"Molly," said Mr. Jaggers, not looking at her, but obstinately looking at the opposite side of the room. "let them see both your wrists. Show them. Come!"
He took his hand from hers, and turned that wrist up on the table. She brought her other hand from behind her, and held the two out side by side. The last wrist was much disfigured-- deeply scarred across and across." (214)
I read this passage in the book and I wondered why in the world Molly's wrists would be gnarled up like that. It raises the questions of self harm or domestic abuse... I really didn't understand why Dickens put this in the story and ever since I read it I've been dying to find out what happened to Molly. She seems so quiet and sound, but something is going on behind that.
Any idea's anyone?
This is a hard question, but I think it's exactly what Charles Dickens wanted us to wonder as we're reading this book. The random mentioning of Molly and her wrists are probably one of many coming mysteries in Great Expectations that Dickens is going to answer as the book ends. (Though we want the book to end for different reasons...)
ReplyDeleteAs for now, I think Molly's wrists were evidence of abuse that we can suspect Jaggers of causing, and shows the audience Jaggers in a worse light, hence indirectly characterizing Jaggers as the "bad guy".
I believe this topic is meant to be a mystery for now that we will undoubtedly learn later on in the book. However I do have an idea of what "her strong wrists" must be hinting to. I think we all believe that her wrists being scarred and strong show signs of abuse, but i think that she maybe used to be a slave and the scars are from shackles on her wrists. This is my guess however I don't really know what it would add up to if it was true. Maybe Jaggers is trying to show that he gave Molly freedom?
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