Estella

By Alexandra:

Estella can hardly be described as a heroine, yet that is what she is. Seen by Pip as a girl who wants no more than to torture him, he is strangely drawn to her and cannot resist her charms. She is raised by the bitter, slighted Miss Havisham who enacts her revenge upon the male sex by teaching Estella to mercilessly break the hearts of as many men as possible without thinking twice about the consequences. When Miss Havisham's teachings lead Estella into an unhappy, abusive marriage she begins to see the folly behind using a child as a means of revenge for her own tragedy. Through thick and thin Pip loves Estella, who has rejected him throughout his entire life, and he turns down his own chance at happiness by maintaing the hope the hope that he can one day be happy with Estella. It is unclear whether or not the two live happily ever after, but it is evident that Estella breaks free from the control Miss Havisham once held over her and she realizes the value of Pip's care for her.