Analysis of Havisham

Synopsis= This poem is based on a character in "Great Expectations" called Miss Havisham who is an archetypal spinster that was jilted on her wedding day and remains stuck in time. As a result the poem explores the bitter resentment of the speaker towards traditions and celebrations such as marriage.


Key Quotations + Analysis=
1.) "dark, green pebbles for eyes"

• The colour green has clear connotations to jealousy and envy, conveying that the speaker is envious of the life she lived before she met the man that jilted her, or envious of the life she could have had with him if he hadn't jilted her.
• Pebbles implies that the speaker has developed a heart of stone since her heartbreak and she is emotionless, it also could link to the allegorical story Medusa who turns anything in her vision to stone. 
• Pebbles are almost immortal which could convey that the trauma has immortalised her, she will never be at rest for what he did.

2.) "A red balloon bursting"

• This line conveys that the speaker feels trapped within a bubble where her heart repeatedly shatters. Balloons are a childish object which portrays that her trauma has reverted her back to a childlike state which is reinforced with the word choice "red" as it is a primary colour and not a complex shade. 

3.) "I stabbed at a wedding cake"

• Similarly to other poems Duffy uses distorted wedding imagery to convey the speakers overall resentment. She distorts the imagery to present her unconventional view of marriage and weddings since she has been jilted.
• The line could convey that the speaker feels as if the concept of a wedding is a rather superficial celebration and it allows the real emotions of the couple to be masked, ending in heartbreak.
• The dynamic verb "stabbed" could refer to the pain she wishes to induce on her husband for hurting her, it could also resemble the husband stabbing her heart causing the "red balloon" to "burst".

4.) "Ropes on the back of my hands"

• This line implies that the speaker is clenching on to something, however the word choice "ropes" conveys that this act is uncomfortable and painful for them to do so, this could connote that it is painful for the bride to hold on to the memories she created with her partner, however she is desperate to cling on to them to preserve her sanity.
• Ropes also has connotations to being tied to something, therefore we could infer that Duffy is perhaps suggesting that the bride feels tide to her husband and she cannot move past the relationship as there is something holding her back.

5.)  "Puce" "bite" "body"

• Throughout the poem, but particularly the 3rd stanza there is a semantic field of horror and decay which implies that the speaker is giving her former lover vampire like qualities, this connotation further suggests that the husbands betrayal has sucked the life out of her like a vampire would do.  

Links to other poems=

• Valentine= both expose the harsh realities of love and unmask this fairy-tale perception surrounding it, give an honest and brutal exploration of relationships.
• Adultery= Both portray the theme of betrayal within a relationship and use distorted wedding imagery to portray their emotions towards marriage,
• Cliché Kid= Both speakers have gone through trauma that has damaged their state of mental well being and given them a deviated outlook on life.
• The Windows= Both speakers are hindered from moving on with their life, there is an emotional and physical barrier preventing the from growing and forming relationships.