Spoilers

Why Was Estella So Enthralling To Pip?

You don’t have to look hard to find many examples of people falling into an all-consuming love. Women are by their nature attractive. Pip’s infatuation with Estella may just come down to her beauty. Even if that isn’t the final reason, it is certainly the first reason. “But, she answered at last, and her light came along the dark passage like a star. Miss Havisham beckoned her to come close, and took up a jewel from the table, and tried its effect upon her fair young bosom and against her pretty brown hair.” (Great Expectation Chap. 8) We see at Estella’s first appearance she is called fair and star-like. It makes a lot of sense that Pip should fall in love with her. A star is beautiful and symbolizes so much.

Some have suggested that because of Pip’s history of ill-treatment by his sister, a degenerative relationship with Estella comes natural. Almost everyone was always putting him down, almost to Estella’s pitch. While this may be true, I believe that Estella’s coldness may have led Pip on. Perhaps by playing hard-to-get, Estella made herself more attractive. Her insults constantly affirmed the gap between them. The answer may be found, as Sparky Sweets from Thug Notes put it, in her name. Estella means star. Like a star, she is beautiful, high, and unattainable. Certainly, this is how Pip saw her.

It is also possible that Pip’s trouble lies with women in general. It is likely that this is the root of his troubles. Estella is the only girl that Pip interacts with in-depth during his childhood. Though Biddy is around Pip’s age. (Nicole Hughes, 2023) Estella plays cards with Pip, talks to him, and even lets him kiss her. Perhaps he just clung to her and never let go. Although Pip is in London with around a million people, he doesn’t get to know any of them personally. It appears that Estella is the only person to whom Pip is romantically attracted. Perhaps the giveaway is that his childhood love became his infatuation. Pip is just not brave enough to meet anyone else. He certainly doesn’t try. He knows that Estella is not great to him, but perhaps he lets his cowardice get the better of him.

Pip and Joe never have a deep man-to-man talk about girls. His secrecy keeps him from being open with Joe. In consequence, he doesn’t learn what a good romantic relationship should look like. He certainly didn’t have a good female role model. But Pip’s trouble doesn’t wholly come from his upbringing. Perhaps his infatuation for her has such power over him because he keeps it secret. Jung might have something to say about secret desires. Pip consistently falls into trouble when he is not honest. When Pip doesn’t tell Joe the truth about the convict, he takes the first step down a bad path. The problem must be more than a lack of knowledge because Pip recognizes his infatuation with Estella as not being good. It is very likely that Pip’s secrecy gives all his desires power over him.

References

Charles Dickens: Great Expectations

Sparky Sweets, PhD: Great Expectations - Thug Notes Summary and Analysis

Nicole Hughes: Biddy in Great Expectations by Dickens