Michael Henchard is a strong man with great energy, and he insists on tying one of his arms behind him when fighting Farfrae, who he defeats.
This also puts across another of his admirable qualities; that he is honest and is a respectable man of morals. This is shown when he doesn’t to hide any of his property from the town creditors after going bankrupt, where even the creditors praise his honesty. He offers his last possession, his gold watch, but they allow him to keep it, showing that they respect him; “Tis honourable in ye, but keep it”…”Let him keep it, of course”…’and the rest responded unanimously’. The senior commissioner then says “I am bound to admit that I have never met a debtor who behaved more fairly.” Despite this, not only does he sell the watch but he also gives it to one of his smaller creditors. These examples show Henchard's honesty and generosity to others. Another example is when he is kind to Abel Whittle's mother; “sending her the best ship-coal…and taties, and such-like that were very needful to her”. The last example of the better side of his character is when he refrains from revealing the identity of the love letters, which were from Lucetta, to Farfrae; “Such a wrecking of hearts appalled even [Henchard]”, and concludes that “to accomplish the deed by oral poison was beyond the nerve of his enmity.” This shows that he restrained from animosity and showed his moral conscience, and that his actions abstained from cruelty. These qualities that Henchard possess set him apart from the other inhabitants of Casterbridge.
However, despite all these admirable qualities, Henchard also possesses several flaws in his character, with the main and most recurrent one being his rash impulses. In several moments in the novel, Henchard has made decisions without thinking them through, which include the selling of his wife, employing and confiding in Farfrae, his treatment of Abel Whittle, sacking Farfrae and his mistreatment of Elizabeth-Jane.
At the start of the book it is hinted that there might be some tension between Henchard and Susab; "she had no idea of taking his arm, nor he offering it", with this hinting that Henchard sees his wife as unnecessary and is holding him back from making something of his life, which is confirmed after he gets drunk and decides to sell her “I married at 18, like the fool that I was, and this (Susan) is the consequence o’t” and that if he didn’t marry her, he’d be “worth a thousand pound”. Susan is then sold in the Furmity tent to a sailor named Newson.
Henchard makes rash decisions which he then later regrets. This is a recurring flaw in Henchard that is shown throughout the entire novel. We can tell this as the morning after he sells Susan he wishes that he hadn't and takes an oath not to drink again for twenty-one years. Another flaw in his character is his ego and excessive pride. After his party backfired due to the weather, Henchard’s party fails whilst Farfrae’s succeeds. This causes Henchard to become jealous of him and promptly fires him; “He’s shortly going to leave me”. This is ironic as he also promptly hired him. The next morning however, he once again starts to regret his actions; ‘when his jealous temper had passed away his heart sank within him at what he had said and done’. Henchard also created a major lie to Elizabeth-Jane and to Newson, as he keeps her true fathers identity, which is Newson, and also lies to Newson when he returns that Elizabeth-Jane is in-fact dead. Once he lies to Newson, he fears that his deception will be discovered and that Newson will return to take Elizabeth-Jane away from him, once again showing his rashness and regretful feelings.
All of these flaws and actions have consequences, which lead to his downfall. Having already lost his position of mayor and possessions, he now loses much of his dignity after the act of selling Susan eventually comes back to Henchard when he has to lead a court case, only for accused to be revealed as the furmity woman, who spiked Henchard’s food with rum as requested, and witnessed the selling that had taken place. She reveals who Henchard is to the crowd and asks them how such a man could sit in judgement of her, which leads to Lucetta finding out and running away to Port-Bredy, where she marries Farfrae.
The employment of Jopp again is another major mistake and part of Henchard's downfall as Jopp still has the way he was treated before by Henchard at the front of his mind. This was again a rush decision on Henchard's part as he should have realised that Jopp would want revenge. The jealousy that came from the backfire of his party and the success of Farfrae’s and the firing of him leads to competition between him and Farfrae, where Henchard tried to outdo him by purchasing all the corn after consulting a weather forecaster, believing that the weather will be bad and for Henchard to get a profit with his large amount, however the weather is good and prices fall, he loses a lot of money and also fires Joshua Jopp. Desperation is shown when it comes to getting the better of Farfrae as he didn’t waste any time in buying out the crop.
After selling the crop and losing his profit that he had in mind, it turns out to be a good harvest after all. This shows impatience on Henchard's part. Farfrae drives Henchard out of business and eventually his home, and then becomes mayor, furthering Henchard’s fall.
By lying to Newson and Elizabeth-Jane about the fact that Newson is her real father, it infuriates her and when Henchard returns at her wedding, it causes her to turn him away in a fit of anger. Elizabeth-Jane refers to him as "Mr Henchard", proving that she has no real feelings for him after the way he has treated her. Henchard replies "Call me worthless old Henchard"; showing that he believes her has absolutely nothing left. After becoming bankrupt and appearing at the royal visit drunk in fretted and frayed clothes, Henchard has truly hit rock bottom from his fall from prosperity to ruin. The scale of the reversal of fortune is imposed upon Henchard is out of proportion compared to his original sin.
Despite all this, Henchard has had several epiphanies and achieves a new frame of mind on certain topics, from where he realises that he no longer loves Lucetta, as Farfrae married just for money and nothing else, he notices that the two are perfect for each other and he no longer remains as jealous of Farfrae. When he sleeps in the field after leaving Casterbridge, the same way he entered, he realises that everything that has happened has become so because of his actions, and only his actions.
The will that Henchard leaves proves that he realises what an appalling live he has lived especially the way he has treated his friends, family and work members as he writes "may no man remember me". This underlines the fact that he just wants to be forgotten and makes sure that everyone leaves him in the past. This is the one thing Henchard can actually see and realise that he has not treated people with respect and he deserved to die alone with "no mourners ......at my funeral".
I believe Henchard can be described as a tragic hero as he fits the part and has went through all the stages that are required for a tragic hero. He was of noble status as the Mayor, has vital flaws in his character which eventually lead to his downfall from prominence, eventually having an epiphany with a sympathetic audience reaction.
by
liammallon (student)
