Answer:
Dickens combines humor and terror to provide comic relief in a tense situation. For instance, a terrifying man threatens to cut Pip's throat. However, during this encounter Dickens interjects elements of physical humor. The man turns Pip upside down and shakes him. Pip states, "When the church came to itself,—for he was so sudden and strong that he made it go head over heels before me, and I saw the steeple under my feet." The image is humorous despite the frightening situation, thereby relieving the terror. Also Dickens uses humor to make the man seem more human. For example, the man asks where Pip's mother is. Pip points to a grave and says, "There, sir!" But the man thinks Pip is indicating his living mother standing nearby. The man finds this misunderstanding funny, showing he is not a monster but a human being with a sense of humor.
Explanation: