The Dummy The novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is about unrequited love and despair over elitism for Pip, a poor orphaned boy. Pip is smitten by Estella, the haughty and cruel, even violent "daughter" of a wealthy, eccentric older woman named Miss Havisham. Miss Havisham controls and teaches Estella instructions to break men's hearts as a personal revenge against all men after her love for a man is unrequited. Estella has no feelings and even admits that she "...has not lavished [her] tenderness anywhere" (251). Despite her cruel attitude and disinterest in him, she serves as the most significant beacon in Pip's life in achieving his goal of becoming a gentleman and breaking free from his poor and humble life. With Miss Havisham's control over her, Estella's aloof, emotionless nature and cold arrogance shine through and show how she pilots Pip's desperation in trying to reach her and his change into becoming an arrogant gentleman. First, a recognizable characteristic of Estella is her impartial nature. Miss Havisham and Estella are polar opposites. Estella's "mother" loves her eccentrically, showering her with affection and sweet whispers to "[b]reak their hearts, my pride and hope, break their hearts and have no mercy!" (100). Their moods are so "contradictory to each other," Pip remains "perplexed [at] what to say or do" (100). Since they experience opposite emotions and Estella cannot feel love, since she "never allowed...tenderness anywhere" and coldly rejects Pip's feelings for her, she may feel absolutely nothing other than the desire to hurt (251) . After treating Pip so condescendingly when she feeds him, she looks at Pip “with a quick pleasure at having been the cause of the [... middle of paper ... of the usage that she is common (132). Like him, Biddy has unrequited adoration, except for Pip himself. Through this, Estella's importance shines through and shows how important she is to Pip. Ultimately, the only reason Pip wants to be a gentleman is "on his own account" (136). Pip "[loves] her against reason... against happiness, [and] against all discouragement", despite being heartless and "having no heart", Estella is the most influential person in Pip's life (246 and 251) Without his superiority and emotional detachment, Pip will not strive in his passionate desperation to win her. Despite having no human feelings such as love and compassion, Pip “[loves] her simply because he found [her] irresistible” and passionately declares. of being “a part of [his] existence…” (245) His Bildungsroman is based on his unrequited love for her, because there will be no Pip if there is no Estella...