Estella gives Pip some insight into her purpose with this
discussion in chapter 44:
“Is it not true,” said I, “that Bentley Drummle
is in town here, and pursuing you?”
“It is quite true,” she
replied, referring to him with the indifference of utter
contempt.
“That you encourage him, and ride out with him,
and that he dines with you this very day?”
She seemed a
little surprised that I should know it, but again replied, “Quite
true.”
“You cannot love him,
Estella?”
Her fingers stopped for the first time, as she
retorted rather angrily, “What have I told you? Do you still think, in spite of it, that
I do not mean what I say?”
“You would never marry him,
Estella?”
She looked towards Miss Havisham, and considered
for a moment with her work in her hands. Then she said, “Why not tell you the truth? I
am going to be married to
him.”
Prior to this
discussion, Pip and Estella had been talking about her nature and capacity to love.
This character Estella may indeed be marrying Drummle as a service to
Pip. She does not love Pip like he wants to be loved by her, but she may
have the capacity to understand that she could not fake it just to please Pip. Notice,
in this discussion about Drummle, she never says she loves Drummle.
In fact, Drummle fits for Estella just because he is of high social standing. Pip
aspires to be of high social standing, but it is a stretch, and after learning of his
benefactor, it still may be further off.
Another direct
perspective or interpretation could be that Estella marries Drummle because throughout
the novel she has been learning to seek revenge on men for Miss Havisham. Pip has been
her life's work. To marry someone else would be the ultimate injury to
Pip. Pip points this work out between Havisham and Estella in these
words:
Estella, dearest, dearest, Estella, do not let
Miss Havisham lead you into this fatal step. Put me aside for ever—you have done so, I
well know—but bestow yourself on some worthier person than Drummle. Miss Havisham gives
you to him, as the greatest slight and injury that could be done to the many far better
men who admire you, and to the few who truly love you. Among those few there may be one
who loves you even as dearly, though he has not loved you as long, as I. Take him, and I
can bear it better for your
sake!
Great
Expectations is a great novel to learn life lessons from. Whether the
intention of this marriage is to point out that marriage should not be done for
convenience or to illustrate Pip's problem of putting all of his effort into one woman,
this much is clear: Estella does not love any man, but for social standing will marry a
man who did not grow up in a forge.
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