Havisham

Some background information: victorian ideals

Miss Havisham in ‘Great Expectations’

Miss Havisham is a bitter recluse who has shut herself away since
being jilted on her wedding day. She never leaves the house and has
stopped all the clocks so that she is unaware of time passing. She
always wears her wedding clothes and has left the prepared wedding
feast to decay in one of her rooms. As a result of her experiences, Miss
Havisham hates humanity, particularly, men. She has adopted a young
girl, Estella, and is training her to be cold and cruel so that she will
break men’s hearts. Miss Havisham invites the young Pip to the house
so that Estella can practice on him. He mistakenly believes that Miss
Havisham wishes them to have a future together and he also thinks she
is his mystery benefactor.
Although she eventually regrets what she has done and her character
starts to change, it is too late. In a tragic accident, Miss Havisham is
horribly burned when her wedding dress catches fire and she dies
shortly afterwards.
Miss Havisham is clearly suffering from psychological damage so the
reader does not condemn her completely. She is one of the mother
figures in the novel.

The most important thing about Miss Havisham is that she is a spinster, a condition of shame in her era, but
there is additional humiliation in the fact that she has been jilted on her wedding day.

How is Miss Havisham Evidence Analysis

like this?
I took note of the
'Twenty minutes to nine' is
surrounding objects in
the exact time that Miss
detail, and saw that her
Havisham originally
watch had stopped at
Miss Havisham hides received the letter telling
twenty minutes to nine,
herself away, wears only her that her marriage
and that a clock in the
her wedding clothes, has ceremony was cancelled –
Eccentric room had stopped at
stopped all the clocks and she has been 'stuck' at that
twenty minutes to nine.
refuses to see members of time physically and
"Look at me," said Miss
her own family. emotionally ever since.
Havisham. "You are not
She has also not been
afraid of a woman who
outside the house for at
has never seen the sun
least ten years.
since you were born?"
Seeks revenge Miss Havisham has been "Love her, love her, love As Miss Havisham urges
betrayed by a single man her! If she favours you, Pip to love Estella, she
and now wishes to get love her. If she wounds says nothing about her
 loving him in return. This,
you, love her. If she tears
even with mankind in of course, is not an option.
your heart to pieces—and
general. Everything she The intensity with which
as it gets older and
does (especially with she speaks and the
stronger, it will tear
Estella) is to achieve that repetition she uses
deeper—love her, love
purpose. highlights Miss
her, love her!"
Havisham's mania.
Repeating the word 'hung'
She hung upon Estella's
gives the reader a sense of
beauty, hung upon her
the powerful nature of
Miss Havisham has words, hung upon her
Miss Havisham’s
brought Estella up to be gestures, and sat
emotions towards Estella.
the instrument of her mumbling her own
Possessive It also foreshadows how
revenge. She looks on her trembling fingers while
her obsession will lead to
as a daughter even though she looked at her, as
her death. 'Devouring'
she is not. though she were
makes us think of a
devouring the beautiful
hungry animal which will
creature she had reared.
not part with its food.
Miss Havisham is Miss Havisham here uses
wealthy, having inherited her money for what she
"Pip has earned a
money and the house from believes is a good cause –
premium here," she said,
her parents. While she paying for Pip to become
"and here it is. There are
Thoughtless could put this to good use, Joe's apprentice. She
five and twenty guineas in
her home is in ruins and seems totally unaware that
this bag. Give it to your
some of her poorer this is the last thing the
master, Pip."
relations struggle to boy wants at this stage in
make ends meet. his life.

Analaysis
1 AUDIENCE AND PURPOSE

Who wrote the text?

Time and place/context can influence who the text was written for
Who was it written for?
Purpose - what is the desired response
When did the writer write it?

Miss Havisham is a character from At the time the poem was written, society would judge Miss Havisham for being
"Great Expectations", written by a "spinster" and being jilted in the altar would ruin someone's reputation.
Charles Dickens (intertextuality). However, in modern society, this same act would have a less profound effect
Duffy modernized this character. since society expectations of women have changed.

2 CONTENT AND THEME

What is the text about and what are Content - what happens in the text, action, events, people and places
the ideas running through the text? Theme- contains the deeper message or main idea of the text
The poem is a monologue directly
addressing the man who jilted Miss
Havisham on the altar. She never
recovered from the heartbreak and
the poem adopts an angry and
frustrative tone.
What is the writer’s tone?
How does the text make the reader
feel?
Reflexive/ Frustration/Pessimistic/
Disillusional/Belligerent
What stylistic devices does the
writer use?
Duffy makes use of emjambment,
alliteration, onomatopeia, violent
imagery
What kind of text is it?
What structural conventions are
used?
It is a monologue, and it follows
the structural conventions as it
follows a line of thought, getting
into a climax as Havisham begins
to reveal her rage
Subject
Write a short description of what the poem is
about.
Theme
The poem deals with the profound impact men's betrayal has on women.
Havisham is a conflicted character (her tragic past makes readers sympathize
with her, while her hysteria and desire for revenge develops fear). There is
some conflict between fascination vs fear. > similar to Dracula
3 TONE AND MOOD
Tone- Refers to the language used by a speaker or writer to instigate an
emotional effect on the listener or reader
Mood- refers to the atmosphere that is created for an audience through the tone
of a text
The writer's tone is initially of frustration and pessimism, making the
reader sympathize with Havisham. However, as the speaker begins to
reveal her rage towards her ex-fiancée, the poem's tone shifts to a
belligerent tone
4 STYLISTIC DEVICES
Techniques that writers and speakers employ to instigate a response from their
audiences (TERMINOLOGY)
Examples:
1. “Cawing Nooooo at the wall”
2. “Balloon bursting in my face. Bang.”
5 STRUCTURE
The elements that define a certain text type. The order of events. How does
structure define the purpose?
Monologue: allows the reader to get into the mind of the speaker (see its true
identity) > realising how the jilting has led her into madness
The poem is a monologue in which Miss Havisham expresses
her hate and frustration towards her fiancée who jilted her
on their wedding day.
1. The profound impact men's betrayal has on
 What are the main ideas in the poem? women

2. Gender roles and societal expectations of

women

Meaning
Is the poem straightforward or ambiguous? What The poem is quite straightforward since the readers are
do you think it means? able to infer what has happened to her. There is some
ambiguity, but the overall message can be easily
grasped.

Tone and mood

Comment on the poem’s tone and mood. Does
the poem make use of any irony or humour?
Interesting details
Comment on any details that you find interesting
in the poem.
The writer's tone is initially of frustration and pessimism,
making the reader sympathize with Havisham.
However, as the speaker begins to reveal her rage
towards her ex-fiancée, the poem's tone shifts to a
belligerent tone
I found it very interesting how there are lots of references to
colour. This adds to the violent imagery in the poem.

Structure and form Lack of end stops reflects how Miss Havisham cannot take a
Describe the structure and form of the poems – break from the impacts of the heartbreak. The lack of
look at such things as rhyme, rhythm, stanza rhyming could represent the lack of rhythm and harmony in
form. Miss Havisham's life after she was betrayed.

Key images The image of the balloon is quite impressive to me since it

Look for key images in the poem. Say what the makes the reader experience the same feeling of surprise
image is; what it means and how it works in the that Miss Havisham experienced when she was at the altar.
poem.
Personal response As I read the poem, I was impressed by how the speaker was
Give your own response to the poem, with impacted by the betrayal and how she could not move
reasons. forward. However, as I became aware of the extent that a
betrayal had in contemporary society, I sympathized with
her and understood that her reputation was ruined. I believe
Duffy’s intended to criticize societal expectations of women
and make the readers acknowledge that men’s betrayals
have profound impacts on women.

Questions to consider
1. Why does the poet omit Miss Havisham's title and refer to her by her surname only?
Different from the novel, the speaker is referred as 'Havisham' without the personal title 'Miss". This might show her
attempt to distance herself from the memory of being jilted and belonging to a man

2. Why does the poet write ‘spinster’ on its own? What does Miss Havisham think about this word
and its relevance to her?
The use of the one-word sentence emphasises that Havisham's reputation has been ruined and this word is the only
thing that defines her. It also has negative connotations of a women, representing societal expectations that a women
should be married or else she is worthless, pointless, invisible). Lastly, the word "spinster" also has witchy
connotations.

3. What is the effect of “Nooooo” and “b-b-breaks”? Why are these words written in this way?
Stammered words to suggest a kind of collapse, both emotionally since Havisham seemed to love him but also a social
collapse, since according to society she has become worthless. In addition, the "Nooooo" makes her sound like an
animal and hysterical, something society would not desire a woman to express.

4. What is the meaning of the image of ‘a red balloon bursting?

The red balloon bursting suggests a surprise, or something being hidden, making the reader feel what Havisham
experienced during her wedding. The use of alliteration creates a violent imagery, reflecting all the rage she has within
her.

5. Does Miss Havisham have a fair view of men?

Since her betrayal, it is reasonable to say that Miss Havisham has changed her view of men and since she
only had a bad experience, her view might be biased.

6. What do you think of her view of being an unmarried woman?

As a modern reader, I recognize that social expectations at that time were much more restricted to women and
therefore I sympathise with her situation since I acknowledge that her reputation has been ruined.

Stanza by Stanza examination

Look at the title of the poem. Why
It might reveal her attempt to distance herself from the
do you think it only uses her
memory of being jilted and belonging to a man
surname?

The oxymoron represents Miss Havisham's evolution in the

Comment on the oxymoron way she perceives men. Before being betrayed she had a
‘sweetheart bastard’ of the first more romantic perception, but it later developed into
line profound hate. This is emphasized by the lack of commas
between the adjectives

STANZA 1 The colour green connotes envy, implying that she is jealous
How is envy suggested in the first
of the other women he may have while she is vulnerable with
stanza? a ruined reputation and having to conform to her situation.

It becomes clear that the betrayal has affected her physically

‘Prayed for it/ so hard I’ve had
dark green pebbles for eyes...’
What do these images suggest
about Miss Havisham’s feelings?
as well. In addition, Havisham is constantly thinking about the
man she considers a "bastard" which emphasises the mental
impact he had on her. This might be Duffy criticism of how
men do not think about their attitude even though it might
have a profound/ long lasting impact on women

STANZA 2 Spinster.’ Why does this word get

its own sentence do you think?
The use of the one-word sentence emphasises that
Havisham's reputation has been ruined and this word is the
only thing that defines her. It also has negative connotations
of a women, representing societal expectations that a women
should be married or else she is worthless, pointless,

‘I stink ...’ What is the effect of this
strong verb?
Whole days/ in bed cawing
Nooooo at the wall;’ - what does
this image suggest about the
woman?
What’s the double meaning of
‘trembling’ in line 3?
‘her, myself’ – what do these
pronouns show us about Miss
Havisham’s view of herself?
Look at the enjambment on the
last line of the stanza. What is the
effect of this and what does it add
to the poem here?
‘Who did this/ to me?’ Who did?
Him, or her, do you think, and
why?
STANZA 3 ‘... the lost body over me,’ –
whose body does this line refer
to? What is happening here?
On line 3, in what sense is Miss
Havisham’s tongue fluent?
Comment on the use of the phrase
‘bite awake’.
‘Hate behind a white veil; a red
balloon bursting/in my face.’ What
do these violent images suggest
about her view of love?
What is the effect of the use of the
onomatopoeia ‘bang’?
STANZA 4 ‘Give me a male corpse for a long
slow honeymoon.’ What is she
imagining here?
Describe the effect of the strong
plosives in ‘b-b-b-breaks’. What
has broken?
invisible). Lastly, the word "spinster" also has witchy
connotations.
This strong verb has negative connotations of a women
(societal expectations of women determine her as worthless,
pointless, invisible).
The "Nooooo" makes her sound like an animal and hysterical,
something society would not desire a woman to express.
She is both weak and fragile due to aging, but it could also
refer to the moment when she was betrayed and trembled
with fear.
Use of third person reveals her sense of alienation and she
feels distant to the person who once loved her fiance/ when
she trusted men
Very ambiguous. She could be wondering who led to the
betrayal orif she should be guilty for what her husband did to
her. Duffy could also be criticizing how women tend to
assume it's their fault if their marriage ends.
However, since the next stanza starts with "to me?" Havisham
could be referring to how the betrayal had detrimental
impacts on her both physically and mentally, to the extent
that she cannot even recognize herself anymore
I think it was very detrimental that her fiancée betrayed her,
but the extent to which this impacted her was her fault.
However, I feel it is hard to judge since a betrayal in
contemporary society basically put you in the most vulnerable
position you could be. Hence, I would not blame her for how
she handled things.
The lost body could refer to her ex-fiancée whom she still
fantasizes about.
She is referring to her fiancé as "it" (objectification of men)
and Duffy creates some sexual imagery
The imagery of Havisham biting her husband resembles
vampires (revenge as he sucked her life away)
She has lost all of her hope for the love she once had. She is
frustrated and clearly heartbroken.
The onomatopoeia is ambiguous making us wonder whether
the sound belongs to her stabbing the cake or the balloon.
The word corpse has negative connotations, revealing how
she has objectified men simply to satisfy her sexual desires.
She seems unable to love anymore.
Stammered words to suggest a kind of collapse, both
emotionally since Havisham seemed to love him but also a
social collapse, since according to society she has become
worthless
 Why do you think the poem is
unrhymed?
How does the lack of end-stopping
affect the fluency and pace of the
whole poem?
FINAL Pick out the places where you feel
THOUGHTS sympathy for Miss Havisham and
then pick out the places where
you feel disgusted by her? (You
could construct a simple table in
order to help you pin particular
lines down.)
It could represent the lack of rhythm and harmony in Miss
Havisham's life after she was betrayed.
It shows how Miss Havisham is constantly thinking about her
situation and the past, also reflecting on her inability to be
mindful about the present.
The writer's tone is initially of frustration and pessimism,
making the reader sympathize with Havisham. However, as
the speaker begins to reveal her rage towards her ex-fiancée,
the poem's tone shifts to a belligerent tone
Initially she describes how her physical and mental state has
deteriorated but then later she reveals her rage and desire for
revenge, by referring to him as a corpse and creating many
violent imageries.