Great Expectations · Character

Miss Havisham

A jilted bride who froze her clocks and her heart, raising Estella as a weapon and summoning Pip to witness her long, slow revenge.

major

Also known as Havisham

First appearance: IX

As a major figure in Great Expectations, Miss Havisham is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Miss Havisham sits in her decaying bridal dress, watches Pip and Estella play cards, and tells Estella she can break Pip's heart.

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See Miss Havisham in Chapter VIII Book page

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Miss Havisham rules Satis House in yellowed wedding silk, her stopped clocks and cobwebbed feast a monument to the day she was abandoned. She takes a greedy pleasure in Estella's beauty and cruelty, whispering for her to break hearts and have no mercy, while probing Pip's wounds with witch-like eagerness. She is both architect and prisoner of the revenge plot that shapes Pip's expectations and Estella's coldness.

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See Miss Havisham in IX

Character Web

14 connections

A slice of how Miss Havisham sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Minor relatives, servants, and background figures
Pip's moral and social circle

+9 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because Pip reaches the emotional and psychological peak of his delusio…

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In the story

Miss Havisham appears across 19 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter VIII
Miss Havisham sits in her decaying bridal dress, watches Pip and Estella play cards, and tells Estella she can break Pip's heart.
IX
Pip invents a story about her sitting in a black velvet coach; Pip feels she would not be understood by Mrs. Joe.
Chapter XI
Miss Havisham walks with Pip, mentions her birthday, shows the bride-cake, and dismisses her relatives.
XII
Miss Havisham enjoys Estella's beauty and moods, whispers to her to break hearts, has Pip push her in a garden-chair, and arranges for Pip's apprenticeship to Joe.
XIII
Receives Joe and Pip; gives Pip a reward of twenty-five guineas and instructs Joe to expect no more.
XIV
Miss Havisham is mentioned as one of the influences that changed Pip's perception of home.
Chapter XV
Pip visits Miss Havisham; she is cold, dismissive, and mentions Estella is abroad.
Chapter XVII
Pip visits Miss Havisham annually on his birthday; she remains unchanged, giving him a guinea each time and speaking of Estella in the same manner.
Chapter XXII
Herbert recounts Miss Havisham's history as a spoiled heiress who was jilted on her wedding day by a man conspiring with her half-brother.
Chapter XXVII
Miss Havisham sends a message through Joe that Estella has come home and would be glad to see Pip.
XXIX
Miss Havisham encourages Pip to love Estella and arranges their time together.
Chapter XXXII
Mentioned as having the impression that Pip should meet Estella.
Chapter XXXIII
Mentioned as having plans for Estella and being beset by relatives who scheme against Pip.
Chapter XXXVIII
Miss Havisham is emotionally distraught over Estella's hardness toward her, and is shown to be using Estella as a tool for revenge against men, while clinging to her with obsessive affection.
Chapter XXXIX
Pip understands that Miss Havisham's intentions toward him were a mere dream, and he was only a tool for her revenge.
XLII
Revealed to have been deceived by Compeyson, who pretended to be her lover.
XLIV
Admits she allowed Pip's mistaken belief; shows remorse and pity after Pip's declaration.
XLIX
Shows deep remorse for her treatment of Pip and Estella, reveals Estella's adoption, and is severely burned in a fire.
LII
Pip inquires about Miss Havisham's health; she is still very ill but considered somewhat better.

Chapter companion notes

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See Miss Havisham in IX

See Miss Havisham in Chapter VIII