“I want,” she said, “to pursue that subject you mentioned to me when you were last here, and to show you that I am not all stone. But perhaps you can never believe, now, that there is anything human in my heart?”
– Charles Dickens
Great Expectations, Chapter 49. When Pip arrives home from London to visit Miss Havisham, he finds a woman showing a significant change in character. No longer does she appear the cruel and manipulative figure consumed by revenge against men. But she wishes to discuss Pip’s previous appeal for her to financially help set up Herbert in his career. The metaphor of “not all stone” is used by Miss Havisham to explain that she is not completely heartless. Her feeling of guilt over past behavior and need for redemption are reflected here.