How Hardy represents Bathsheba and Fanny, and how he evokes sympathy for them

Far from the Madding Crowd.

In this essay I would like to evaluate how Hardy represents Bathsheba and Fanny, and how he evokes sympathy for them.

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, 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.

I will start with Bathsheba, we learn that Bathsheba was a vain woman, “woman of Bathsheba’s calibre” She was always aware of how she looked and of what other people thought of her. Bathsheba’s vanity is clarified in the reader’s first view of her, “she blushed at herself.” She shows her selfish quality which creates vulnerability in her character, although she does not want anyone to be aware of this because she may feel that it makes her look weak or inadequate as an independent women, and farm owner. She was also a very independent woman who defined the preconceived idea of a woman’s role in the 19th century by inheriting her uncle’s farm, and was successful in running the farm effectively. She adapts well, becoming a “supervising and cool woman” and takes the unconventional step of managing the farm herself without a bailiff. We are also told that Bathsheba was a flirtatious woman and all the suitors regarded her as a valuable object. Bathsheba rejects Gabriel’s first proposal of marriage because she “hates to be thought of as men’s property”, this, we may say again shows Bathshebas vanity.

Hardy evokes a lot of sympathy for Bathsheba, I think, when we hear about the 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.” By doing this again she was being unconventional in her actions, but was succeeding in them

Hardy evokes sympathy for her by portraying her as a poor, attractive cottage girl. She had to go against the preconceived idea about woman in the 19th century. By doing this Hardy redefines the role of women in Far from the Madding Crowd, focusing on sexuality. By emphasising the physical aspect of femininity in his unorthodox representation of the sexual female, Hardy threatens the Victorian model of women. This sexuality is evident in the scene when Bathsheba unknowingly admits her passion to Troy, “if you can only fight half as winningly as you can talk, you are able to make a pleasure of a bayonet wound!” Bathsheba realises her impulsive expression of sexuality and when she attempts “to retrieve it” she worsens the situation by saying “don’t however suppose that I derive any pleasure from what you tell me” Allowing Bathsheba to give us a glimpse of her sexuality. Hardy emphasises and expands the sexual qualities of his female characters. In redefining and revolutionising the 19th century female. Hardy’s passionate heroines display characteristics previously found only in male characters.

Leading on from this the book also tells us a lot about men’s and society's attitude towards Bathsheba, for example, William Boldwood was a bit demanding of her “My life is a burden without you.” He was demanding of her because of the valentine that she had sent too him as a joke, but unfortunately Boldwood took it too seriously. From this example we can say that her character also showed signs of unconventional behaviour, that is, it was not normal or stereotypical for a woman to behave in the way that she did.

Another example of a ...

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Another example of a man’s attitude towards Bathshaba was when Troy married her not because of his love for her but for her wealth. By law in the 19th century, upon marriage a woman had to hand over all of her wealth to her new husband, “Bathsheba could you let me have twenty pounds” This again shows that Troy is taking advantage of Bathsheba, by taking her money. By doing this Bathsheba feels out of her depth, she cannot cope with the thought that Troy would use her to finance his own goings on, but she still allows him to have complete control over her because she loves him.

Bathsheba also faced the hardships of society’s attitudes towards her and women in general in the 19th century. A clear example of this was where people did not think that she was capable of successfully owning and managing a farm, “Tisn’t a master, tis a mistress.” This kind of prejudice and discrimination was frequent in the 19th century because it wasn’t normal or stereotypical for a woman to own a farm and managing it successfully by herself, without the help of a bailiff.

Bathsheba was not your average 19th century woman due to the fact that she was a farmer and that she was a feminist in her own right, “To manage everything with my own head and hands.”

We know that this quote is truthful due to the fact that Bathsheba sacked her bailiff, and by doing the job herself has shown her supreme independence, confidence and what some might say, arrogance.

We can also learn more about her character from the meaning of her name. Her first name “Bathsheba” had a biblical reference. Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah who committed adultery with David. She later married him after he had ordered the killing of her husband. We can relate this story back to the character of Bathsheba Everdene by saying that she was willing to marry someone who she did not love, but for security, like what happened to her with Boldwood and Troy. Not surprisingly though, being so independent she does not rate marriage very highly, “I should not mind being a bride at a wedding if I could be without having a husband.” This shows us that she is not very keen on the love and marriage scene.

Her surname “Everdene” can also be linked into how she saw herself “a fair product of nature” and as the meaning of her surname suggests just this, by it’s meaning: Timeless qualities of nature. This may also have relevant as to where she felt most comfortable, where she did not have to act or have to impress anyone. I think her surname shares a link to the real Bathsheba, the hardworking, independent, country girl, this is why she was so successful in the managing of her uncle’s farm. It gave her a chance to unwind and clear her mind from all the turmoil that surrounded her constantly.

Hardy is not the only person who tells us about Bathsheba. Other characters also make statements about her, “she is so good looking and an excellent scholar,” we are told this by her aunt, she says this to try and stop Gabriel from proposing marriage to Bathsheba early in the book. Troy also tells us about Bathsheba as well, “I said you were beautiful and I’ll say so still, by so you are.” Troy says this to flatter her and to seduce her; unfortunately Bathsheba is weak in this sense and is easily flattered, so she falls for Troy.

Although, in saying this, by the end of the novel she reveals an inner strength which is demonstrated by her being able to endure troy and Fanny being buried together and by her keeping Fanny’s lock of hair as a momenta of the “poor girl.” It is this inner strength which illuminates her need and love for Gabriel, who has remained true and loyal to her throughout her progress.

On the other end of the social scale we are told of Fanny Robin, she is a direct contrast to Bathsheba: she is blonde and fragile while Bathsheba is dark and lively. She is portrayed as a shadowy figure adding mystery to the plot.

We first meet Fanny in chapter seven, in Weatherbury churchyard where she will finally be buried. We are told that “When abreast of a trunk, which appeared to be the oldest of the old, he became aware that a figure was standing behind it.” This quote shows us that Fanny was a shy girl and that she did not want to be noticed by anyone if she could help it.

Hardy evokes sympathy for Fanny when she and Gabriel meet for the first time, as Gabriel notices that she is rather weak and vulnerable. “I am rather poor and I don’t want people to know anything about me,” Then she was silent and shivered. Fanny clearly wants to go unnoticed and she appears to be cold and undernourished which would lead us to believe that she was probably unemployed and very poor. Gabriel feeling sorry for Fanny offers her a shilling “Yes, I will take it.” Fanny accepts the shilling like a child would a sweet.

Like Bathsheba, Fanny can also act unconventionally, for example when she runs off to marry Troy although she is depicted as a vulnerable girl in a hostile landscape. This is effective in that it draws the reader’s sympathy for Fanny because of her weak stature and the harsh surroundings that she had to cope with each day.

Ironically though her letter rejoicing in her forthcoming marriage is somewhat naive and premature. Through this Hardy again evokes sympathy and pity for Fanny when she muddles the churches and faces Troys fury, but this is what Troy needed; a chance to abandon Fanny and marry his rich and beautiful mistress, but unknown to Troy, Fanny is pregnant and destitute. Fanny is a victim of circumstance, a shadowy presence who reveals Troy’s fickleness when he flirts with Bathsheba.

Fanny would now be frowned upon due to the fact that she was pregnant and was giving birth to an illegitimate child, although this was not her fault she would still have faced prejudice. This, also draws sympathy from the readers for Fanny because it is a problem that faces women in even our modern world today.

So, Fanny conceals her pregnancy and supports herself as a seamstress until she goes to Casterbridge workhouse to have her baby. I personally feel sympathy for Fanny in this situation because she could have gone to Troy and demanded that he take care of her and the unborn baby, but she didn’t, and in doing so showed that she had respected Troys decision to marry Bathsheba. She realised how her social status and upbringing would have affected Troy, and in doing so she left him alone. I think this shows great courage and unselfish behaviour from a woman who had so little, but yet payed the ultimate price. Hardy evokes sympathy by describing in harrowing detail her last journey, especially with the picture of her “little arms” resting on a large dog. Her death caused by giving birth to an illegitimate child.

Fanny’s fear that she will never see Troy again – “Perhaps I shall be in my grave” is prophetically ironic. Ironically she has more power in death than in life. Her beauty in the coffin reduces Troy to abject shame and reawakens his true love, as he regards Fanny now as his “very wife”

Fanny is then put in a coffin and Gabriel leaves her coffin to rest at Bathsheba’s house, which is near to where she will be buried. On the coffin though it said “Fanny Robin and Child.” Gabriel took his handkerchief and carefully rubbed out the two latter words, leaving one inscription “Fanny Robin” only. Gabriel did this to protect Bathsheba from getting hurt and to maybe protect Troy from the embarrassment, as he was the father of an illegitimate child.

Her character is simply drawn from her naive honesty and her forlorn faith in her lover. In many ways, Fanny represents the plight of the Victorian working- class female who strays outside the narrow confines of society rules.

In the end Hardy left Fanny on a very sombre and sad note “The persistent torrent from the gurgoyle’s jaws directed all of its vengeance into the grave. The rich tawny mould was stirred into motion, and boiled like chocolate.” This is where Hardy has evoked the most sympathy for Fanny, and I am sure other readers of the book would agree with me.

Hardy presents these two characters very differently. He portrays Bathsheba as a self- assured, independent, confident woman who was deserted by her husband because he had realised his mistake, leave her to pick up the pieces of what I think was a shattered life and one that was in turmoil, dismay and sadness. This is how Hardy has tried to draw sympathy for Bathsheba, by describing how Troy mistreated her and used her for her wealth; this is the only place in the book that you really feel sympathy for Bathsheba.

With the character of Fanny Hardy was able to draw a lot more sympathy from the readers due to the reality of her character and that did happen in those days. Fanny was the total contrast to Bathsheba she was the shy and “dark and lonely figure” who was never paid any attention to; she was poor and weak. She was never, I think, truly happy with who she was and how people, especially Troy treated her and Troy only realised how special she was until it was too late.

The most striking scene in the book was definitely when the gurgoyle was dripping water all over Fanny’s grave and ruining it. This is when we as readers, we sit back and are made to think of the things in our life that we take for granted each day, just expecting them to always be there, and one day they wont and then we will truly realise how much we had loved them, as Troy found out when Fanny died.

Hardy has presented these characters in the most appropriate and effective way in order to draw sympathy from them. I do think now, that this book is not just to be read but it has been written to make you think about the things that you cherish most in life, and don’t make the mistake of not appreciating them.

Andrew Kusiak 1022/10E

This essay attained a A*