I have seen many people comparing Heathcliff and Pip in their connection posts for this week, particularly their shared experience of pining over a woman who doesn’t love them back. I’d like to point out a few differences between how the two react in these circumstances, however. When Heathcliff is faced with the loss of Catherine, in this case to death, he becomes an even more miserable man than he was before, his first words on the matter of her death are essentially the Victorian equivalent of “good riddance”, and later, when faced with the prospect of his own death, he requests to be buried next to her, knowing full well that she would likely object, were she not dead. In Pip’s case, when faced with the loss of Estella, not to death, but to another man, his reaction, while not entirely healthy, is in my opinion at least, entirely preferable to Heathcliff’s. He has one last argument with Estella about the man she’s marrying, goes on a bit of a rant about how she is a part of his identity (another all too obvious parallel to Withering Heights), and then leaves, telling her that he will remember her fondly, even after this, only associating her with the good. In the time after this, he seems to take every precaution to avoid hearing of her but doesn’t speak ill of her in any way. In addition, he forgives Miss Havisham for the part she played in driving Estella away from him, and even attempts to comfort her. Then only minutes later, ends up saving her life, and calling for medical attention when she catches fire. With these massive distinctions in Pip and Heathcliff’s reaction to finding the one they loved suddenly beyond their reach, I think it”s unfair to compare Heathcliff and Pip as if their actions are one in the same, as Pip clearly has the moral high ground here, not just between him and Heathcliff, but just in general