Havisham Marriage Quotes

Here Miss Havisham alludes to her past. We as readers are expected to know what "then" refers to: her wedding day, on which she was unceremoniously dumped. If you haven't read Great Expectations, this can be a little tricky, but, hey, that's what we're here for!

Miss Havisham calls herself a spinster, which a not-very-nice word for an older woman who has never been married. Is she feeling sorry for herself? Does she see herself as others see her? Probably yes to both. She seems to be aware of just what she looks (and smells) like to others.

Miss Havisham has been wearing her wedding dress for decades. It's yellowed and disgusting. So what do you think she's clinging to here – her wedding? Or marriage? Is there a difference between the two?

Here Miss H shares her thoughts on marriage: Behind all love is hate. The buoyant red balloon of marriage will eventually burst with a bang. Even the wedding cake deserves to be stabbed. Miss Havisham has no faith in marriage at all, it seems.

Miss H imagines a honeymoon with a corpse. Just what does she want to do with the corpse? Well, we don't really want to know, but she clearly sees her possibilities for another marriage (and any sort of a normal life) as dead. Frankly, honeymoon with a corpse might not be any worse than anything else that's happened to her.