CHAPTER 43 Practice Quiz — Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: CHAPTER 43
Why does Pip shrink from Provis at the start of Chapter 43?
Pip recoils from Provis partly because of Estella — the contrast between her pride and beauty and the returned convict he harbors deepens his shame and discomfort.
What new fear has Provis's narrative given form to in Pip's mind?
Pip fears that Compeyson, if alive, will discover Magwitch's return to England and inform on him to the authorities, which would mean the death penalty for Magwitch.
What does Pip resolve never to reveal to Provis?
Pip resolves never to breathe a word about Estella to Provis, keeping his feelings for her completely separate from his dealings with the convict.
What does Pip learn when he visits Mrs. Brandley's house in Richmond?
Estella's maid tells him that Estella has gone to Satis House and may only be coming back briefly, if at all.
What lie does Pip tell Provis to explain his trip?
Pip pretends he is under a binding promise to visit Joe, which he admits is a contemptible deception.
What plan do Pip and Herbert devise regarding Provis?
They agree that nothing should be said about going abroad until after Pip returns from Miss Havisham's, and they consider getting Provis across the water under the pretense of making purchases.
Who does Pip encounter at the Blue Boar inn?
Pip encounters Bentley Drummle, his social rival and fellow suitor of Estella, who has just finished breakfast at the inn.
What happens during the fireplace standoff between Pip and Drummle?
Both men plant themselves before the fire and refuse to yield their position, standing shoulder to shoulder with hands behind their backs while Pip's breakfast goes uneaten.
What does Drummle say that cuts Pip to the heart?
Drummle instructs the waiter that "the lady" won't ride today and that he will dine at "the lady's" — pointed references to Estella that he delivers with insolent triumph.
What does Drummle mean by mentioning "curious little public-houses — and smithies"?
Drummle is deliberately referencing the humble marshland area where Pip grew up, including Joe's forge, as a way to remind Pip of his low origins.
Why do neither Pip nor Drummle speak Estella's name during their confrontation?
Both men know they are rivals for Estella, but naming her would make the rivalry explicit and force a direct confrontation neither wants. The unspoken tension is a form of dramatic irony.
What breaks up the fireplace standoff between Pip and Drummle?
Three thriving farmers enter the coffee-room, charge at the fire unbuttoning their coats, and force both men to give way.
What is the pathetic fallacy in Chapter 43?
Dickens describes the dawn as "creeping on, halting and whimpering and shivering, and wrapped in patches of clouds and rags of mist, like a beggar," projecting Pip's anxiety onto the weather.
Who does the mysterious figure at the end of Chapter 43 remind Pip of?
The man in a dust-colored dress, with slouching shoulders and ragged hair, reminds Pip of Orlick, the violent former journeyman at Joe's forge.
What is the significance of the man resembling Orlick appearing near Drummle?
It serves as foreshadowing, connecting Drummle to the dangerous criminal underworld and hinting at Orlick's more dramatic reappearance later in the novel.
What theme does the fireplace scene satirize?
The scene satirizes class pretension and gentlemanly posturing — two would-be gentlemen locked in a ridiculous territorial standoff that is broken by ordinary working farmers.
What does Chapter 43 reveal about Pip's capacity for self-deception?
Pip acknowledges his "meanness" in lying to Provis about visiting Joe and admits he is capable of almost any meanness toward Joe, showing growing but painful self-awareness.
What previous incident between Pip and Drummle is referenced in their exchange?
They reference a "difference of opinion" at the Finches of the Grove club, where Drummle apparently threw glasses and Pip lost his temper.
Why does Compeyson pose such a specific danger to Magwitch?
Compeyson stands in mortal fear of Magwitch and would readily eliminate a dreaded enemy by becoming an informer — a safe way to dispose of him since returned convicts face execution.
What does Pip do after the encounter with Drummle at the Blue Boar?
Too upset to eat breakfast, Pip washes up and heads out to Satis House, which he reflects it would have been better for him never to have entered.