The character to fall in love with Bathsheba is Sergeant Francis Troy. He is a handsome young soldier who Bathsheba meets after she has vaguely agreed to marry Boldwood. Troy is a complete contrast to Boldwood both in character and personality. Troy's mother was a French Governess who worked in an aristocratic household. There she had an affair with "Lord Severn" which resulted in her becoming pregnant, which makes Troy and illegitimate child. (this reflects him having an illegitimate child with fanny) She lost her job and married a poor medical man. So "He's a doctor's son by name, which is a great deal; and he's an earl's son by nature". This means that while he has a respectable name he likes to take sexual advantage of women like his natural father. He was in a grammar school when he was young which shows how intelligent he was. He went on to get a job as a second clerk and could have worked himself into a more "Dignified position. However he showed how he can be unpredictable, wild, rash and irresponsible by enlisting in the army. Though he became a Sergeant and rose through the ranks "Without trying at all". This is the complete opposite of Boldwood who is more predictable and responsible. Bathsheba first meets him when the spur on his shoe gets caught in her dress. Troy looked "Brilliant in brass and scarlet" and "His sudden appearance was to darkness what the sound of a trumpet is to silence. The gloom of the place was "Over-thrown" not by the lantern, nevertheless from Troy whom the lantern was lighting. This is a complete contrast to Boldwood who is associated with gloom, darkness and the colour black. Troy says “my sword never errs” which is ironic since it implies that he can not hurt anyone, yet her hurt Bathsheba. Troy was trying to flatter Bathsheba with complements on her beauty. He says "Thank you for the site of such a beautiful face" and "I've seen a good many women in my time but I've never seen a woman as beautiful as you". He then says "Take it or leave it - be offended or like it - I don't care". Unlike Gabriel or Boldwood he doesn't put any pressure on her. He doesn't want her to make a commitment, which in turn helps her to relax. She is simply “dazzled by brass and scarlet” .Bathsheba is so intrigued by Troy that she asks about him through Liddy. There are also some referrals to marriage like "Hitched" and the "Knot of knots". Troy has a particular way of behaving which sets him apart from other people, his "Idiosyncrasy". Sudden changes of mind or "Vicissitude" were typical of his personality. He only "cared for what was before his eyes, he was vulnerable only in the present". "With him the past was yesterday; the future, to-morrow; never, the day after" and "Memories were an encumbrance". He is only concerned with the present and not anything he might have done in the past. Troy is not too concerned with the consequences of his actions. He doesn't think too far ahead when it comes to the future. This is very like Bathsheba, since neither of them accepts the consequences. He was "Moderately truthful towards men, but to women lied like a Cretan", particularly if it was to his advantage. He was fairly truthful to men so he could gain popularity however it makes him unreliable and irresponsible. Any women involved with him would have to deceive themselves to believe anything would come of him. He "Could speak of love and think of dinner; call on the husband to look at the wife", making him insincere and deceitful. His best talent is his "Wondrous power of flattery" which he uses to entice women. He doesn't have a very high opinion of women and he says "Treat them fairly and you are a lost man". Bathsheba is playing with fire by getting involved with Troy, however I think it is in her character to take risks, like the valentine.
Bathsheba marries Troy. If it was a battle she would have lost because she wanted Troy to marry her. She went away to meet him, which was a gamble because if she had come back unmarried it would have been disgraceful. The beginning of the break-down of their marriage happens at their wedding celebration. Troy had got all the men inebriated and had sent the women home. The men couldn't refuse because he would sack them and they would be showing the "White feather" for being a coward. While all this is happening there is a storm outside which threatens to destroy all the hay. Luckily Gabriel and Bathsheba managed to save the hay in time. In the morning all the men at the party are suffering from hangovers, except for Troy who walks away normally. This shows that he has done it before and is likely to do it again, he is accustomed to this lifestyle. Troy has another bad habit of gambling on cockerel fights. It is his favourite pastime however Troy is not very good at selecting winners and his losses a lot of money. He then asks Bathsheba to give him more money however he does not tell her why. Troy likes to go out at night and neglects Bathsheba for other pastimes. Now that he has got what he wanted by marrying Bathsheba he has now lost interest in her. When Fanny Robins returns in poverty stricken position he wants to help he. He was reluctant to allow her to stay one night in a workhouse. He said he would help her financially which could mean that he still had feelings for her. Fanny Robins died overnight during childbirth and her coffin coincidentally ended up in Bathsheba's house. Bathsheba goes to investigate the coffin and she finds Troy there. She finally realises that he doesn't love her when he says "Dead is she is, she means more to me now than you were or ever will be". He kissed the dead Fanny Robins rather than Bathsheba. This was the point when the break-down of their marriage became irretrievable. Troy then disappears and fakes his own death by pretending to drown. Bathsheba’s years with troy was the suffering in her life, I think it tells us that suffering can be good, because you can learn from it. Bathsheba changed a lot through marrying Troy. Bathsheba married troy through jealousy and distraction, which I think strangely enough, a bit like eating chocolate….. You’re tempted- you eat the chocolate- and you have to face the consequences (putting on weight). You can’t face anyone else eating that bar of chocolate, yet you know you shouldn’t, this tells us that Bathsheba is a greedy person. Not because she likes chocolate, but the fact that she can’t bare to let anyone else have attention (we also are told this when she says “oh kiss me frank! Kiss me!” in reaction to him kissing the dead body of fanny).
Gabriel Oak is a local farmer whose life takes a roller-coaster ride during the story. Gabriel has a huge smile which is spontaneous, natural and it spreads from one side of his face to the other. Unlike Bathsheba, when Gabriel smiles he does it to show his emotions. This completely contradicts Bathsheba, whose smile was a "Factious one". Gabriel is a man of "Sound judgement, easy motions, proper dress, and general good character". He is reliable and dependable however he is not a charismatic character with an outgoing personality. Gabriel has a very lazy attitude to religion because he only goes to church because he has no choice in the matter. He is not interested in the spiritual aspects of religion, making him a more materialistic character. He would rather be out working than have to sit in a church all day. He even manages a "Yawn" because he is so bored and starts to think about his dinner. Gabriel’s character varies on people’s mood at the time. If they are angry or "In tantrums" he was considered a "Bad man". If on the other hand people "were pleased" he was considered a "Good man". If they were nether they had mixed emotions about him. This shows how Gabriel does not have a character of his own because he relies on other people to give him one. Gabriel’s general appearance can sometimes be almost comic. He wears a large hat which is wedged into his head, a large coat which drops down to his feet, very large boots and leather leggings. He has a very large watch which in size is a small clock. Because it is very old it sometimes goes too fast or it doesn't work at all. Gabriel also has difficulty in getting the "Watch" out of his pocket and the whole action is compared to getting a "Bucket from a well". He also has a very peculiar habit of putting his face up against the windows of his neighbours to see what the time is. He also uses the sun and the stars to tell the time, which shows that he is not an urbane person. Gabriel has a "Quiet modesty" about him. He walks "Unassumingly" and does not impose himself on people, so he doesn't draw attention to himself. Gabriel is someone who is down to earth and he never lets his heart rule his head.
Oak wants to marry Bathsheba, His reasons for wanting to marry her are purely practical. He wants to marry her because he feels that he needs her help financially, in his prospects and development. He only sees Bathsheba superficially, her beauty and attractiveness are the only things he sees. He does not know what she is like personality wise. He also does not have much confidence in himself because he is easily put off by Bathsheba's aunt. She taunts him by saying that Bathsheba has "ever so many young men". After hearing this he doesn't even stay to speak to Bathsheba as he feels that he has lost any chance he had. When Bathsheba runs after Gabriel it gives him a false sense of hope. As soon as Gabriel sees Bathsheba running after him he thinks that she wouldn't be doing it unless she had decide to accept his proposal. This points out how she wouldn’t like people knowing she was engaged because she might think she would get less attention. Then his manner of proposal is ridiculous and comic. He does flatter her or talk about any passionate feelings he has for her. He says "Whenever you look up there I shall be and whenever I look up, there will be you". He try's to impress Bathsheba by saying he could make her "happy" with the promise of a "Piano", a "Cucumber frame", a cart and evenings by the fire. This does not represent the kind of lifestyle that Bathsheba wants. Bathsheba is attracted to the idea, not the reality of marriage. She gives Gabriel a very lukewarm response. Though she does like the idea of marriage because she says "People would talk about me and think I had one by battle, and I should feel triumphant". However she does not want to live a subservient to her husband for the rest of her life. All this leads to his proposal being rejected. She says "I hate to be thought men's property in that way". This tells us that she wants to in control of her life and individual – (which she later gets when inheriting her uncles farm).
There many occasions during the story when Gabriel helps or protects Bathsheba, there by living up to his name being associated with the Guardian angle Gabriel. When Bathsheba's farm was on fire Gabriel happened to pass by. They were not coping with the fire and Gabriel took control of the situation. He made the people stand in a line to pass the water and this helped to save her farm. There was another occasion when Bathsheba's sheep escaped and became ill by eating some poisonous plants. Gabriel was the "One person in the country" who could save them. The sheep were full of gas and it required Gabriel’s precision to cure them. Gabriel was the only person during the harvest party who was concerned because of the storm that was brewing. He again helped Bathsheba by saving the hay while the others were all getting drunk. Gabriel try's to protect Bathsheba from the knowledge that Fanny Robins had a child by rubbing off its name from the coffin. He knew she would be upset because she would have known that the child was Troy's. This tells us that Bathsheba, although wants to be in control of her life, simply finds it very difficult.
Bathsheba has changed a lot throughout the book; she also shows more responsibility by helping Gabriel save the hay during the storm. Bathsheba would not have tried to stop Gabriel from leaving if her character had not changed. She now appreciates Gabriel’s qualities and feels that he is the right man for her.
Throughout the rest of the book, Bathsheba and oak form a strong friendship – ‘the only friendship she had ever had… owned’ and after not having the foundation of a friendship with neither Boldwood nor Troy and neither of those relationships working out. It tells us that oak was the one for Bathsheba.
