Evaluate Hardy‘s presentation of Bathsheba and Fanny in Far From the Madding Crowd. How does Hardy evoke the readerfs sympathy for these two women?

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Far From the madding crowd

Question:  Evaluate Hardy’s presentation of Bathsheba and Fanny in Far From the Madding Crowd.  How does Hardy evoke the reader’s sympathy for these two women?

In the 19th century, women had little freedom and little money.  They were expected to stay at home as wives and mothers and not to take on the more demanding jobs that the males done in the 19th century.  If a woman was to marry, her husband would own her property and income and a father’s estate would be passed down to the next male in line and never the next female.  So overall women in the 19th century had many restrictions that they were never to be broken unlike the more superior role of the typical male.

Bathsheba in biblical terms was the wife of Uriah who committed adultery with David.  She later married him after he ordered the killing of her husband.  Everdene means the timeless qualities of nature.  Bathsheba is an unusually powerful woman considering the era in which she is living in.  She inherited her uncle’s farm when he died and she is also rich.  This is a complete contrast to Fanny and also the typical role of a woman in the 19th century.  Fanny is very dependant on others for her well being.  In chapter nine, Boldwood “Took her and put her to school” and “Got her a place” on the farm.  Fanny is very poor and vulnerable in a society, which strongly disagreed on sexual activity outside marriage.

The plot of Far From the Madding crowd takes place in a fictional county known as Wessex, which is actually Dorset in the South West of England.  In this novel, Hardy presents us with an accurate picture of the rural way of life, a way of life, which was gradually being lost.  It is set in 1840 and we are given an insight into the old farm workers communities, the customs of the countryside and the inherited wisdom and the knowledge of generations.

When Bathsheba made her first appearance in the novel Hardy presented her as being rather vain “She simply observed herself as a fair product of nature in the feminine kind,” and young “Young and attractive”.    “Swinging her hair back.”  She also came across, as having unconventional behaviour, “wore no riding-habit.”  Bathsheba clearly knows that she is a pretty picture and she most definitely flaunts her beautiful features when she is with Farmer Oak.  Bathsheba does flirt with Farmer Oak who did fall for her charms.  “You don’t hold the shears right miss – you hold them like this.”  “I said you were beautiful.”  When he asked for her hand in marriage she did turn him down saying “I do not love you.”  I do have some sympathy for Bathsheba because it is hard having to turn a very friendly person down especially after they have just asked to marry you.  She is also a very wild woman and not shy at all “She must have a dozen!”

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In chapter six, I felt a certain amount of sympathy for Bathsheba.  I think that Hardy evoked this from the fact that there was a devastating fire on the farm and that her uncle had also died leaving a huge responsibility of a farm to her.  It was a knock back as well as a gain.  Gabriel Oak was very impressed however how Bathsheba took on and succeeded in the running of the farm “Gabriel was rather staggered by the remarkable coolness of her manner.”

Now we look at Bathsheba and the beginning of her rather uneventful friendship ...

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