Study Guide

A Great and Terrible Beauty Chapter 23

By Libba Bray

Chapter 23

The next day the new Order is walking on air, thrilled to share such a powerful secret.
Cecily and Elizabeth question Felicity and Pippa to see what is making them so secretly happy, but they won't tell.
In art class, Miss Moore has the girls paint a still life of fruit in a bowl—Gemma whines about this project and Felicity bites into one of the apples.
Miss Moore tries to reason with the girls, but ends up giving in and letting them paint whatever they want.
Felicity sculpts with clay and Miss Moore reads aloud from David Copperfield.
Gemma paints a giant, modern looking apple but can't get the light right, so Miss Moore helps by adding a bit of shading to the outer edge, explaining that one cannot notice the light without darkness.
The title of the painting is "The Choice" and they discuss Eve's choice to eat the forbidden apple in the Bible.
Gemma asks her teacher what to do if you make a choice that is misguided, and she replies that you have to try to fix it or live with it.