Language
"Beloved sweetheart bastard" (1)- The paradoxical language of "beloved sweetheart bastard" shows Miss Havisham's distorted mentality. The vulgar word "bastard" shows Miss Havisham's deep-seeded anger towards Compeyson. Duffy juxtaposes "beloved sweetheart" to "bastard" to suggest Miss Havisham's feelings of both love and hatred towards Compeyson.
"Prayed" (2)- The reference to a holy and dedicated action through the word "prayed" concretely describes Miss Havisham's extreme longing for revenge against Compeyson.
"Strangle" (4)- The violent and destructive language of Miss Havisham's desired action further emphasizes her eagerness for vengeance.
"Remember" (5)- The reminiscent diction of Miss Havisham's actions suggests that she has difficulty moving on from her saddening past. The everlasting memory of what has occurred to her explains Miss Havisham's continuous bitter and angry attitude throughout the poem.
"Whole days" (5)- The words "whole days" provide timely context for how often Miss Havisham spends reminiscing about her ruined past. Duffy shows that Miss Havisham spends all day and all night moaning and cawing over the pain caused by the thought of Miss Havisham's past.
"Trembling if I open the wardrobe; the slewed mirror, full length, her, myself, who did this to me?" (8-9)- Miss Havisham refers to herself as both 'her" and "myself" because she is unsure of her identity. "Her" indicates how unfamiliar she looks to herself in the mirror. This shows that Miss Havisham is stuck in the past and she is unable to recognize the change she has gone through after being left at the altar. Miss Havisham questions the cause of her current miserable life by saying "who did this to me?" This shows her inability to realize that her obsession with her past and revenege have caused her to ruin her own life.
"Some nights better, the lost body over me, my fluent tongue in its mouth in its ear" (10-11)- In this line, Miss Havisham describes her dream before she "bites awake" from it. It can be inferred that her usage of "body" and "it" is to indicate a man, or possibly the man who left her at the altar. Her reference to a man as "body" or "it" takes the life away from the man, and she does ths purposefully our of hatred and anger. Miss Havisham says "Some nights better" to show that she enjoys dreaming about a man. However, the events occuring in her dream with the man are quite grotesque and unpleasant (my fluent tongue in its mouth in its ear), but those dreams are described as one of her "better" nights. At this point, the reader can imagine the dreams on her worst nights. Her dreams indicate her distorted psyche and mental instability.
"Bite awake" (12)- Miss Havisham does not simply awake but she bites awake. This sharp diction gives a sense of her life that is filled with stress and violence even in the smallest aspects of her day such as waking up. \
"Give me a male corpse for a long slow honeymoon" (15)- The demanding diction of "give me" suggests Miss Havisham's growing desperation for a partner or companionship. However the dark diction of "male corps suggests
that Miss Havisham's desire for death upon Compeyson. Her want for a male corpse for a "long slow honeymoon" possibly indicates Miss Havisham's attraction to necrophilia. Her demand further emphasizes how Miss Havisham is a mentally
unstable and angry spinster.
"Remember" (5)- The reminiscent diction of Miss Havisham's actions suggests that she has difficulty moving on from her saddening past. The everlasting memory of what has occurred to her explains Miss Havisham's continuous bitter and angry attitude throughout the poem.
"Whole days" (5)- The words "whole days" provide timely context for how often Miss Havisham spends reminiscing about her ruined past. Duffy shows that Miss Havisham spends all day and all night moaning and cawing over the pain caused by the thought of Miss Havisham's past.
"Trembling if I open the wardrobe; the slewed mirror, full length, her, myself, who did this to me?" (8-9)- Miss Havisham refers to herself as both 'her" and "myself" because she is unsure of her identity. "Her" indicates how unfamiliar she looks to herself in the mirror. This shows that Miss Havisham is stuck in the past and she is unable to recognize the change she has gone through after being left at the altar. Miss Havisham questions the cause of her current miserable life by saying "who did this to me?" This shows her inability to realize that her obsession with her past and revenege have caused her to ruin her own life.
"Some nights better, the lost body over me, my fluent tongue in its mouth in its ear" (10-11)- In this line, Miss Havisham describes her dream before she "bites awake" from it. It can be inferred that her usage of "body" and "it" is to indicate a man, or possibly the man who left her at the altar. Her reference to a man as "body" or "it" takes the life away from the man, and she does ths purposefully our of hatred and anger. Miss Havisham says "Some nights better" to show that she enjoys dreaming about a man. However, the events occuring in her dream with the man are quite grotesque and unpleasant (my fluent tongue in its mouth in its ear), but those dreams are described as one of her "better" nights. At this point, the reader can imagine the dreams on her worst nights. Her dreams indicate her distorted psyche and mental instability.
"Bite awake" (12)- Miss Havisham does not simply awake but she bites awake. This sharp diction gives a sense of her life that is filled with stress and violence even in the smallest aspects of her day such as waking up. \
"Give me a male corpse for a long slow honeymoon" (15)- The demanding diction of "give me" suggests Miss Havisham's growing desperation for a partner or companionship. However the dark diction of "male corps suggests
that Miss Havisham's desire for death upon Compeyson. Her want for a male corpse for a "long slow honeymoon" possibly indicates Miss Havisham's attraction to necrophilia. Her demand further emphasizes how Miss Havisham is a mentally
unstable and angry spinster.
Figurative Language
"I've dark green pebbles for eyes" (3)- Duffy compares Miss Havisham's eyes to a "dark green color" to suggest envy and anger towards the things that she could have had but does not anymore. Such things include a wedded life. The comparison of her eyes to "pebbles" suggests the coldness and hatred of her eyes.
"Ropes on the back of my hands" (4)- Duffy illustrates an image of Miss Havisham's wrinkled hands and old age because the ropes convey the veins of an aged hand. The aged hand suggests Miss Havisham's aging and her increasingly distorted mind as time passes.
"a red balloon bursting in my face" (13-14)- Duffy compares the bursting of the red balloon in Miss Havisham's face to the humiliation and shock that Miss Havisham feels. In colloquial terms, there is no escaping the balloon because it is right in front of Miss Havisham's face.
"Puce curses that are sounds not words" (9)- Puce, which is a murky color created with a mixture of brown and purple, is used to describe the unappealing nature of the "curse". Puce also resembles the word puke, therefore the curse can also be understood as unattractive and impure. By comparing Miss Havisham's miseries to curses, Duffy emphasizes the severity of Miss Havisham's emotional instability because "curses" are eternally bound to Miss Havisham. By saying that the curses are sounds and not words also suggests that the curses are as jumbled as Miss Havisham's mind is because they are not formed into words.
Imagery
"Stink" (5)- Duffy uses sensory imagery, particularly to show
the sense of smell, when she describes how Miss Havisham has an unpleasant
scent. Miss Havisham may have this scent because she wears her increasingly
dirty wedding gown, as well as a representation of Miss Havisham's unpleasant
and bitter state of mind.
"Dress Yellowing" (6)- The "dress yellowing" describes how attached Miss Havisham is to her dress, and the description of the dress "yellowing" also provides a timely context. Because "yellowing" is used to indicate a sense of time passing, Duffy suggests that
Miss Havisham has been in her dress for a very long time. Despite it's
increasingly yellowing, Miss Havisham continues to stay in the dress, which
suggests that she is so attached to the memory of being left at the altar that
it is difficult for her to change out of it.
"Trembling" (6)- Duffy uses sensory imagery again, to show Miss Havisham's emotional
havoc. The trembling could possibly be an indication of Miss Havisham's fear of looking at herself in the mirror.
the sense of smell, when she describes how Miss Havisham has an unpleasant
scent. Miss Havisham may have this scent because she wears her increasingly
dirty wedding gown, as well as a representation of Miss Havisham's unpleasant
and bitter state of mind.
"Dress Yellowing" (6)- The "dress yellowing" describes how attached Miss Havisham is to her dress, and the description of the dress "yellowing" also provides a timely context. Because "yellowing" is used to indicate a sense of time passing, Duffy suggests that
Miss Havisham has been in her dress for a very long time. Despite it's
increasingly yellowing, Miss Havisham continues to stay in the dress, which
suggests that she is so attached to the memory of being left at the altar that
it is difficult for her to change out of it.
"Trembling" (6)- Duffy uses sensory imagery again, to show Miss Havisham's emotional
havoc. The trembling could possibly be an indication of Miss Havisham's fear of looking at herself in the mirror.