Great Expectations, Chapter 38 summary
Chapter 38 of 59 · 19 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 38, Pip accompanies Estella to Satis House, where she tells Miss Havisham that her coldness comes from her upbringing, exposing the cost of her adoptive mother's teaching. Bentley Drummle's pursuit increases Pip's jealousy, while Estella insists that she deceives other admirers but treats Pip differently by warning him.
What happens
- Pip follows Estella through social pleasures but finds their familiar relationship painful, while she warns him against loving her.
- At Satis House, Miss Havisham eagerly questions Estella about her admirers, and Pip interprets her behavior as revenge against men.
- Estella resists Miss Havisham's embraces and argues that her upbringing makes the affection her adoptive mother demands impossible.
- Unable to sleep, Pip watches Miss Havisham wander through the house, carrying a candle and crying softly.
- Pip challenges Bentley Drummle's claim to know Estella, but her written confirmation forces him to apologize.
- At a Richmond ball, Estella admits that she deliberately misleads other admirers while excluding Pip from that treatment.
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In this chapter
What to notice
Estella turns Miss Havisham's accusation back on her. She presents her inability to offer warmth as the result of her upbringing rather than a failure of duty.
Quick check
What evidence forces Pip to apologize to Drummle?
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