Miss
Havisham's relationship with her relatives is even more loveless than her
relationship with Pip in Charles Dickens's Great Expectations . Georgiana, Sarah Pocket, Cousin Raymond, and Camilla are
the aging relatives of Miss Havisham who don't have an inch of love for the
woman but are greedy for her money. They buzz around Miss Havisham like flies. Miss
Havisham is well aware of this, and a number of times refer to her dead body
laid out as a meal for her relatives on the same table where her decaying cake
now sits.
A
number of characters in Great Expectations are dominated by a greed for money.
When Pip goes o Miss Havisham’s house for the second time, he finds a number of
Miss Havisham’s relatives there. He calls those relatives “toadies and humbugs”.
Herbert Pocket- Herbert
Pocket is a member of the Pocket family, Miss Havisham's
presumed heirs
Camilla –Camilla is an ageing,
talkative relative of Miss Havisham who does not care much for Miss Havisham
but only wants her money. She is one of the many relatives who hang around Miss
Havisham "like flies" for her wealth.
Cousin Raymond -Cousin Raymond is
another ageing relative of Miss Havisham who is only interested in her money.
He is married to Camilla.
Georgiana - Georgiana is another aging
relative of Miss Havisham who is only interested in her money.
Sarah Pocket- Sarah Pocket is one of
her relatives who are greedy for Havisham's wealth.
All
those relatives seek after money. They all expect monetary advantages
from Miss Havisham. They all visit her on her birthday in order to win her
favor. They inwardly hate her because of her prosperity. Their visit to Miss
Havisham is based on greed, hoping to please her enough to be given some of her
money at her death.
Miss
Havisham is the victim even of her lover’s greed for money. Her lover robbed
her of a lot of money and then deserted her. Miss Havisham has learned that the
possession of money is no guarantee of avoiding cruelty and unhappiness. So,
she withdraws her from the outer world as much as possible and decides to live
in isolation.
Mercenary
attitude of people is reflected through Miss Havisham's relatives. Her
relationship with her relatives is based on money and power. They may conceive
enough hate for her but cannot refuse to have undue advantages from her. The
greed of these persons also portrays the materialistic society of that time.
