Victorian England idealised the attributes and features a man should possess: these were qualities such as respect, loyalty, trustworthiness and the will to work hard to provide for his family. If we look at Gabriel Oak we can see - through his kind and caring nature - that he is a steady, loyal man, as suggested by his eponymous name. The reader knows that Oak would be the perfect partner for Bathsheba, and we are provoked almost to wishing we could tell her of all his attributes. She, of course, does not realize this until the end of the novel. In this, Hardy makes effective use of dramatic irony to engage his readers.
Troy, on the other hand, is more of a romantic – the kind of man whom Victorian women would be advised not to marry. He may be dashing and handsome, but he is unpredictable, and, as we have seen with Fanny, not kind or caring until it is too late.
Troy would have been a recognisable type to Victorian readers, with whom the ‘penny dreadful’ was a very popular form of writing. They would have been familiar with the dastardly but handsome villain, ever ready to lead astray the beautiful young girl who is eventually rescued by the steadfast qualities of the hero.
Although a Victorian man was supposed to be loyal and responsible towards his wife (and children), it was not expected of a man to be emotional, certainly not in public - men were expected to be ‘strong but silent’ and Oak is that. Troy is different. I do not believe he could be branded ‘emotional’, but he makes use of charm, which allows him to express his apparent feelings very freely. The women in the novel are taken in by this. Troy expresses himself easily and fluently when attempting to charm them: “Thank you for the site of such a beautiful face”(p.154). All of this challenges the Victorian stereotype of a good and reliable man who does his duty – Troy does not recognise his duty to Fanny until it is too late.
In Victorian society, women were still deemed the weaker sex and, although they were to be treated kindly and with respect, it was widely accepted that they were not to be given too much freedom, since the consequences would result in neglect of household and motherly duties. A stereotype upheld during Hardy’s time was that men were the breadwinners; women looked after the home and were portrayed as an ‘angel’ in the house. Queen Victoria herself was referred to as the Mother of the Empire. This was why campaigns such as those of the Suffragettes and Suffragists so shocked and appalled a nation used to such stereotypes.
Oak seems to fit this stereotype better than Troy, although he helps shatter it by working under Bathsheba’s authority. Troy, despite being a young, fit and charming man, looks to Bathsheba for support, mainly financial. He asks her for money, thus completely reversing the stereotype.
Both Bathsheba and Fanny seem to forget the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover”. They are taken in by Troy’s charm and good looks and then left by the wayside for Troy’s other vices to take centre stage – we see at the end that he really loves Fanny but his emotion comes all too late (in mourning for Fanny’s death). Again, the reader has the omniscient view through Hardy’s use of dramatic irony warning against Bathsheba’s initial impression of Troy. Bathsheba is worn down from a proud and well-held member of the public to an upset, weak being, hanging on Troy’s every word – “…kiss me too, Frank-kiss me” (p283) – helpless to do anything about his mistreatments of her.
Boldwood is seen to be of reputable character at the start of the novel, when described to Bathsheba by Liddy – “A gentleman farmer at Little Weatherbury”(p72). He is at first “stern-looking”(p72). Boldwood’s downfall is Bathsheba’s valentine, which she wrote to him in jest, but tore this “hopeless man for a woman” (p 72) to pieces. We watch as he becomes desperate for Bathsheba’s affection, and her hand in marriage, so much so she feigns acceptance of his proposals to stop his pestering. Because of this, Boldwood challenges the Victorian stereotype of a man, but not by being daring, or charming, like Troy, but by becoming desperate, and losing his pride. This is another example of Hardy’s clever use of dramatic irony. The reader can sense Boldwood’s ‘destruction’ before many of the other characters, and can also sense Bathsheba’s unthinking cruelty in the sending of the Valentine. She could be described as holding Boldwood’s heart in her hands, but she does not realize it, and treats it as a joke – “Let’s toss, as men do…..head, Boldwood; tail, Teddy” (p.93). There is a certain irony here, as in Victorian society it was generally the men that held the power, whereas here the balance is inverted.
Hardy contrasts Troy and Oak firstly with each other; and secondly, with the 1870’s stereotype of a man. This contrast forms the basic structure of a good novel: We have, in Oak, the hero, and in Troy, the dashing villain. These types of characters would have appealed to an 1870’s reader, especially one reading the novel in serial form in “The Cornhill Magazine”. The type of reader that this serial attracted would have enjoyed a simple storyline, and “Far From the Madding Crowd”, while not ‘simple’, provides many of the typical ingredients of popular reading – romance, conflict, tragedy, etc.
Hardy contrasts Oak and Troy with the Victorian stereotype of a man, to make interesting reading. A reader would not want just a mirror of ordinary life, they would want something different, something exciting that they could be enthralled by. In Troy, we have the charming villain. He is the character whom many female readers of the time would have swooned over together, and men would wish they were more like him – good-looking, confident: “My sword never errs”(p176).
Oak, however, is seen by readers, as the real, yet reluctant hero of the story. He is kind, caring, and trustworthy, a shoulder to cry on. His qualities are obvious, and our perception is that, while not as exciting as Troy’s, they are not superficial, but deep-felt and true. We know this from all the times he is willing to protect people (Bathsheba, Fanny, and others) and be at their side when needed: “”Hold on!” said Gabriel, taking the sheaf from her shoulder, and grasping her arm again.” (p.237, third paragraph). Also, certain parts of Oak’s character and history move the reader to pity (the loss of his flock and farm) and so, make him all the more sympathetic a hero.
Another obvious reason for the departure from the Victorian male stereotype is realism – although one may aspire to fit a stereotype, no-one ever fits completely. Other elements of realism also appear in the book because of Hardy’s concern that creeping industrialisation was threatening the rural idyll; in this, we may see Troy as representing the urbane, sophisticated man of the world, and Oak as a symbol of the traditional, rustic way of life which is threatened by Troy and his like.
Oak, being a working-class rustic, may also have appealed to readers sympathetic to that class, and also to intellectuals who believed in the ‘nobility’ of the simple man. Although Troy may have had a superficial appeal – particularly to women - it is likely that they would believe him arrogant and rash for throwing away a good-upbringing-“He’s a Doctor’s son by name”(p.156, half-way down). Also the military, although admired for their many victories and campaigns such as the Crimea, were not made welcome back in Britain by much of society apart from flirtatious young women.
By the end of the novel, Hardy’s preference for hero is clear; Oak is portrayed as a good man, one in tune with nature, kind, respectful – Hardy knows that (deep-down), women would prefer this sort of stable man as a husband or partner, and so he has created a popular hero in Oak. Whereas Troy and Boldwood fluctuate and change in their emotions and opinions throughout the novel, Oak (like his woodland namesake) is constant and strong, at Bathsheba’s side all the time. Troy may be perceived as the better-looking of the two, but Oak is not described as ugly: “…his countenance like the rays in a rudimentary sketch of the rising sun”. This simile within the first paragraph of the novel defines Oak as a force for good. In chapter 24 when Troy is first introduced, he is described as “Brilliant in brass and scarlet…his sudden appearance was to darkness what the sound of a trumpet is to silence”. The imagery here is all of strong colour and harsh sounds and establishes a character who is intrusive and almost dangerous as well as attractive. Our last impression of Troy comes from his final words before he is shot by Boldwood: “ ‘Come home with me: Come!...Come, madam, do you here what I say?’ he said peremptorily.” We notice that his language and manner are harsh and almost violent, which is significant in his characterisation. In contrast, the final words spoken by Oak on the last page of the novel are typically gentle and generous: “ ‘Thank ye; thank ye all…A bit and a drop shall be sent to Warren’s for ye at once.’ “
In the end, the reader can see how good has triumphed in the form of Gabriel Oak. This play on good and evil is also quite suggestive as to Hardy’s beliefs of the evils of industrialisation. The novel is a very moral one; one between the hurtful antics of Troy, and the stoic love and care of Oak, with people such as Bathsheba, Fanny and Boldwood getting caught up in the middle. Superficially, there are similarities between the two men, but we can see that the contrast is a lot larger. Hardy’s novel “Far From the Madding Crowd” provokes deep and moral thinking from its readers, leaving an impression of its ending on the consciences of readers.
