Looking closely at the language, examine how Hardy presents the meeting between Bathsheba and Troy in Chapter 23 of Far from the Madding Crowd.
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy Task: a) Looking closely at the language, examine how Hardy presents the meeting between Bathsheba and Troy in Chapter 23. Text: Far from the Madding CrowdÆ by Thomas Hardy The meeting between Troy and Bathsheba is the turning point in the novel. The name of the chapter (The same night-The fir plantation.) shows the reader that once Bathsheba has unwillingly half committed herself in marriage with Boldwood, she still carries on flirting the same night. It is ironic that she should meet her future husband on the night of her unconditional promise in marriage to Boldwood. In that small amount of time she has forgotten her talk with Boldwood. Surely it is not a coincidence that the placement of this chapter in the book is as it is. Even the name is no coincidence (That same night). Her meeting with Troy has a fairy tale quality about it. She does not meet her on the way to the shops or in the middle of the day but in a dark wood. Troy plays the part of the wolf, catching her unawares and overwhelming her. It is, perhaps significant that Gabriel Oak does not appear in chapter 23. We are told by Hardy that Gabriel had almost constantly preceded her in this tour every evening, watching her affairs ôas any specially appointed officer of surveillance could have doneö (p. 140). However, the one time that Gabriel does not do this Bathsheba gets into trouble by meeting Troy. Gabriel shows ôtender devotionö to Bathsheba. However, he does not get any credit for his loyalty and as much as was known by Bathsheba was ôsomewhat thanklessly receivedö. She ôsnubs his constancyö. BathshebaÆs nightly supervision is done without any real sense of danger, although she usually unknowingly has Oak watching over her. She is in control and feels safe on her own premises. There is a reassuring atmosphere (cows, homely feeling). However, when she does hear footsteps approaching she becomes apprehensive; ôher own footsteps immediately fell as gently as snowflakesö. When BathshebaÆs dress is pinned to the ground ôforciblyö, there is a suggestion of attack. ôHave I hurt you mate?ö. This is showing TroyÆs rash personality. This also shows TroyÆs class when his tone changes once he finds out that she is a woman. When Troy says, ôwe have got hitched together somehowö, the word ôhitchedö suggests something more than just being caught up together. Soon after he says ôIÆll open it and set you freeö. This also suggests something more than simply untangle her. She is a prisoner of her own emotions. This is first shown very early on in he book when she tells Oak she cannot love him and now Troy wants to set her free. When Troy turns on the lantern, to Bathsheba, Troy is like a god appearing from the gloom, ôhis sudden appearance was to darkness what the sound of a trumpet is to silenceö. His dashing and sudden appearance
dispels the darkness into light. ôYou are a prisoner Missö, suggests that he has imprisoned her. ôSaid the soldier drilyö, the word ôdrilyö shows that Troy is not being serious and is mocking Bathsheba. There is a hint of sexual desire when Troy touches her hand. To this simple action Bathsheba gets very ôflusteredö and ôvexedö. When Troy pays her a compliment, ôThank you for the sight of such a beautiful faceö, she is not sure what to say or do. So she says: ôTwas unwillingly shownö. In reply Troy says that he likes her better for her ôincivilityö just ...
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dispels the darkness into light. ôYou are a prisoner Missö, suggests that he has imprisoned her. ôSaid the soldier drilyö, the word ôdrilyö shows that Troy is not being serious and is mocking Bathsheba. There is a hint of sexual desire when Troy touches her hand. To this simple action Bathsheba gets very ôflusteredö and ôvexedö. When Troy pays her a compliment, ôThank you for the sight of such a beautiful faceö, she is not sure what to say or do. So she says: ôTwas unwillingly shownö. In reply Troy says that he likes her better for her ôincivilityö just to aggravate her even more. All the time he is mocking her. ôWhy should such a fair girl have such an aversion to her fatherÆs sexö, here, Troy is asking her why she cannot like him. Perhaps it is unfair? ôTroy added a sigh which possessed as much archness in it as a sigh could possessö. Here, the word ôarchnessö shows Troy as being playfully saucy. Bathsheba thinks that she wants to leave but stays because of her dress. Here, BathshebaÆs vanity is still dictating her actions. She does not rip the dress away because it is the one which suits her best. This is also an excuse to stay with this brilliant, dashing, gallant young man. Whilst Bathsheba is deciding what to say (p. 144) Troy says ônot too cruel!ö. Here, Troy is pretending to be scared and once again is mocking her. Once the knot has been undone Troy says: ôI wish it had been the knot of knots, which thereÆs no untyingö. Here, Troy is hinting at marriage. This makes Bathsheba even more distraught and she resolves to ôrun indoorsö. Safely indoors she asks Liddy about Troy and reflects upon her actions. Looking back upon her actions she sees how badly she has behaved and ends by thinking well of the impudence which had praised her. TroyÆs first meeting with Bathsheba does not have the critical overtone of OakÆs (he observes her vanity in chapter 1) nor is it like the public meeting with Boldwood in the cornmarket. This is the pure but attractive confrontation of the sexes (ôAre you a woman?àI am a manö). b) In what other roles do we see Bathsheba in the rest of the novel? Text: æFar from the Madding CrowdÆ by Thomas Hardy In her meeting with Troy we see Bathsheba at her most vulnerable. However, in addition to this there are other important roles we see her play. These are the woman farmer, irresponsible young woman, the idol, flirtatious lover and the victim. Bathsheba is very much out of place amongst a predominately male farming community. However, she copes very well. She is a hard-headed woman. This handicap (her sex) brings doubt and lack of faith amongst the farm workers; ôOur misÆess will bring us all to the badö. Bathsheba is of an ôimpulsive nature under a deliberative aspectö. In chapter three Bathsheba leans back on her saddle in a dangerous way. She is aware of this being ambitious. She is also aware that she is acting more like a man. This action is very unladylike and was certainly not expected of a woman. In chapter six, when Gabriel has just helped put out the fire he asks: ôWhere is your master the farmer?ö ôTisnÆt a master; ætis a Mistress, Shepherd.ö ôA woman farmer?ö Here Gabriel immediately assumes that it is a male farmer (as would have been expected in the mid 19th Century) and when he finds out that it is a female farmer he is astonished. The very fact that there is a question mark after ôA woman farmerö shows that he is not simply repeating what he has been told but he is repeating it in disbelief. Bathsheba is decisive, brisk and businesslike whilst dealing with the paying of the farm workers in chapter 10. She is very confident; ôI have formed a resolution to have no bailiff at allö. The farm workers are astonished at this; ôThe men expired an audible breath of amazementö. ôI shall be up before you are awake, I shall be afield before you are up, and I shall have breakfasted before you are afield. In short I shall astonish you allö. This phrasing and rhythm is very strong and very convincing. This speech again shows her confidence and her ability to cope. Bathsheba is the only female in the corn exchange (öthe single one of her sex that the room containedö) but does not seem to mind. ôÆTis a handsome maid, however, and sheÆll soon get picked upö. Here the people in the corn market are discussing Bathsheba and assume that she will get married and hand over the farm for her husband to get picked up. This chapter alone shows that Bathsheba has a hard task ahead of her because of the menÆs views of a woman farmer. The farm workers are convinced that she will ôbring them all to the badö. She goes against traditional ways; ôWhy only yesterday she cut a rasher of bacon the longways of the flitch!ö (chapter fifteen). For the farm workers, any change is wrong. Bathsheba has a traditional manÆs job. She is a woman farmer but she is not afraid to join in with the manual labour (helping with the shearing etcà). In this rural community responsibilities fall into two categories: the practical responsibilities and the moral responsibilities. Oak acts as a tutor on many occasions to Bathsheba and she slowly becomes aware of her need for his aid both practically and morally. In chapter four when Gabriel is asking Bathsheba to marry him she acts irresponsibly, firstly by running after him and secondly by leading him on and then turning him down. Bathsheba runs after Gabriel not to accept him but also not to lose him. The way Bathsheba leads Gabriel on and treats it as a game when he is proposing to her and answering his offerings by saying ôYes: I should like thatö and ôDearly I should like thatö shows how she is vain and unintentionally cold hearted. She would like the brideÆs opportunity of showing off, but not her responsibilities. We learn why Gabriel will not succeed with her now. He is too humble (she needs impressing) and too honest (some deception is required). When Bathsheba, as a game uses the Bible and key for the old superstitious practice of foretelling her husband. The way Bathsheba leaves it to fate is very irresponsible. She fails to consider the consequences of her actions. Whilst Bathsheba is sending the valentine Hardy goes to great extent to stress the idle off-hand way in which the card is sent; ôBathsheba, a small yawn upon her mouth, took the pen, and with off-hand serenity directed the missive to Boldwoodö. The flippant manner in which she chooses the seal is again irresponsible. The way she chooses the seal solely to upset Boldwood; ôTwould upset the solemnity of a parson and clerk tooö is thoughtless and she cannot comprehend that this simple valentine would spark off a long chain of events ending in death and misery. Earlier in the novel she is emotionally immature, rash, impetuous, does things on the spur of the moment etcà However, in chapter 19 we see the beginnings of BathshebaÆs maturity. She seems sincerely sorry for the pain and anguish she has caused Boldwood and we see a greater self-awareness; ôO I am wicked to have made you suffer so!ö and ôDonÆt say it: donÆt!ö. In chapter 22 Hardy is still keeping BathshebaÆs vanity before us. Here, although she is distressed by BoldwoodÆs torment and grief and is prepared to pay a penalty for having caused it, she is nevertheless flattered by his idolising of her and pleased with her triumph; ôThe situation was not without fearful joyö. She feels proud at her noble behaviour of giving an unconditional promise of marriage. We again see her acting maturely (acknowledging the damage she has done and accepting the penalty of marriage for it). However, her meeting with Troy shows that she has quickly forgotten her speech to Boldwood and once again we see her reverting to her old immature self. Bathsheba also plays the role of the idol. Both Boldwood and Oak idolise Bathsheba (Boldwood more than Oak). In chapter 16, Bathsheba, unknowingly, is performing a role for Boldwood. Boldwood thinks that putting Bathsheba on a pedestal and admiring her from afar is a good way of getting to know her. Unfortunately Boldwood has not the slightest idea of how to act around Bathsheba. In fact he does not even know if she is pretty or not; ôIs Miss Everdene considered handsome?ö Boldwood quickly goes from being indifferent about Bathsheba to being jealous of her. In chapter 19, when Gabriel is talking to Bathsheba, he is ôcriticising her conductö and almost preaching at her. She is demurring herself. She does not want her to behave the way that she is. He wants her to stay the way that he has idolised her as. In chapter 22 when Bathsheba has nobly done her best to make amends with Boldwood, Hardy says ôthe pleasure she derived from the proof that she was idolisedö. This extract shows two things. One is that it shows that Boldwood is idolising her and the other is that Bathsheba enjoys being idolised (vanity). Bathsheba plays the role of the flirtatious lover. This is shown when Gabriel is proposing to her and she goes along with his proposal and treats it as a game but all along she had no intention of saying yes. Bathsheba is solely interested in Boldwood because he is not interested in her. She is slightly peeved that the most highly respected man in the parish is also the only man who does not look at her. Bathsheba gets slightly ôpiquedö at this (which encourages her to send the valentine). The way she tosses the hymn book and leaves it to fate if she would send the valentine to Boldwood or not suggests that she wants to send it to Boldwood to get him to notice her by effectively asking him to marry her (ômarry meö); she is acting flirtatiously. When Bathsheba first meets Troy in the dark she and him both flirt together furiously; ôThank you for the sight of such a beautiful faceö. Bathsheba tries to cover the fact that she is flattered and rather enjoying it by doing her best to be as disagreeable as possible. After all, as she says to Liddy, he was a ôman who was only civil and kindö. This flirtatious manner continues with Troy again: during the hay making when TroyÆs shallow gesture of giving her his ôfathers gold watchö, the hiving of the bees etcà When Bathsheba meets Troy for his sword exercise, she dominates no longer. Before, Troy has always played the servant (making her hay, hiving her bees etcà). Troy has now become the tutor. Bathsheba is astonished, amazed. During the sword exercise Hardy uses the words: ôplumpö, ôsucculentö, ôluxuriantö. These words are used to describe the place but here they can all be related to a woman. There is a sexual and flirtatious undertone. Bathsheba feels guilty because she is sexually aroused. The tone of the conversation between Bathsheba and Gabriel when they are covering the ricks is not the tone of a conversation between a farmer and her farm worker; ôThank you for your devotion a thousand times Gabriel!ö. Bathsheba claims that she does not love Gabriel but perhaps she feels something for him? At any rate she is relying on him more and more and he is beginning to play a larger part in her life. Even the name Oak is a clue to his character; English Oak is renowned for its strength and durability. It is reliable as is Gabriel. His Christian name also shows that he is an angel (the angel Gabriel). Bathsheba also plays the role of the victim. She is the victim of GabrielÆs criticism; ôI can not allow any man to - to criticise my private conductö. She gets very uptight when she hears the truth about herself; ôyou are greatly to blame for playing pranks upon a man like Mr Boldwood, merely as a pastimeö. She feels very indignant that a man, she considers, inferior to her dares to criticise her. When Troy finds Fanny dead he immediately rejects Bathsheba. She becomes ôthe victimö. What has she done to deserve this rejection? She is jealous because Fanny is her rival in love even once she is dead.
