Elizabeth-Jane's "black eyes, after slow, round ruminating gazes at the candles when they were lighted" is the only description of her for eighteen years. This small pensive - looking creature is absorbing her surroundings as much as she can muster at that age. It is the most mysterious and trivial description yet, and if following the pattern of Hardy shaping significant events out of small details, the baby will live to be an important character.
The drunken husband Michael is not seen as an animal, but his physical appearance hints at his inner nature. He is a tall man "of fine figure." This exterior goodness is reflected in his haste to get food for his family and his prior inquiries about employment and lodging. Yet, this display of his darker side as a sharp contrast to his goodness. Just as he is dark and "swarthy" while he is of a fine figure, he does harsh things while he behaves admirably. He searches for food for the family, then desires to drink himself into a state continuing to actually sell his wife and child.
The events that take place in the furmity tent at the fair demonstrate a cycle into which Henchard falls frequently throughout the novel. After finding himself in a shameful situation, he takes full responsibility for his mistakes and sets out to correct them. His desire to amend the situation is overwhelming. The months spent demonstrate his wholehearted approach. This audacious spirit is a hallmark of Henchard’s character, as he quickly reverses his character from unappreciative misogyny to sincere remorse. However, this contrition could also be for his personal regard. After he wakes, his remorse stems more from a fear of being frowned upon than from any sense of moral responsibility. His interest in his good name plays a significant role in his sacrifice of personal satisfaction when he makes his vow against alcohol and determines to find his wife. Before he begins the search for his family, he reflects that it only his wife’s “idiotic simplicity” that has brought about this disgrace. After fretting about whether he revealed his name to anybody in the furmity tent, Henchard displays an obsession with his reputation concerning his character that greatly shapes his actions and personality exhibiting pride. Here the natural world is deemed as lacking interest in human misery as the image of several horses lovingly rubbing their necks together contrasts the ludicrous scene in the furmity tent. Juxtaposing compassion and heartlessness, Hardy shows us that love and violence are competing aspects of both human behaviour and the natural world. Contrasts such as these serve to propel the novel further.
No explanation of the next eighteen years is provided and we learn that Henchard, whose prospects for the future seemed bleak after his almost doomed introduction has become Mayor. The story of Henchard’s rise from a young, emotionally volatile hay-trusser to the mayor of a small agricultural town is not revealed and Susan and Elizabeth-Jane’s ignorance of Henchard’s rise to power emphasises Hardy’s decision to do away with the story of Henchard’s character development to sustain secrecy.
Hardy relies heavily on traits that make his characters subject to larger social phenomena. He establishes the conflict between a world marked by tradition—as represented by Henchard, who has no means of rescuing a poor harvest—and a world marked by modern methods. Although the narrative follows Henchard’s fall from social respectability, he is consistently portrayed as a man of moral integrity. He still carries the inherent paradoxes in his character. He reveals his caring side in his concern for the wheat that is unfit for his people. Yet again, Hardy proves that Michael also has a darker and angrier side, subtly shown in both his "coarse build" and his sharp retort at the end of the chapter. The idea of integrity expresses itself several times during period in the King’s Arms. Firstly, Elizabeth-Jane notices that Henchard’s is the only wineglass to remain empty. This detail balances the image of Henchard as his temper can lead him to irrationality; he is also a man of integrity, who honours his extreme promises. The incident of the “grown wheat” confronts Henchard’s biggest insecurity of how to make amends for past doings. Henchard’s actions indicate that he wonders if the mistakes of the past can be undone, and he hones his resolve for the possibility that he may be able to compensate for it. Nevertheless, stricken by guilt, first by his sale of his wife and daughter and, eighteen years later, by the suggestion of shady business dealings, Henchard longs to omit his shadowy past.
The young Scot Donald Farfrae arrives in Casterbridge at about the same time as Susan and Elizabeth Jane and becomes Michael Henchard's corn manager. He instantly becomes Henchard's only confidante and contrasts Henchard in every way. He is small in appearance and is courteous, charming, systematic and rational. Everything Henchard is not. Henchard propels his fate through moments of rash behaviour whereas Farfrae is cool and collected. Although Farfrae is friendly towards those around him, he maintains a certain detachment and always calculates his moves. His path through life is as smooth as Henchard's is rough.
The description of the young Scotsman, who is "ruddy and of a fair countenance, bright-eyed, and slight in build." contrasts: "a man... of heavy frame, large features... his general build being rather coarse than compact." The two men are complete opposites in physical appearance. Here their appearances correlate with their personalities. We know that Michael behaves as he looks: coarse and rough edged, relying upon his strength to control. Whereas presumably Farfrae will act as his appearance indicates: relies on his intellect as opposed to his physical capabilites.
This chapter begins with the walk to Weydon-Priors that occurred in the opening of the novel. However, the irony is that they are Henchard's wife and daughter. This time there is no awkward or domineering silence but simply two women who obviously have connections to each other. They both dress in black gowns, which emphasises their shared mourning for Newson and they walk hand in hand. It implies that Susan's marriage to Newson has made her more able to connect with people, as well as raising Elizabeth -Jane in a more loving environment.
Elizabeth-Jane is introduced as amiable and considerate. She is equally devoted to her mother demonstrated by willingness to walk hand in hand while unquestioningly believing her mother's story. However, ironically she is concerned with what is proper and what is not. She tries to dissuade her mother away from the furmity tent saying, "It isn't respectable" despite the knowledge that she came from the same improper conditions within the tent, with her working-class parents.
Hardy hastens the present events in the flashback. This way the reader is forced to focus on the events of the present and on the characters who will be directly influenced by them. Furthermore, Susan's own temperament and beliefs unravel. Susan continues to be controlled by the men who have power over her. She is in awe of the wealth of her husband despite her fears that her husband can actually overpower her. She foolishly took the auction as legally binding. She was also swayed by public opinion as after sharing the events of her marriage; she immediately sought to estrange herself from Newson. She is unwaveringly devoted to Elizabeth-Jane and is primarily concerned about her welfare. Returning to find her former husband confirms this as although she fears his domination, she will return to him if her can provide Elizabeth-Jane with a future, displaying how her overwhelming loves bestows her with great courage.
Again, irony is applied to Elizabeth-Jane's character. She desperately wants to stay at a lavish inn because "we must be respectable" yet she offers her services as a maid. Despite Elizabeth-Jane sacrificing her dignity to save money for her mother, the reputation she will additionally acquire will undoubtedly seek to haunt her later.
The inn itself acts as a metaphor for Michael's life. With its "awkwardness, crookedness, and obscurity" that it attempts to cover up with "quantities of clean linen." Michael stands as Mayor, guilt - ridden by his past. However, Michael achieves the reader's sympathy, as the cross of his past, he must always bear. He comes out as lonely and seizes the opportunity to assign Farfrae the job of friend and business adviser. However, in Henchard's haste he forgets and dismisses the previous applicant, showing his more fickle side, in turn gaining an enemy, possibly indicating how the town is in such low spirits, "His mouth twitched with anger, and that bitter disappointment was written in his face everywhere."
Farfrae manages to entertain the guests with his songs, and the villagers happen to be in the mood for his sad, sweet songs as he lulls them into romantic thoughts of life, freedom and home. They take to his charm and not cunning manipulation. He shows kindness and interest. In addition, his talent for singing excites the townspeople, as they have no time for non-work related deeds. The townspeople who have been bitter and ill tempered throughout the chapter, see Farfrae as a symbol of hope, just as Michael does. "When you take away from among us the fools and the rogues, and the lammigers, and the wanton hussies, and the slatterns, and such like, there's cust few left to ornament a song with in Casterbridge, or the country round." As for Elizabeth-Jane, she is evidently attracted to this sober character as well. While their meeting on the staircase was by chance, she obviously captivated him. Elizabeth-Jane misinterprets her mother's "he" as referring to Donald.
Both Susan and Michael have to save themselves enlisting the help of the younger, more sober and idealistic people. Susan decides to salvage her marriage by sending Elizabeth-Jane with the note. Michael decides to salvage his dwindling business by persuading Farfrae to help him as manager. The event that links these reunions of marriage and business is the walk through the city. Elizabeth-Jane's walk reinforces the social standing of Michael as the most powerful man in the community.
In chapter ten, again, the two sides of Michael's personality are revealed. At first, he behaves kindly towards Elizabeth-Jane, treating her tenderly when he learns who she is and who sent her. In addition, he tactfully inquires after Susan's finances. He even buys Susan back by enclosing five guineas, showing chivalry in the symbolism. However, this could also be seen as keeping his old trait of using money to solve his problems. Superficially, he is a very respectable man, yet his dark side now begins to show itself more openly. Most importantly, his own pride leads him to meet Susan in a secret place- he is too ashamed to meet her openly, lest some villagers learn the truth and ridicule him. This pride, anger, and tactlessness will undoubtedly lead to his ruin.
Hardy has centred the initial chapters on Henchard, contrasting his actions by all those around him. It appears as though the old rely on the young for stability and the discrepancy between men and women is so great. Consequently, if in keeping with Hardy's pattern of signifying prominent details, the women will eventually break free from the domination of their men and the young will thrive alone. Each of the characters is well delineated as they all have developed after having been affected by the forces of fate and destiny. Hardy deliberately keeps situations vague to allow the reader to assume the end certain events, yet there are continuous twists, which leave Hardy's control of fate to navigate.
By Mariella de Souza.
12EAS.
