CHAPTER 42 Practice Quiz — Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: CHAPTER 42
How does Magwitch summarize his life at the beginning of Chapter 42?
"In jail and out of jail, in jail and out of jail, in jail and out of jail." He describes a life defined by repeated imprisonment from childhood onward.
What is Magwitch's earliest memory?
Stealing turnips in Essex as a starving child. Someone — a tinker — had run away from him and taken the fire, leaving him cold and alone.
How did Magwitch learn to read and write?
A deserting soldier hiding under potatoes at a Traveller's Rest taught him to read, and a travelling Giant who signed his name for a penny taught him to write.
Where and how did Magwitch first meet Compeyson?
At Epsom Races, about twenty years before the events of the novel. A landlord who knew Magwitch introduced them, saying Magwitch was a man who "might suit" Compeyson.
What was Compeyson's criminal business?
Swindling, handwriting forgery, stolen bank-note passing, and similar schemes. Compeyson used his intellect to set traps while keeping himself out of danger and letting others take the fall.
How does Magwitch describe Compeyson's character?
He says Compeyson had "no more heart than a iron file, he was as cold as death, and he had the head of the Devil." Compeyson was educated, smooth-talking, and ruthlessly exploitative.
Who is Arthur in Magwitch's story?
Arthur is a man dying of illness who had previously conspired with Compeyson to defraud a rich lady. Herbert later identifies him as Miss Havisham's half-brother.
What does Arthur see in his terrifying deathbed vision?
A woman "all in white, wi' white flowers in her hair" who is "awful mad" and carrying a shroud. She has drops of blood over her broken heart and threatens to put the shroud on him at five in the morning.
Who does the ghostly woman in Arthur's vision represent?
Miss Havisham. The white dress, flowers in her hair, and broken heart all correspond to Miss Havisham's appearance after being jilted on her wedding day.
What happened when Arthur died?
He died at roughly five in the morning, exactly when the spectral woman said she would put the shroud on him. He died screaming and clutching at his caretakers.
Why did Magwitch receive a harsher sentence than Compeyson at their trial?
Compeyson looked like a gentleman with fine clothes and educated speech, while Magwitch looked like "a common sort of a wretch." The court judged them by social class rather than actual guilt.
What were the sentences given to Magwitch and Compeyson?
Compeyson received seven years; Magwitch received fourteen years. Compeyson was also recommended to mercy for his "good character," while Magwitch got no such consideration.
What argument did Compeyson's lawyer make to the jury?
He asked the jury to compare the two men side by side — one younger and well brought up, the other older and ill brought up — and determine which was more likely the guilty party, using class prejudice as his primary defense.
What did Magwitch do to Compeyson on the prison ship?
He hit Compeyson on the cheek, was seized and put in the black-hole (solitary confinement), then escaped to shore and hunted Compeyson down on the marshes — the encounter young Pip witnessed in Chapter 1.
What is the key revelation Herbert writes in his note to Pip?
"Young Havisham's name was Arthur. Compeyson is the man who professed to be Miss Havisham's lover." This connects Magwitch's story to Miss Havisham's betrayal.
What theme does the trial scene in Chapter 42 illustrate?
The injustice of class-based judgment. The legal system treated Compeyson leniently because he appeared gentlemanly while punishing Magwitch harshly for looking rough and having a criminal record.
How does Magwitch's childhood parallel Pip's?
Both are orphans who grew up without knowing their parents. Both were shaped by forces beyond their control. The key difference is that Pip received the opportunity of a benefactor while Magwitch never did.
What does Compeyson's treatment of his wife reveal about his character?
Compeyson "kicked" his wife mostly, showing he was violent and abusive even to those closest to him. His wife showed more humanity than he did by caring for the dying Arthur.
What literary device does Dickens use by having Magwitch narrate in dialect?
First-person dialect narration with phonetic spelling and colloquial grammar. This establishes Magwitch's authenticity as a lower-class character while generating sympathy and highlighting the class divide central to the chapter.
What is the dramatic irony in Chapter 42?
The reader and Pip gradually realize that Compeyson must be Miss Havisham's betrayer before Herbert explicitly confirms it in his note. The audience pieces together the connection before it is stated.
How does the phrase "gentleman" function ironically in Chapter 42?
Compeyson "set up fur a gentleman" and used his gentlemanly appearance to manipulate others and escape justice, while being morally the worst criminal in the chapter. The label masks villainy rather than reflecting virtue.
What does Magwitch mean when he calls himself Compeyson's "black slave"?
He means Compeyson trapped him through perpetual debt and manipulation, making him completely dependent and unable to escape the criminal partnership. Magwitch did the dangerous work while Compeyson collected the profits.
What Gothic elements appear in Chapter 42?
Arthur's deathbed scene features a spectral woman in white, a shroud, blood over a broken heart, and a prophesied death at dawn — all classic Gothic horror elements that create supernatural atmosphere within the realistic narrative.