CHAPTER 49 Practice Quiz — Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: CHAPTER 49
Why does Pip return to Satis House in Chapter 49?
He received a note from Miss Havisham asking him to visit. She wants to make amends and help with a matter Pip previously raised.
How much money does Pip ask Miss Havisham for, and what is it for?
Nine hundred pounds, to complete the purchase of Herbert Pocket's share in a business partnership.
How does Miss Havisham authorize the payment?
She writes an authorization on yellow ivory tablets mounted in tarnished gold, directing Mr. Jaggers to pay the money at Pip's discretion.
What does Miss Havisham ask Pip to write under her name?
"I forgive her." She asks him to inscribe this on the ivory tablets, even if it comes long after her death.
How does Pip respond to Miss Havisham's request for forgiveness?
He forgives her immediately, saying his own life has been "blind and thankless" and he needs forgiveness too much to be bitter with her.
What unprecedented emotional display does Miss Havisham show in this chapter?
She drops to her knees at Pip's feet and weeps — the first time Pip has ever seen her shed a tear.
What does Miss Havisham confess about raising Estella?
She initially meant to save Estella from heartbreak, but as Estella grew beautiful, she deliberately "stole her heart away and put ice in its place."
What does Miss Havisham reveal about how Estella came to Satis House?
Mr. Jaggers brought Estella to her one night as a sleeping child of two or three years old. Miss Havisham named her Estella.
Does Miss Havisham know who Estella's biological parents are?
No. She shakes her head when Pip asks "Whose child was Estella?" She only knows Jaggers brought an orphan as she requested.
What vision does Pip have in the old brewery?
He imagines he sees Miss Havisham hanging from a beam — a vivid hallucination triggered by a childhood association with the place.
What happens when Pip goes back to check on Miss Havisham?
He sees a great flaming light spring up and Miss Havisham running toward him shrieking, engulfed in fire.
How does Pip extinguish the fire on Miss Havisham?
He throws his double-caped great-coat and another coat over her, drags the tablecloth down to smother the flames, and wrestles her to the ground.
What injuries does Pip sustain from the fire?
Both of his hands are severely burned, though he has no awareness of the injuries until the surgeon arrives.
Where is Miss Havisham laid after the fire, and why is this significant?
She is laid on the great table — the very place she once said she would lie one day, fulfilling her own morbid prophecy.
What causes Miss Havisham's clothing to catch fire?
Her ancient, decayed bridal dress ignites from proximity to the open hearth fire. The tattered fabric acts like tinder.
What three phrases does Miss Havisham repeat throughout the night?
"What have I done," "When she first came, I meant to save her from misery like mine," and "Take the pencil and write under my name, I forgive her."
What does the burning of Miss Havisham's bridal dress symbolize?
The destruction of her identity as a jilted bride and the end of the arrested life she has maintained for decades since being abandoned by Compeyson.
What literary device does Pip's brewery vision serve as?
Foreshadowing. The image of death anticipates the catastrophic fire that occurs moments later.
How does Pip describe his and Miss Havisham's struggle during the fire?
He says they were "on the ground struggling like desperate enemies" — she kept shrieking and trying to free herself while he held her down.
What theme does Pip's selfless rescue of Miss Havisham illustrate?
Moral growth and compassion. Pip acts without conscious thought to save someone who wronged him, showing how far he has matured.
What is the "new expression" Pip notices on Miss Havisham's face?
She appears afraid of Pip — a reversal of their earlier dynamic, reflecting her guilt and fear of his judgment.
Who does Pip suspect is Estella's mother by the end of the chapter?
He is convinced that Molly, Mr. Jaggers's housekeeper, is Estella's mother, finding the connection "clear and straight."
What gothic imagery pervades the chapter setting?
Decaying monastery ruins, rotting casks with miniature swamps, a ruined garden, and the disturbed beetles and spiders fleeing the fire.