The Mayor of Casterbridge
The Mayor of Casterbridge was written by Hardy in 1886, and uses many fictional devices such as Pathetic fallacy to bring out the emotions of his characters. In many ways this is a tragedy, with Michael Henchard as our ‘Macbeth’, but also flawed by fate and disasters beyond his control. As with many other tragedies, the reader is made to feel sympathetic for the protagonist, but in the end, Henchard, of course, dies.
Henchard
Michael Henchard is the first character that we meet in the Mayor of Casterbridge. We see him to be a rash, volatile young man with a dangerous drink habit. He does whatever he thinks of on the impulse, and then regrets it later.
Take the first chapter, for example. After eating/drinking some ‘furmity’ (a sort of broth of soup and sometimes alcohol) he decides to sell his wife. “This woman is no good to me,” he says, showing complete indifference to his wife. “Why, begad, I’d sell mine (wife) this minute if anybody would buy her.” Of course, when he wakes up the next day, he cannot believe what he has done, but still tries to blame his wife, Susan. “Surprised and nettled,” it says, supposedly meaning that it was her fault that he sold her.
However, Henchard is determined to make right his great wrong, and he makes this oath:
“I, Michael Henchard, on this morning of the sixteenth of September, do take an oath before God here in this solemn place that I will avoid all strong liquors for the space of twenty – one years to come, being a year for every year that I have lived. And this I swear upon the book before me; and may I be strook dumb, blind, and helpless, if I break this my oath!”
This is a turning point in the book for Henchard, as he will not now drink until a whole twenty – one years have passed!
When we next see Michael Henchard, it is in Casterbridge, Hardy’s fictional town near to Dorchester.
The next rash thing that he does is his engagement of Farfrae on the spur of the moment, and also telling him about the sale of his wife (in roundabout terms) with Farfrae still a complete stranger!! Then his unthinking dismissal of Joshua Jopp away with these harsh words-
“Well you’re late. I can say no more.”
From this we can assess that Henchard is a man who does not consider the consequences of his actions before he goes ahead with them.
And he would certainly come to regret hiring Donald Farfrae.
However, I do admire certain aspects of Henchard’s character. He shows a great deal of passion, but also fairness (e.g. the fight in the hayloft, where he says “As the strongest man, I’ve tied one arm to take no advantage of ‘ee.”)
Also, he is less intelligent, but more trusting (e.g. telling Farfrae his secrets).
However he dies a tired and greatly saddened man, broken by lies told by and to him, and the loss of Elizabeth Jane to Newson. All in all, he has very childlike emotions.
Farfrae
We first meet Donald Farfrae outside the council chamber in Casterbridge, and quickly learn that he is a Scotsman, (or ‘Scotchman’) who is immigrating to America to work as a Corn – Factor. He is a lot younger than Henchard, and a lot more intelligent, but also a lot colder at heart. He is always quite calculating, and never shows much emotion, save for the song he sings about his ‘Ain countree’ in the Three Mariners.
The first image we’re first given of him is that he is a bright, friendly, intelligent young man, so the townsfolk of Casterbridge immediately get on with him, preferring him even to Henchard, their mayor (although that could just be due to the natural instinct that people have to hate others with more power than themselves).
This is shown by Henchard’s jealousy of Farfrae’s construction in the West walk in Casterbridge.
However, Farfrae can be very cruel, even when he doesn’t realise it himself, such as when he buys Henchard’s furniture and house, and then offers some of it back to him. “It will not be depriving me, and I will have plenty of opportunities of getting more.”
This is a terribly patronising thing to say to Henchard, a man of great pride who has lost everything.
All in all, Farfrae has everything that Michael doesn't: the love of Lucetta, the support of the townspeople, and eventually the mayorship of Casterbridge. This is taken as a deep insult by Henchard, who used to have all of that, but has lost it all to his triumphant young rival, whom he himself brought down on him.
Who do I prefer?
After reviewing the characters of both of the key male roles, I have to prefer Michael Henchard, for his emotion, determination and pure, simple humanity.
He is warmer and more sensitive than Farfrae, and I believe deserves far more respect than the latter.
