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Why is Jaggers somewhat OCD about washing his hands?
What stands out to you concerning the description of Jaggers' house?
Why does Jaggers like Drummle?
What is so significant about Molly's wrists? In what way to they show power?
7 comments:
Jagger is very OCD about washing his hands, not in a compulsive disorder way, more in a delusional way. He believes that by washing his hands he will either get rid of the negative feeling he has with the situation, or he can wash the dirt off of him that he encountered while dealing with people he believes is of a lower sort.I believe the only reason he invited Pip and his "fellows" was because Wemmick did, and Jagger doesnt want Pip to favor him. So afterward while he was washing his hands, you can tell that he feels higher of himself then the guest that were present, and wants to wash himself of them. Jaggrs house is alot like his personality, dark, gloomy, and very bussiness like. I liked how pip descrbed the decortations on the panels as resembling nooses. or at least thats how i took it. Wemmick's house is the oppisite of Jagger's. Wemmick keeps his personal and professional life seperate, Jagger's whole house, however, gives the feeling of court life, and his bussiness. Even the selves are full of boks only dealing with crime and law. I believe Jagger likes Drummle because he doesnt hide much, he is blunt and too the point about everything he speaks about. Also his composure is much like what Wemmick turns into while working. You also get the feel the Drummle thinks better of himself when comparing himself to most people, this is a trait i believe he shares with Jaggers, so Jagger can relate to him on some sort of level. Fromn the description it seems like Molly has tried to commit suicide from cutting her wrists. I believe that the fact that she is still alive shows great power, to go through a time where suicide was a top escape route, to a time where life is still worth living is a huge accomplishment and growth. The fact that the scars, as deep as they were, didnt kill her also shows strength in a physical means.
I like the way how the book compared Jaggers washing his hands to a doctor washing his hands from his clients. I feel that Jaggers washes his hands a lot because he is trying to get rid of the negativity from his clients,and wants to start out fresh with new clients. The description of his house was very buisness-like, it showed that he is always concerned about his work. For example, the bookcases had books dealing with criminal law and trial acts so this shows that he cares about his work and he is always trying to learn new things about his career. Molly's wrists are significant because it shows that she is not afraid of pain. So Jaggers basically tells his guests that she is very strong for letting this pain happen.
Poor Molly appears a meek woman, just trying to get by on her job as Jaggers' maid, and avoiding the scary man as much as possible. Her wrists, embellished with scars, suggest a troubled past, which may have contributed to her diffident personality. Molly's wrists show power in that they show strength. The scars are ugly, deep, and probably at one time painful. She was able to overcome this, signifying a power over herself and suffering.
It's strange how Jaggers likes Drummle. Jaggers appears to be the only one (besides the always cheerful Startop), which makes one wonder what qualities Drummle possesses that could win Jagger's fancy. Jaggers does claim that Drummle is "one of the true sort" (230). Perhaps Jaggers likes Drummle's honesty with himself and his lack of hiding dislike under veils of politeness -- Drummle is just flat out rude if he dislikes someone. As a lawyer, it makes sense that Jaggers appreciates this honesty.
I agree with what has been said about Jaggers washing his hands. You would think that Jaggers would enjoy his work as a lawyer, but in fact, he seems to dislike it. Jaggers washes his hands constantly to try and clean himself from the dirt that he believes that he has collected from his work. This shows that Jaggers cold, dominating personality is just a cover for what he really feels. Also, Jaggers tries to further himself from anything related to his job when he is not working. The scented soap is described to act like a barrier to anyone who wants to talk to him, and when Jaggers is walking, he does not greet anyone, and pretends not to see them. Jaggers home reflects his true feelings, dark and gloomy, nothing like the other high society homes that Pip has visited. I also agree that Jaggers probably is most interested in Drummle because Drummle says whats on his mind and does not hide anything. I think that Jaggers admires this quality, something that I think Jaggers believes that he is missing, since it seems that Jaggers hides his true feelings. Again, I believe that Jaggers highly values control, so he believes that Molly, who is probably depressed and cutting her wrists, is so powerful to control herself and not commit suicide.
It would seem that Jaggers washes his hands more out of hope than because of OCD. His compulsive need to wash his hands seems to be more of a way of clensing his thoughts of the dirty work of his job rather then him cleaning himself. I agree with Jesse in that he might be covering up a well hidden dissatisfaction with the life and career that he has chosen to lead day by day. Because he seems to love the power that he gains from his occupation, this symbolic washing seems uncharacteristic, as I think he would revel in it. The grand size of Jagger's house also stuck out to me in this chapter, as he only seems to live in a few rooms of it. This seemed to me as a great showing of how his career has left him with an undeniable material wealth, yet when it comes to the personal wealth of companionship, he seems basically broke.
Jaggers seems to wash his hands after seeing each client almost like he is cleaning himself of their problems. He makes it seem so easy as if thats all you have to do; just wash your problems away without actually facing them one-on-one. I'm wondering if there are going to be any consequences later on in the novel. I noticed that Jaggers house is very dark and shady. Maybe he's hiding something. He is a very mysterious character, and I think he's going to be involved in some sort of conflict later on.
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