Havisham Madness Quotes

This phrase, which begins the poem, just might be a symptom of Miss Havisham's madness. Can someone be both a sweetheart and a bastard at the same time? She could be purposefully using an oxymoron to present contradictory ideas. (She both loves and hates her ex-fiancé.) Or maybe she's a little nuts, and the contradiction flies completely over her head.

Here Miss Havisham is certainly aware of herself. She knows she's a spinster. She even acknowledges the fact that she stinks. So maybe she's not so crazy? She seems pretty aware of herself and the situation she's in.

Lying in bed all day screaming at the wall doesn't exactly sound like good mental health behavior to us. Then again, who hasn't been temporarily destroyed by the breakup of a relationship at some point in their lives? Shmoop recommends ice cream.