What do the bad characters at Peter’s Finger decide to expose through skimmity ride?

Correct option is A

In The Mayor of Casterbridge, the skimmity ride is orchestrated by malicious characters to publicly humiliate Henchard and Lucetta by exposing their past love affair. This act of public shaming disrupts Lucetta’s life, leading to her physical and emotional collapse. The event symbolizes the destructive power of gossip and public judgment.
Information Booster:
1. A skimmity ride is a public mockery, common in rural England, used to disgrace individuals.
2. Hardy uses it to explore themes of morality, social justice, and collective cruelty.
3. Lucetta’s relationship with Henchard was already a source of shame for her; the exposure exacerbates her downfall.
4. The event demonstrates the role of societal pressures and public opinion in personal tragedies.
Additional Information:
· (b) The secret of Elizabeth’s real father: Incorrect; this secret is not exposed during the skimmity ride.
· (c) Elizabeth’s secret love for Farfrae: Irrelevant; there is no secret regarding Elizabeth’s feelings.
· (d) The selling of Susan by Henchard in a village fair: This event is pivotal but unrelated to the skimmity ride.