Although many think of a prison as a physical building with walls and bars, it can also be a state of mind. In Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, several of the main characters are imprisoned within their own minds either by their own doing or by the actions of others. This essay is about three of those characters; Pip, Miss Havisham and Estella, the internal prisons that confine them, and how, ultimately, they are able to free themselves.
             Pip, the main character of the story, is an orphan boy raised by his sister and her husband. He is ashamed of his humble beginnings and allows his desire for self improvement and social advancement to overshadow his basic goodness. "I am ignorant and backward." Pip is embarrassed by his lack of a good education. He is unhappy because he is poor and does not feel loved by his sister. "I am heavily in debt ... and I have been bred to no calling, and I am fit for nothing." Pip thinks money is the key to success and happiness. When he loses his fortune, he realizes who is true friends are. "After so many years, it is strange that we should meet again." After eleven long years, Pip is finally seeing Estella again and she wants to rekindle their lost friendship. Pip is sad because seeing Estella brings back very painful memories of their last meeting so many years ago. Pip is released from his self made prison by reestablishing his friendship with Estella.
             *Miss Havisham is a wealthy old lady who lives in a decaying mansion. "So old to me ... so familiar to me; so melancholy to both of us", her own prison is created because she refuses to move past the heartbreak of being jilted on her wedding day. She is living but time stands still for her. "You cold, cold heart", Miss Havisham finally realizes what she is doing to Estella. She has turned Estella into a young version of herself. &qu
             ...