“You are part of my existence, part of myself. You have been in every line I have ever read, since I first came here, the rough common boy whose poor heart you wounded even then. You have been in every prospect I have ever seen since on the river, on the sails of the ships, on the marshes, in the clouds, in the light, in the darkness, in the wind, in the woods, in the sea, in the streets. You have been the embodiment of every graceful fancy that my mind has ever become acquainted with.”
– Charles Dickens
Great Expectations, Chapter 44. In an emotional speech in which Pip bares his soul to Estella, he tells her how she is embedded in every thought, perception and view of his world. We see the agony and ecstasy of unrequited romantic love as Pip tells her what she means to him. His powerful declaration of love following Estella’s announcement that she is to marry Bentley Drummle speaks to Pip’s self-delusion and self-deceit. After his livelong pursuit of the unattainable Estella, Pip has to live with the fact that she has chosen another.