To what extent do you think Michael Henchard is responsible for his own downfall? Michael Henchard's life is a series of terrible disasters, which leads to self destruction

Authors Avatar

To what extent do you think Michael Henchard is responsible for his own downfall?

Michael Henchard’s life is a series of terrible disasters, which leads to self destruction. However, deciding whether Michael Henchard is responsible for his own downfall and to what extent is something which needs a lot of deliberation before getting an answer. There are different factors which need to be looked at before deciding this, such as whether it was Henchard’s fault, or whether he could have stopped the disaster from happening. The only way to determine whether or not Henchard is totally responsible for his own downfall is to look at each disaster which occurs in the novel and then see whether he could have prevented it or not.

Starting directly from the beginning, the novel begins with Michael Henchard travelling with his wife and daughter and then stopping at a furmity tent for some food. Michael straight away decided that he wanted some rum in his furmity.

“He winked to her, and passed up his basin in reply to her nod; when she took a bottle from under the table, slily measured out a quantity of its contents, and tipped the same into the man’s furmity. The liquor poured in was rum.”

He soon got drunk after several helpings of it and when his wife tried to quieten him a little. He then began to ramble about how better off he would be without her.

“I married at eighteen, like the fool that I was; and this is the consequence o’t.”

It is clear to the audience that Henchard is a rude and careless character. Henchard’s attitude and behaviour is influenced by alcohol, and it appears to the audience that his wife, Susan is aware of this.

“…his wife, who seemed accustomed to such remarks, acted as if she did not hear them…”

The scene is set for a foreboding novel when Hardy expresses his feelings about nature and mankind in the first part of the novel. He compares nature and mankind.

“In contrast with the harshness of the act just ended within the tent was the sight of several horses crossing necks and rubbing each other lovingly, as they waited in patience to be harnessed…”

After Michael spending his evening drinking rum, he began auctioning his wife to anybody who would buy her. A sailor offered Michael Henchard 5 guineas for both hi wife and daughter. Michael would not sell them for any less. Susan gave Henchard one last chance to say he didn’t mean it before she left with the sailor as it wasn’t a joke no more.

Join now!

“A joke? Of course it is not a joke!” Shouted her husband.

With this his wife and daughter left with the successful bidder.

Michael Henchard losing his wife and child was the first disaster. This disaster was without a doubt Michael’s fault. He had decided to have rum with his furmity, even though he had had it before, knowing that he makes him drunk, and he knew he had tried to sell his wife before. He should have known not to have too much, if any liquor, and because he chose to do so in the knowledge ...

This is a preview of the whole essay