Miss Havisham

'She was dressed in rich materials — satins, and lace, and silks — all of white. Her shoes were white. And she had a long white veil dependent from her hair, and she had bridal flowers in her hair, but her hair was white. Some bright jewels sparkled on her neck and on her hands, and some other jewels lay sparkling on the table. Dresses, less splendid than the dress she wore, and half-packed trunks were scattered about. She had not quite finished dressing, for she had but one shoe on — the other was on the table near her hand — her veil was half arranged, her watch and chain were not put on, and some lace for her bosom lay with those trinkets and with her handkerchief, and gloves, and some flowers, and a prayer-book, all confusedly heaped about the looking-glass.
It was not in the first moments that I saw all these things, though I saw more of them in the first moments than might be supposed. But, I saw that everything within my view which ought to be white, had been white long ago, and had lost its luster, and was faded and yellow. I saw that the bride within the bridal dress had withered like the dress, and like the flowers, and had no brightness left but the brightness of her sunken eyes. I saw that the dress had been put upon the rounded figure of a young woman, and that the figure upon which it now hung loose, had shrunk to skin and bone. Once, I had been taken to see some ghastly wax-work at the Fair, representing I know not what impossible personage lying in state. Once, I had been taken to one of our old marsh churches to see a skeleton in the ashes of a rich dress, that had been dug out of a vault under the church pavement. Now wax-work and skeleton seemed to have dark eyes that moved and looked at me. I should have cried out, if I could.'

'JCDR -Miss Havisham The Prequel.'
http://forum.drawmixpaint.com/discussion/2142/miss-havisham-the-prequel

This is the reader's first true description of Miss Havisham, by Pip. Miss Havisham evokes curiosity from her first mention in the novel, as she is a mysterious but eccentric character. For me, the greatest aspect of her character is how Dickens has allowed the reader to have their own take on the character by two extremes, some may say she is purely evil and vindictive, others will sympathise with her and see that she is a mentally ill woman. Her life revolves around one single event; being ditched at the alter. This experience has stopped time for her; 

'I felt as if the stopping of the clocks had stopped 
Time in that mysterious place, and, while I and
 everything else outside it grew older, it stood still. 
Daylight never entered the house', 

This has also made her to force her hatred of men onto adoptive daughter Estella. Miss Havisham is a wealthy lady, who is rotting away alongside her mansion, her clothes and time. She wears her wedding dress for the rest of her life, which is somewhat believable with this character. Her utter distraught created by her fiancé leaving her has made her dedicated to never moving on from her heartbreak. All clocks in the house are at twenty to nine, the single moment she knew Compeyson had left her, as well as wearing her wedding dress and one shoe, as she had not yet put on the other. She has a manic obsessive nature, which is undeniably cruel, but I feel sorry for her character.

'Time stands still yet everything turns to dust.' 

She raises Estella as a weapon to seek revenge on men, as it was not only her fiancé who deceived her, but her own brother too. She can only focus on her own feelings, which is why she cannot see she is hurting Pip and Estella throghout the novel. Towards the end of the story, she begins to realise she has broken Pip's heart in the same way her own heart was broken, begging for his forgiveness. She comes to the conclusion she cannot live with the pain of loneliness anymore, and sets fire to herself, alongside her letters and memories.


(Charles Dickens, 'Great Expectations' (paperback), Wordsworth Classics, (edition published:1992))