If He Should Turn And Beat Her

In her article, “If He Should Turn and Beat Her”, Hilary Schor describes Great Expectations through a feminist perspective. In her reading, Schor characterizes both Pip’s feminine upbringing, which leads to his victimization, and its effect on his perception of other women. Pip is raised by Pip’s sister and her husband, Joe. Contrary to the traditional societal roles of the time, Pip’s sister seems to act as the masculine, with a cold, callous attitude. Furthermore, she is abusive to both Pip and her husband. Joe, on the other hand, takes on a motherly attitude, offering advice to Pip and worrying about his wellbeing. Pip, perceiving that a man must be submissive to his wife, develops a flaccid personality, like one would equate with a feminine docility. Schor equates this with sexual oppression, as Pip develop his masculine side. Thus, Pip often associates himself with feminine language, and at times, the role of the heroine. Irigaray would compare this idea to the concept of male subjectivity. While it is a female character that possesses the masculine identity, her subjectivity as an abuser still creates a distortion between her own femininity and Joe and Pip’s masculinity. Pip’s sister holds the phallus in the family, one which is negative and therefore expressively tyrannical. Nevertheless, Pip does not realize his psychic castration, and seeks to escape the abuses he faces. Eventually, this desire leads him to Ms.

Estella asserts suffering has changed her more than love or desire ever could. After all the years, Estella only ask one thing of Pip: his friendship. Something which he has never could give her because of his failure to see Estella for who she is. Schor insists this is because “the novel is haunted by… women Pip cannot see clearly” (556). Estella, after observing Pip’s character growth, escapes from this distinction, and both are satisfied with “sufficient