Quote: “And do you mean to tell me,” said Eustace, astounded, “that you allowed him to have his confounded will tattooed upon your neck?” “Yes,” answered Augusta, “I did; and what is more, Mr. Meeson, I think that you ought to be very much obliged to me; for I dare say that I shall often be sorry for it.” “I am very much obliged,” answered Eustace, “I had no right to expect such a thing, and, in short, I do not know what to say. I should never have thought that any woman was capable of such a sacrifice for – for a comparative stranger” (chapter 14)

Comment: I thought this passage, especially the end, raised some interesting insights into the idea of the will being physically marked on Augusta’s body and how Eustace identifies it as a sacrifice that a woman would not usually make. I would think that anyone who consents to get a tattoo they don’t really want will feel some sense of regret — but the fact that it is a wealthy man, who didn’t treat her well before faced death, now has his life physically inflicted upon her forever makes this situation tricky for me to decide how to feel about it. On the one hand, I thought of her actions as the unattached heroine who chooses her own life, can maintain agency even on a deserted island, and turn her actions into something good and life-altering for Eustance. However, remembering the tone of this story and the intent of the audiences of its time, a woman’s body, her literal flesh, has become a canvas on which men can run their lives. A will is an incredibly permanent document, and the permanence of a tattoo correlating with this legal document could be taken as a permanent place of a woman. 

Question: We spoke in class about the legal audience that Haggard would have considered while writing this work and that many of the characters and disputes would have been familiar to that profession – some of his exaggerated situations and subtle humor, therefore, would be recognized. Is Augusta herself supposed to be satirical as the author who becomes famous and well-respected among higher society, refuses marriage proposals, and sets off alone to a new place? Would her character perhaps represent an exaggeration of what that society would typically expect?