Emily Augusta Patmore, nee Andrews, was the inspiration for Coventry Patmore's iconic poem 'The Angel in the House', famous and reviled for its depiction of the ideal Victorian woman. Some significant lines in the poem include "Man must be pleased; but he to please / is woman's pleasure" and "she, too kind even to force / his penance with kind answers." Published in 1854, the poem paints a rosy picture of Victorian domestic life. It gained enormous popularity in the years that followed, but became increasingly controversial as Western civilization faltered into an era of feminism and women's rights. Virginia Woolf, a 20th century English writer, poked fun at poetry when she published her own work, a collection of essays titled Killing the Angel in the House. While the sentiments expressed in the poem may now be outdated, it serves as a point of reference, a reminder of what life was like for women during the Victorian era. Various other literary works published during the period also reflect similar themes, including Charles Dickens' Bildungsroman Great Expectations, which traces the development of its main character but also follows women such as Biddy and Estella, contrasts that at first seem opposite but eventually both settle into their roles intended for domestic, inferior, and Victorian women. Dickens's characterization of the alpha woman Estella and the beta woman Biddy in the novel Great Expectations reveals his misogyny and illustrates the Victorian theme that women are destined to be dominated. When the characters are first introduced, Estella is depicted as Havisham's protégé, a beautiful but haughty girl who sadistically exercises her power over men - while Biddy is depicted as a poor, unkempt and helpful little... in middle of paper... as a composite of pride, greed, brutality and meanness. ” (513). Dickens tames Estella by pairing her with Drummle, someone who possesses Estella's negative traits, “pride” and “meanness,” to a much greater degree. Although Estella possesses the qualities of an alpha female, she is still second to Drummle, the male Drummle "uses her with great cruelty", and the word "uses" connotes that Estella is finally inferior, as if she were now an object at Drummle's disposal rather than an independent person. As a mother, as a daughter: Even the " Estella's "domestication" parallels that of Molly. Molly, once wild and free, was tamed by Jaggers to become more submissive. Dickens' "domestication" exemplifies the fact that he does not believe that women can ever be independent. Although they may start out as such, they always return to fulfilling their gender roles. As Dickens sees it, it is an inevitable fate.