Thursday, March 11, 2010

Great Expectations: A Question About a Passage

Before I ask whoever is reading this my question I'm going to inform you that the pages in my book do not match up with the ones in the books that most people have. The page I cite will be around the actual correct page though!


When Estella arrives in London her and Pip go to a little room for tea. While in the room Estella's mood turns dark as the topic of Miss Havisham and her aquintances comes up and she says,"It is not easy for even you," said Estella, "to know what satisfaction it gives me to see those people thwarted, or what an enjoyable sense of the ridiculous I have when they are made ridiculous. For you were not brought up in that strange house from a mere baby.-I was. You had not your little wits sharpened by their intriguing against you, suppressed and defenceless, under the mask of sympathy and pity and what not that is soft and soothing.-I had."(267 ch. 33) I understand that Estella has negative feelings towards Miss Havisham's relations. I understand that Estella has negatives feelings for Miss Havisham's aquantences and that they show sympathy and pity for her but since it's a "mask of sympathy and pity" they're covering their true feelings towards Estella. So my question is what are their actual feelings regarding Estella?

1 comment:

  1. wow I had a question about that too! I was wondering why they were masking their feelings or why they felt the need to? You did a good job of giving background info on your question.

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