“ The lamb isn’t really the business I came about, Mrs Hurst In short I was going to ask her if she’d like to be married”
Bathsheba’s aunt teases him saying that she has so many young men hanging around her it would be hard for him to have a chance with her. Gabriel is “ only an everyday sort of man, l and my only chance was being the first comer” Gabriel leaves deeply embarrassed and just as he is leaving Bathsheba come running out of the house after him and says that her aunt has made a mistake and that she has never had a beau. “Really and truly I am glad to hear that said Oak smiling one of his special smiles”
Gabriel thinks Bathsheba has said yes, but when he starts talking about when they are married she says she doesn’t love him and therefore cannot marry him. As Bathsheba won’t marry him she will continue to live with her aunt until she finds someone she loves.
Gabriel says he doesn’t mind not being loved and only liked but this won’t do for Bathsheba when she marries it will be for love only. “ I shall do one thing in this life- one thing is certain- that is, love you, and long for you, and keep waiting for you till I die” Gabriel says, Bathsheba feels guilty but sticks to her point and Gabriel finishes the conversation by saying
“I’ll ask no more”
Gabriel thinks that he will never see her again and that the likelihood that she would marry him minuscule and Bathsheba thinks the same.
After Oaks sheep died he left the area to look for work, as he now had not a penny to his name, and one of his thoughts are thank goodness he doesn’t have a wife. Gabriel is resourceful and goes to the nearby town to see if he can find work. On his journey to Shottsford he sees a fire, he goes over to help with the situation and sees that it is bad and begins to help
“Stop the draught”
He takes control and helps the villagers save the crop; he is calm, observant and direct with what to do. He organises the people to sort the fire out and stop it spread. Once the fire has died down he is asked to see the mistress of the farm so he can be thanked. Arriving at her side where she is on a horse he asks if there are any jobs. Lifting her veil which protected her from the smoke he realises he has arrived at Bathsheba’s farm and she is the mistress. He asks her again
“Do you want a Sheppard ma’am? In a sad and abashed voice”
He repeats the question even though he recognises her and is embarrassed about it, as he doesn’t want anyone to know that he knows her. Bathsheba is not embarrassed by the scene but is shocked to see him. Bathsheba offers him a position
“I do want a Sheppard, but…. “
The villager’s think this is a good idea as they all saw how Gabriel saved them from the whole crop being destroyed. Just like his name Gabriel he saved them and was sent to help them.
Bathsheba begins to respect him and likes to ask his opinion on many things about the farm. She trusts him and she is in control of the farm and its doings. People realise she knows what to do and isn’t a fool they respect her.
When Boldwood asks Bathsheba if she will marry him, and she is taken by surprise at this question and says she needs time. Bathsheba knows that she will not really marry him but doesn’t know how to say no and refuse him. She leaves Boldwood hopeful of letting him marry her. She asks Gabriel what he thinks.
”That it is unworthy of any thoughtful and meek and comely woman”
As soon as Gabriel tells us her that she becomes very cross and doesn’t like him saying that even thought it is his honest opinion. She asks him where he thinks her unworthiness lies and suggests it was in not marrying him. He denies this and this makes Bathsheba more upset, as she wants him to still want to marry her. Gabriel does still want to but wouldn’t say in front of her as it would comfort her and he does not want that.
Gabriel judges that “you are greatly to blame” and that she must lead them on like a pastime and if she truly loved Boldwood she would not send it by valentine.
“I cannot allow any man to-to criticize my private conduct…so you’ll please leave the farm at the end of the week” and Gabriel replies “very well Miss Everdene - so it shall” and he walks off, Bathsheba is probably hoping he will apologise and ask for his job back but doesn’t. I think that this scene is very formal between the two of them and restrained, but I think Gabriel is right in the situation though.
Less than 24 hours after he finished working they were asking him for help. Shepherd Oak was the only person in the area who could deal with the problem that Bathsheba’s sheep had got into the clove field and were all getting blasted. They workers say she must send for the only man who can help and that is Gabriel. She is angry with them for suggesting him but realises that if she doesn’t she will lose her whole flock and had to swallow her pride and sent for him. When he doesn’t come with her message he wants to be asked properly she gets frustrated. She sends a note saying
“Do not desert me, Gabriel”
He come and looks at her, she asks “O Gabriel, how could you serve me so unkindly” but he walks off to deal with the problem. “ Gabriel will you stay on with me?” “I will”
Gabriel yet again comes to her in her time of need. He saves her from her problem like he has always done and will always do.
Gabriel meets Bathsheba as she is walking home one night and asks her whether she is engaged to Boldwood like gossip goes or not. She says that she isn’t.
“They say what is not true, No marriage is likely between us”
She says this quickly but never actually tells Boldwood that she has no intention of actually marrying him. Oaks goes on to ask about the Soldier Francis Troy. He warns her off him saying that he is dangerous and untrustworthy.
“I like soldiers, but this one I do not like”
Bathsheba is angry at him because he has spoken the truth about him and she doesn’t like to hear it even thought in the innermost part of herself she knew that he was not all good and some of the tales were true. As she was in love all this was forgotten and he was a “steady man in a wild way” is how she describes Troy to Liddy. But Oaks realises that she is in love with him and blind to it, and doesn’t believe a word against him. Bathsheba does understand slightly what Gabriel is saying but loves Troy too much. She goes to dismiss Oak but he says what’s the point she’ll need him next week for something and Bathsheba then doesn’t bother.
Bathsheba marries Troy in Bath shortly afterwards and returns to the farm with Troy. Troy suggests they have a wedding/harvest party, once the party has finished Troy suggests all the women folk go home to get the bed ready, while the men drink on. The men including Troy end up falling asleep as a storm is brewing. Gabriel notices that Bathsheba is going to come out and attend to the ricks so goes outside and starts sorting them out. When Bathsheba sees him doing this she is very grateful. “O Gabriel” She offers to help Gabriel “I’ll do anything” as it’s her farm but knows her husband should be doing this not her but he is drunk and asleep in the barn.
Bathsheba tries to explain about her going to Bath and intending to break off the relationship but when finds he has met someone else becomes jealous and marries him. “Between jealousy and distraction, I married him”
“and thank you Gabriel for your devotion a thousand times”
Once she goes the storm becomes worse and Gabriel just manages to save them all.
The following morning he sees Boldwood and is surprises to hear that he “overlooked” his ricks this year even though it amounts to a tenth of his crop. This does not bother him though. He becomes obsessed with Bathsheba and how she is, what she is doing and it comes as a shock she is married to Sergeant Troy.
When Fanny Robin dies, an old lover of Troy she had just had his baby. Troy discovers this and Bathsheba too and she falls into decline and Troy leaves her saying that he was ”more married to her dead than he ever will be to be alive”. Oak becomes Bailiff but this makes little difference to farm life apart from wages going up, as he was more or less one anyway. He now watched over Boldwood’s farm too as he had neglected this duty and was becoming even more obsessed about Bathsheba. Oak started to dress better and get a better status wear his Sunday clothes that he became different but still reliable to Bathsheba in her time of need.
Boldwood thinks that because Troy has disappeared that she will now want to marry him, and holds a party announcing their engagement but as he does Troy walks in and Boldwood shoots him down in front of all his guests. Boldwood is charged with murder but declared insane when he was doing being tried, as he had become so obsessed with Bathsheba. The police findings all these gifts wrapped up for her that he was sent to prison.
Several months later Gabriel comes across Bathsheba at the Church looking at the gravestone of Troy where he lay beside Fanny Robin and their daughter. He says to him it feels like yesterday but to her years ago.
He tells her of his plans to leave her farm and go abroad to California and work there. “Leave England, why Gabriel? what are you going to do there?” Bathsheba said sounding surprised and disappointed. What shall I do without you?”
Bathsheba begins to realise how important Gabriel is to her and that if he were not there her life would be very different. Gabriel has always been there for her from the very beginning and now she thinks he is deserting her.
“It broke upon her at length as a great pain that her last old disciple was about to forsake her and flee…was leaving her to fight her battles on her own”
As the months go by she becomes withdrawn and Oak hands all the business and he still never bumps into her but avoids her. This makes Bathsheba unhappy, as she now knows she loves him and it might be too late.
She goes down to see him one evening after he sends a harsh letter saying that he would not want to renew his contract for next year and would be leaving. She promptly went down to see him, when answering the door Oak did not recognise her but seems pleased to see her.
“But what are you going away for?” Bathsheba asks Oak but he has a surprise for her.
“I am not emigrating” these words are such a relief to Bathsheba but becomes confused and he says that he is taking over full ownership of Mr Boldwood’s farm that he doesn’t need to be here and it not like Bathsheba will ever marry him.
“I’m sniffing about here waiting for poor Mr Boldwood’s farm with a thought of getting you someday”
This comes as a real shock to Bathsheba and says that she would like to marry Gabriel.
They marry quietly by themselves. No one knows apart from one worker who later that tells the others and set off a cannon.
Gabriel does live up to his name through out the novel dependable and strong.
