An Analysis of Bathsheba’s Character

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An Analysis of Bathsheba’s Character

Bathsheba is decisive, brisk and businesslike whilst dealing with the paying of the farm workers in chapter 10. She is very confident; “I have formed a resolution to have no bailiff at all”. The farm workers are astonished at this; “The men expired an audible breath of amazement”.
“I shall be up before you are awake, I shall be afield before you are up, and I shall have breakfasted before you are afield. In short I shall astonish you all”. This phrasing and rhythm is very strong and very convincing. This speech again shows her confidence and her ability to cope.
Bathsheba is the only female in the corn exchange (”the single one of her sex that the room contained”) but does not seem to mind. “’Tis a handsome maid, however, and she’ll soon get picked up”. Here the people in the corn market are discussing Bathsheba and assume that she will get married and hand over the farm for her husband to get picked up. This chapter alone shows that Bathsheba has a hard task ahead of her because of the men’s views of a woman farmer.
The farm workers are convinced that she will “bring them all to the bad”. She goes against traditional ways; “Why only yesterday she cut a rasher of bacon the longways of the flitch!” (Chapter fifteen). For the farm workers, any change is wrong.
Bathsheba has a traditional man’s job. She is a woman farmer but she is not afraid to join in with the manual labour (helping with the shearing etc…).

Bathsheba is very much out of place amongst a mostly male farming community. However, she copes very well. She is a hardheaded woman. This handicap (her sex) brings doubt and lack of faith amongst the farm workers; “Our mis’ess will bring us all to the bad”. Bathsheba is of an “impulsive nature under a deliberative aspect”. In chapter three Bathsheba leans back on her saddle in a dangerous way. She is aware of this being ambitious. She is also aware that she is acting more like a man. This action is very unladylike and was certainly not expected of a woman. In chapter six, when Gabriel has just helped put out the fire he asks:
“Where is your master the farmer?”
“Tisn’t a master; ‘tis a Mistress, Shepherd.”
“A woman farmer?”
Here Gabriel immediately assumes that it is a male farmer (as would have been expected in the mid 19th Century) and when he finds out that it is a female farmer he is astonished. The very fact that there is a question mark after “A woman farmer” shows that he is not simply repeating what he has been told but he is repeating it in disbelief.
        

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In this rural community responsibilities fall into two categories: the practical responsibilities and the moral responsibilities. Oak acts as a tutor on many occasions to Bathsheba and she slowly becomes aware of her need for his aid both practically and morally.
In chapter four when Gabriel is asking Bathsheba to marry him she acts irresponsibly, firstly by running after him and secondly by leading him on and then turning him down. Bathsheba runs after Gabriel not to accept him but also not to lose him. The way Bathsheba leads Gabriel on and treats it as a game when he is proposing ...

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