What devices does Hardy use in his stories? Fate and Mockeries of Fate

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Matt King

What devices does Hardy use in his stories?

Fate and Mockeries of Fate

                                                In Hardy’s novels, fate plays quite a major part. Throughout ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’, he hints at Fanny’s misfortune and, ultimately her death. In one scene at the Malthouse, Joseph Poorgrass, Laban Tall and Billy Smallbury were discussing Fanny’s disappearance, and the conversation suddenly changed to the question of how had she died. They all speculate on how it had happened, Joseph Poorgrass said 'tis burned’, Laban Tall said ‘tis drowned’ and Billy Smallbury said ‘tis her father’s razor’. Drowning indicates that her death was an accident, being burnt to death indicates either an accident or foul play, and finally, a razor could indicate that she had committed suicide.  At this point in the story it wasn’t a particularly important bit of speech, but looking back on it, this is Hardy’s way of hinting at her death. He also hints at Bathsheba’s misfortune with the men in her life, but not as often as he hints at Fanny’s fate.

        In chapter forty, Hardy gives us many instances in which fate is hinted at, and that is only on the first few pages. Chapter forty is a good chapter to look at because it is the chapter before Fanny actually dies. The first instance is in the second paragraph, which says ‘shutting out every speck of heaven’, it is a peculiar metaphor to describe the sky, and one that further adds to the suspicion of Fanny’s death. The other is in the next paragraph, where she herself says ‘I shall be in my grave before now’, and in the next chapter she does. ‘Afresh dead leaves’ is another example of doom and gloom, ‘not a sound of life’ another. Over these few pages there is a very high concentration of these kind of phrases and words. They help to build up to something by hinting at the future, and so we can predict the events (fate).

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After Fanny dies and Troy buries her in the churchyard, if you excuse the pun, Hardy puts the final nail in the coffin. It was raining very heavily and the water collected up on the roof of the church, ran down the side, down the gurgoyle and straight onto Fanny’s grave. It completely destroyed her grave. The flowers were damaged by the amount of rain pressing down on them and swept away by the stream of water flowing from the gurgoyle’s mouth, as was the mud. All that Troy had done for Fanny had been thrown back in his face, ...

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