Miss Havisham

GCSE · English Literature · AQA · P1.B.GE — *Great Expectations* (Dickens) — class, ambition, guilt, love; Pip's three stages of expectations; Magwitch, Estella, Miss Havisham

Question

How does Dickens present Miss Havisham? Use the Satis House extract (Ch 8 or Ch 11) as a starting point. (30 marks)

Mark scheme guidance:

Gothic elements: stopped clocks, rotting cake, wedding dress — arrested time as self-punishment.
She weaponises Estella to exact revenge on men.
Her guilt — she has made Estella incapable of love.
Death by fire (Ch 49) — gothic punishment; Pip saves her but cannot save himself from burns.
"Broken" — the word Estella uses; both women are products of Havisham's obsession.
Context: jilted women as Victorian gothic trope; female powerlessness channelled into psychological control.

30 marks · take your time before peeking.

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Generated by TopMyGrade AI · cross-check official sources before relying on the mark-scheme phrasing.