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Unhappiness In Charles Dickens Great Expectations

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It is a commonly recognized idea that people can be unhappy despite their wealth.
However, one must stop to consider how much of this unhappiness is because of wealth. The characters of Eliza Doolittle in the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw, and the character of Miss Havisham in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations both experience hardships and periods of unhappiness as a direct result of their affluence. Be it long-standing or newfound, the fortune in these individuals’ lives is a negative influence in some way. Despite their drastically different backgrounds, Eliza and Miss Havisham show that money will inevitably bring about unhappiness either through being victimized by greedy and self-serving individuals or through the inability to adapt to a wealthy lifestyle.
To begin with, affluence can make someone miserable through being a target for manipulation, as seen through Miss Havisham’s experience with her …show more content…

She, however, is completely and totally invested in this man and her relationship with him. Miss Havisham explains her definition of love: “I’ll tell you what real love is. It is blind devotion, unquestioning self humiliation, utter submission, trust and belief against yourself and against the whole world, giving up your heart and soul to the smiter- as I did” (Dickens 254).Because of her utter devotion to her ex-fiance, Miss Havisham is absolutely crushed by her abandonment. Many people’s ultimate quest is to find true love. When Miss Havisham thinks she has finally found true love, she has to come to discover that the man she trusts with all of her heart and soul only wants to use her for her funds. Miss Havisham is not just heartbroken in a short term sense, but she remains in pain for the rest of her life. Regarding her pain and how tired she is of reliving it she reminisces “I am tired. I want diversion, and I have done with men and women” (Dickens 61). Miss Havisham is completely

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