Question
In the Passage, why would Miss Havisham's wedding experience have been life-altering from her point of view as a woman in the Victorian era?
She would feel empowered by her single status.
She would inherit a great deal more money.
She would be publicly humiliated.
She would have to give up her home.
book is great expectations by Charles dickens
She would feel empowered by her single status.
She would inherit a great deal more money.
She would be publicly humiliated.
She would have to give up her home.
book is great expectations by Charles dickens
Answers
GPT-4o mini
In the context of "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens, Miss Havisham's wedding experience would have been life-altering primarily because **she would be publicly humiliated**. In the Victorian era, marriage was often seen as a woman’s ultimate goal and a critical aspect of her identity. Miss Havisham was left at the altar, which brought her significant shame and embarrassment in a society where a woman’s value was often tied to her marital status.
This traumatic event caused her to become reclusive, living in a decaying bridal gown and stopping the clocks at the time of her wedding, symbolizing her inability to move on from that moment. Instead of feeling empowered by her single status or inheriting more money (which are not the primary implications of her situation), the humiliation and heartbreak she experienced led to a life marked by bitterness and isolation. Thus, her wedding experience had profound psychological and social consequences for her life as a woman in that era.
This traumatic event caused her to become reclusive, living in a decaying bridal gown and stopping the clocks at the time of her wedding, symbolizing her inability to move on from that moment. Instead of feeling empowered by her single status or inheriting more money (which are not the primary implications of her situation), the humiliation and heartbreak she experienced led to a life marked by bitterness and isolation. Thus, her wedding experience had profound psychological and social consequences for her life as a woman in that era.