Farmer Oak Character Study

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Far From The Madding Crowd – Character Study; Farmer Oak.

In the first chapter of “Far From the Madding Crowd” the main protagonist is introduced, his name, Farmer Oak. Instantly the reader is given some detail of his personality, thought implicit, his name “Oak” suggests he is of a strong and tough nature like the Oak tree. It also tells us of his enduring character like the strong oak tree, which has a touch outer bark, enduring the elements. However only a few lines on the reader is told of his Christian name “Gabriel”. This name let’s the reader think that Farmer Oak yet tough has a softer and more angelic side as the name has biblical references to Gabriel, the messenger Angel sent to God to tell Mary of her miraculous childbirth.

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Farmer Oak is said to be a “young man of sound judgement” with “easy motions” and “proper dress”. Early on in the Chapter Farmer Oak receives a very positive review from Hardy however further on we are told that on Sundays (church going day) he had “misty views” and that as a religious person he lay in the space of “Laodicean”. This shows that Oak, like other people, has faults. He gets easily bored in church and is a “lukewarm” Christian. Hardy writes this without much distain for Oak, I believe it adds realism to Oak otherwise he would ...

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