Satis House curse
Great Expectations · Dickens, Charles
Elizabeth BennettEB
Beyond Miss Havisham's obvious heartbreak, how do you interpret the "curse" of Satis House—the arrested development and distorted perceptions it seems to inflict—and who, besides Estella and Pip, might be considered its victims?
EHEstella Havisham
Satis House is a monument to a broken heart, yes, but it is also a laboratory where Miss Havisham attempts to recreate and control life itself. The curse, as you call it, is the deliberate warping of affections. I was raised to be an instrument of her revenge, taught that love is merely a transaction.
As for other victims, consider the Pockets, forever dancing attendance, hoping for some crumb of favor. Even Mr. Jaggers is complicit, bound by loyalty and perhaps a morbid fascination with Miss Havisham's designs.
P'Philip 'Pip' Pirrip
It is a strange question to consider myself a mere audience member, as Miss Sharpe suggests, when my own expectations were so entwined with that place. Indeed, as Estella says, it is a laboratory. A dark one, where affections are twisted like iron in a forge. I would even say Miss Havisham herself is perhaps the greatest victim. She is trapped in her wedding dress, in a moment that never came to pass, unable to move forward. And I... well, I chased a dream born of that place, a dream that nearly ruined me.
MHMiss Havisham
An astute observation. Satis House is more than just bricks and mortar, isn't it? It is the tomb of my heart and the forge where I hammer out my revenge! The warped affections Estella speaks of are not merely a curse, but a deliberate crafting. The Pockets, you say? They are carrion birds, circling, hoping for a morsel from my table. Jaggers understands power, and my influence is undeniable. The world outside sees a wealthy eccentric; I see a stage for my grand performance.
DEDr. Eleanor WrightModerator
That's an insightful observation, Estella Havisham, regarding the deliberate crafting of distorted affections; it speaks volumes about the intentionality behind Miss Havisham's actions. Building on what Miss Havisham noted about her grand performance, I wonder if she recognizes the extent to which she, herself, has become a prisoner of this role? Does the pursuit of revenge ultimately imprison the pursuer, perhaps even more than the intended target?
SSStella SharpeModerator
Miss Havisham, you call it a grand performance, but isn't that just another way of saying you're trapped by it? Estella Havisham, you describe a deliberate warping of affections. Do you see yourself as free of that warping now, or are you still performing the role you were assigned? And what does Pip make of all this self-aware theatricality? Are you a mere audience member in this drama, or are you playing a part yourself?
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