How Does Miss Havisham Change Throughout The Novel

The Psychological Development of Miss Havisham

One common aspect between different people in society is how time and circumstance significantly impacts an individual’s entire life. Although this situation may not exactly correlate to the development of Charles Dickens’ classic novel of personal growth and improvement, Great Expectations, many characters such as Miss Havisham constantly changes throughout the story. In the novel, the protagonist, Pip, develops the idea after meeting Estella and Miss Havisham that he is meant for greater things, deciding that he needs to become a gentleman. However, Miss Havisham, a wealthy spinster, is determined to manipulate Estella to break Pip’s heart in order to quench her thirst for revenge. Although Miss Havisham begins as a reclusive and mad woman, she was once youthful and filled with hope before her heart-breaking experience causes her to change into a bitter and regretful woman. Initially, Miss Havisham was a prideful and youthful heiress rather than a heartbroken and reclusive woman. In other words, Miss Havisham was “a spoilt child…[who] was too haughty and too much in love to be advised by anyone” (Dickens, 222). Due to her pride and obstinacy, Miss Havisham is unable to perceive that Compeyson, her

Miss Havisham’s development over the course of the story as well as her actions demonstrates her precarious mental state and causes readers to make inferences about her past. Furthermore, her psychological reclusiveness also allow the reader to gain a deeper insight into what makes her who she is, despite the fact that the novel is not narrated by her. In fact, through Miss Havisham’s psychological development, Dickens clarifies the idea that although revenge may seem pleasant at first, it only creates more problems in the