Not long after the meeting, Gabriel sees Bathsheba from a “birds eye view”, this is when he realises that he feels something towards Bathsheba.
“Having for some time known the want of a satisfactory form to fill an increasing void within him, his position moreover affording the widest scope for his fancy, he painted her a beauty.” This is the moment when Oak sees Bathsheba riding a horse on her back in a way she would not have if she knew she were being watched. Bathsheba does not know that Oak is watching. This is when Oak knows that he is in love with her. As she rides back he approaches her and brings up the fact he saw her earlier, this makes her blush as she apprehended that he had seen her. Oak has became so in love with her that he would wait for her to come past the hedge every day, he “had reached a peak of existence he never could have anticipated a short time before.”
Oak chooses to marry Bathsheba but he is mislead by Bathsheba’s aunt told him that she has many sweethearts already. Bathsheba finds him to tell him that the statement was not true. This leads him to think that she wants to marry him and tells her that his is doing well in life and that Bathsheba may have her own piano. “Would hate to be thought men’s property in that way,” is Bathsheba’s reply, meaning she likes the idea of marriage but does not like the outcome of all the responsibility afterwards. Also Bathsheba is not totally stunned by Gabriel’s property and is not impressed by the idea of having a “little piano.”
Later on in the book, after Oak hears that Boldwood has proposed to Bathsheba she asks Oak to deny all rumours about her getting married but Oak refuses. He goes on to say he will give her his point of view about her actions. Oak re-approaches her and she decides to take serious measures. “I cannot allow any man to – to criticize my private conduct!” “Nor will I for a minute. So you’ll please leave the farm at the end of the week!”
As soon as Bathsheba dismisses Oak she once again needs him as the sheep are in trouble and will die unless Oak can help them. Bathsheba knows the sheep are at stake so even though she was reluctant to call back Oak at first she does so. At first he does not want to come back as Bathsheba was impolite in the way she asked for him to stay, but in the end he does. Gabriel then realises that Bathsheba may need him more than he thought, as she does not no how to run a farm properly, this gives Gabriel the thought that he may be able to have a relationship with her.
Gabriel’s chances of a relationship with Bathsheba are ruined when Troy arrives in the book. Oak warns Bathsheba that she should not get involved with him, but she is already in love and does not take any concern to what is being said. Bathsheba later goes off to Bath with Troy where Oak believes she is going to turn down Troy but instead they come back as a married couple. Oak still loves Bathsheba though and shows her his devotion to her one night when a storm is brewing; he helps save the hayricks while Troy and the rest of the village are drunk.
After accounting the relationship between Bathsheba and Oak, I will now who was the most to blame for the difficulties encountered in the course of the relationship.
I cannot see how Gabriel Oak was the most to blame for the difficulties encountered in the course of all the mens relationships with Bathsheba. I believe that it is a combination of both Boldwood’s and Troy’s.
This is because if Boldwood was not so desperate for love he would have realised that the valentines card Bathsheba sent him was simply as a prank, “What fun it would be to send it to that silly old Boldwood.” Instead Boldwood takes this seriously as he searches for love, he continuously approaches Bathsheba saying that he is in love with her, and that they should get married, “My life does not belong to me any more, Miss Everdene, but to you. I've come to propose marriage to you.” I believe that if Boldwood had accepted the fact that the card was actually only sent as a prank, then he would never have asked Bathsheba to marry him. Therefore some of the difficulties encountered would never have happened.
I also believe Troy has a part to blame in the difficulties encountered, as his flirtatious ways and seduction techniques begins to make Bathsheba fall in love with him. Troy only likes Bathsheba as she happens to be a very pretty lady, he would never have treated a women he did not find attractive in this manner. This is shown in the way he speaks to her upon their first encounter “Thank you for letting me see such a beautiful face!” Before Bathsheba and Troy get married he tells Bathsheba how he has seen a women far more beautiful than her, this is only an attempt to make sure he marries her. Again if Troys trickery and flirtatious ways were not to have happened some of the difficulties would never have happened.
I cannot see how Gabriel was to blame for any of the difficulties, as when Bathsheba was with either Boldwood or Troy he simple let whatever to carry on, he did not get in the way. This is because he thought that aslong as Bathsheba was happy with the man she was with, then that would make him happy, even though he would not be able to be with her.
So to conclude I believe that both Troy and Boldwood are to blame for the difficulties encountered in the course of Bathsheba’s relationship with all three of the men.
