Herbert Pocket when he is a child visiting Miss Havisham. Herbert notices him “prowling” and challenges him to a fight. Years later, Pip and Herbert board together at an inn in London while both men study to become gentlemen. Herbert is the son of Matthew, Pip’s tutor and Miss Havisham’s estranged cousin.

Herbert quickly becomes Pip’s closest friend and confidant as he helps Pip refine his habits and behaviors. He proves to be a loyal friend, assisting in Pip’s illegal dealings with Magwitch and helping to hide the convict. Pip anonymously pays for Herbert to become a partner in his dream business, and Herbert offers Pip a job when he has nowhere else to go. Herbert is kind, at first naïve with his money, and a romantic, having married a woman his mother’s family doesn’t approve of. He is more practical in marriage matters than Pip, however, as he spotted Estella’s issues immediately.