“I am what you have made me. Take all the praise, take all the blame; take all the success, take all the failure; in short, take me.”
– Charles Dickens
Great Expectations, Chapter 38. Estella gives this blunt response to Miss Havisham when she complains about how cold and unloving her adopted daughter is towards her. The quote highlights the destructive influence the manipulative Miss Havisham has had on Estella’s life. Estella’s ice cold character and reputation result from the way she was brought up by Miss Havisham. She turned her daughter into a heartless person who can neither love nor care, instilling coldness and cruelty into her.