This novel was based around the rural area of Dorset and has a running theme of nature and its power and how man corrupts that by machines and big cities.
Oaks proposal to Bathsheba chapter 4, As Gabriel Oak proposes marriage to miss Everdene he offers her such items as a piano, and a cucumber Garden, this was a sine of wealth and entering the middle class, and even a nice little farm somewhere, and even a lamb ‘for fun’ but more importantly trust reliability he even says “that when ever she looks up there he will be and when ever he looks up there she will be” that shows a suffocating love. At that time Bathsheba is particularly interested in being tied down and controlled (this is ironic as later on in the novel Troy does just that) as she has a rebellious nature.
Bathsheba refuses him for just that point, she’s childish and wants every thing her way she runs out to him just so he does not think badly of her! Oak wants constantly and a calm nature to settle down with. Hardy shows these to differences by putting obstacles in the way of them like the holly bush that’s in the middle. In the begging of the novel Bathsheba is portrayed as a bird trapped in a cage and there is a old saying that a robin gets its heart punched on the holly bush and that is why it has a red body well as the dissuasion heats the red spots gets bigger as Bathsheba “she said, almost angrily, if not quite, an enlarging red spot rising in each cheek.” maybe there is a connection that if Bathsheba goes to Oak she will get her heart punctured.
THE STORM chapter 37, However, during the storm in chapter 37, we see Gabriel and Bathsheba working together to hold together the hay bails so the wind would not blow it away their relationship strengthens by this because they are trying to compete the same goal it’s the first time they have the same objective also Bathsheba releases that Troy is inside getting men drunk while she is out in the danger. In fact there is so much danger that she falls almost to her untimely death and it was Gabriel who saves her not Troy in fact Troy it unknowingly hurts her this is a recurring thing for Troy. This shows that hardy thinks love is based upon events like "How terrible!" she exclaimed, and clutched him by the sleeve. Gabriel turned, and steadied her on her aerial perch by holding her arm” this shows that she can depend on Oak and trust him and.
BOLDWOOD chapter 31, In farmer Boldwood, hardy presents a love that is obsessive and deranged. His ‘unreasoning devotion’ to Bathsheba ‘ is described as a ‘fond madness’. In chapter31 Boldwood confronts Bathsheba and we clearly see a desperate man. He is desperate man because he is willing to kill for a woman who thinks of him as she “ never had you.” When it is clear that she had she did more than just lead him on she made and broke a promise of not seeing nay one else and broke her word by saying that she would not marry him, ‘What you call encouragement was the childish game of an idle minute’. In this Boldwood deeply blames Bathsheba for how bad he feels. In this scene Boldwood does try very hard to keep controlled and he even refers to Bathsheba as ‘darling’ when she has done so much wrong to him. Hardy describes Boldwood as ‘desperate’ he does this to show an erratic and unpredictable natures but have an undying devotion to Bathsheba. He describes Gabriel Oak as ‘solid’ he say this to give an impression of consistency and reliability and predictable. Hardy makes that point to show the different in the types of love in the 2 suitors she refused them both and the difference between the two men is the way they react to situation.
BOLDWOOD MEETS TROY chapter 34, Moreover, when Boldwood meets Troy in chapter 34 it shows yet another type of love more of a fancy, want for sex type of love emitted by Troy. That is a huge contrast to Boldwood who has a type of utterly devoted desperate love. Hardy compares Troy and Boldwood because he wants to show that he can show that both are fond of Bathsheba but some much more hardy uses words like “devil may cry” to describe Troy and much more powerful words like “over whamming to describe”
Hardy’s point on love is it comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes and can differ as much as it does between Boldwood’s and Troy’s does.
SERGEANT TROY chapter 28, Furthermore Troy is a reckless yet attractive character. He appears brash and direct; his unpredictable and shifting nature is clearly evident in his relationship with Fanny. Troy’s sedation and treatment of Bathsheba is therefore, anticipated. In chapter 28 Troy had lead Bathsheba into a small-secluded area of a field where Troy enticed and teased Bathsheba. By showing off his sword play or his “dexterity” as hardy put its temps Bathsheba to even kiss Troy. There is a lot of meaning behind this chapter, and it has relevance through out the whole book hardy really tries to put as much emphasis on the atmosphere as possible and the feel of the read he says words like scarlet fever and fever implies it to be hot and bothered. Hardy really ties to show just how in control Troy is. Troy even lies to Bathsheba and threatened her life it is ironic that he lies to harm Bathsheba and Boldwood lie’s to help her. Troy is in control, this also comes into play before they get married when Troy says that if Bathsheba does not get married then he can not give Bathsheba his word that he will stay faithful putting Bathsheba in a ultimatum and he knows it so much so that he even draws attention to her breasts and lunges his sword towards her heart to remove a simple bug and when Bathsheba questions Troy he claims that 1. If she gets hurt it would have been her fault and 2. He simply says “o no dexterity” other than luck. It does show just how intense the moment was Bathsheba was willing to die for Troy or at least the idea of Troy witch shows a contrast between Boldwood willing to die or indeed to kill for Bathsheba for “the keen rush” love or a form of love.
FANNY chapter, The chapter ‘Fanny’s revenge’ sees the fragile marriage of Bathsheba and Troy finally dissolve. In the chapter, before Troy arrives Bathsheba is happy and child like and takes little care over men, but has ‘a mans’ care over things like business. When Troy kisses Fanny’s dead body Bathsheba is ‘lonely and miserable’ and desperate for Troy to kiss her that should not be too much to accept for a wife. Troy is by no means sorry for his love for Fanny, he acts as if Bathsheba is not even their, hardy shows us how he is ignoring Bathsheba by saying things like ‘Boldwood rushed to Fanny’
HOPE FOR GABRIEL chapter 56, By the end of chapter 56, Gabriel realises that Bathsheba might marry him after all. Bathsheba is now ready for Gabriel because Troy is now gone as well as the part of her that needed him to control her. She may still want him but she now needs some one to lean on and trust. Bathsheba is forced to act because 2 of her 3 suitors have either died or been put away and Bathsheba likes the attention. It is like Oak to still there for Bathsheba after his whole life has been turned upside down. Hardy discusses what is important about love at the end of the chapter, he writes “usually occurring through similarity of pursuits, is unfortunately seldom superadded to love between the sexes, because men and women associate, not in their labours, but in their pleasures merely” he then moves on to say “that love which many waters cannot quench, nor the floods drown, beside which the passion usually called by the name is evanescent as steam.” All this is to show just how powerful love is. This is the whole message that the book is going to put across.
THE RIGHT MAN, It is plain from the beginning that Gabriel is the right man for Bathsheba. However she is not ready for it at the begging as she needs to be more controlled and even grow up, in the begging when clever things got hard, or she was wrong she just ‘pulled rank’ so to speak like when she was making leather or on the hay bail. Bathsheba begins the book as a girl and grows up into a woman because she can see that she cant always have it her way and lead people on because they will get hurt or worse die. In conclusion, hardy portrays three kinds of love they are reckless lust, shown by Troy devotion, shown by Oak and dependence, as shown by Boldwood. Hardy does not show a clear ‘best’ type of love you can think what you like of the best Boldwood ends up protecting Bathsheba and almost killing himself. She does end up courting Oak but that does not mean that it is the best type of love only that it is a constant happy kind of loves. Then there is trot the one that gave Bathsheba the most enjoyment and the most unpredictability.
