To what extent do you believe that there is a fateful inevitability to Henchard’s tragedy and to what extent is it Henchard’s temperament that causes his downfall? How does Hardy gain the reader’s sympathy towards Henchard?

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Sarah Emily Titchmarsh

“The Mayor of Casterbridge”

Thomas Hardy

“Character is fate,” writes Hardy, yet Henchard believes that some power is “working against him” and is “bent on punishing him.” To what extent do you believe that there is a fateful inevitability to Henchard’s tragedy and to what extent is it Henchard’s temperament that causes his downfall? How does Hardy gain the reader’s sympathy towards Henchard?

“The Mayor of Casterbridge,” a novel set in the early 1800s tells the story of the rise and subsequent decline of Michael Henchard, a self made man. The novel is mostly set in Casterbridge a typical, busy, country, farming town.

Fate plays a large part in “The Mayor of Casterbridge.” For example the plot of the novel relies on a number of coincidences. Many of these are to do with timing. The key initial event in the novel is the arrival of Newson at the furmity tent as Henchard sells his wife. Farfrae “who might possibly have passed by without stopping” arrives in Casterbridge, just as Henchard is being criticised for the quality of his corn. Henchard brings his fate upon himself for after much persuasion he convinces Farfrae to stay and employs him (an ironic twist of fate as one day it will be Farfrae who employs Henchard.) Henchard covers for the magistrate on the day when the furmity woman is on trial. This event like so many others is a fateful coincidence that changes Henchard’s life forever. The cruel timings of fate occur many times throughout the novel, right up to the closing chapter when Elizabeth goes to see Henchard half an hour after he has died.

Even the weather seems to conspire fatefully against Henchard. Henchard’s plans for the national holiday are ruined by rain. Also after Henchard consults the weather prophet when the predicted weather arrives, it is already too late as Henchard had already sold his corn losing money instead of making a profit. The weather in contrast aids Farfrae who makes “ a large heap of gold, where a little one had been.”

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Henchard himself believes that he is a victim of fate. He thinks, “somebody has been roasting a waxen image of me, or stirring an unholy brew to confound me!” When Henchard is at Hatchets Hole and he sees his effigy Hardy writes: “the sense of supernatural was strong in this unhappy man.”

Fate therefore plays a large part in the novel. Hardy uses incidents and references that parallel and echo each other. This helps us to be more aware of the fateful coincidences and the part destiny plays in the novel.

However, Henchard’s character and temperament ...

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