Power of Women

In Pip’s life, there are many very powerful women. Starting with his sister, he encounters three that are of particular importance. Mrs. Joe truly “wears the pants,” as she has the ability to control her husband and her brother in every aspect of home life, from when they eat to what time they are expected to be home: even employing The Tickler at times. Later in life Pip meets Miss Havisham and Estella, both of whom are adept at controlling men – as Estella proves by using the lessons taught by Miss Havisham to repetitively lead on the novel’s protagonist. In Dickens’ time, women were just starting to gain their independence. The three major women in Pip’s life show this newfound independence at its extremes, controlling men as women had been previously controlled for centuries.