Far from the Madding crowd by Thomas Hardy written during the Victorian Era, indicating the prevalence of the genre literary realism. The novel encircles a range of themes: love, marriage, betrayal, and fidelity. It begins with an introduction of a poor honest shepherd named Gabriel Oak, who lost all of his belongings (his sheep) and is craving for marriage with a beautiful rich woman named Bathsheba, who inherited the entire Weatherbury estate. Even though Bathsheba denies his proposal, Gabriel still manages to be a shepherd under Bathsheba’s estate, maintaining his loyalty. During Valentine's Day, Bathsheba plays a prank to a wealthy middle-aged farmer named Boldwood by sending him a love letter. Primarily, Boldwood possesses no romantic feeling toward her, but after receiving the letter, he finds Bathsheba attractive and proposes to her lately, but gets refused just like Gabriel. Bathsheba then gets attracted by a rich and handsome man that she really loves: Sergeant Troy. Bathsheba and Troy soon marry, but Bathsheba’s unaware of Troy’s real pursuer: Fanny Robin. Undergoing a series of misery, betrayal, and hesitation of marriage, Bathsheba finally marries Gabriel Oak after he becomes a wealthy successful bailiff.
One’s social status defines an individual's social and political authority, which permits them to experience different treatments and relationships with other people. In the Victorian Era, social class was extremely important because the higher you get, the more opportunities you obtain, allowing you to make wider choices. There are four social categories in the Victorian Era: the British Royals, educated professionals, the working class (farmers, shepherds…), and the lower class. In Far From the Madding Crowd, Bathsheba represents a member of the upper class encountering different members of other upper, middle, and working class, involving in complicated relationships which drives the plot of her being with three suitors. Her interaction with another upper class: Boldwood, indicates her being an upper class, since she never cares about him supporting her with social and financial stability. On the other hand, Gabriel Oak, being a member of the lower class, signifies long-term modesty and loyalty. Her third suitor Sergeant Troy represents wealth and charmingness, withholding the most captivation. Our social status determines our choices, health, and desires. Bathsheba’s desire of independence and the upper class affects her choice of marrying Sergeant Troy, therefore suffering unfortunate consequences.
Marriage seems to be a crucial stage of life, where we settle in an inconstant or stable relationship with a companion. Marrying someone from a different class may result in mutual incomprehension, caused by the difference in pursuit, expectation, and self-esteem. In the novel Far from the madding crowd, Bathsheba experiences love with three suitors: Gabriel Oak, William Boldwood, and Sergeant Troy. Despite the loyalty and sincerity within shepherd Oak, he still fails to satisfy Bathsheba’s pursuit of self-independence. In other words, the difference between the elite and the lower class still makes Bathsheba treat Gabriel Oak with contempts. After connecting with Boldwood, Bathsheba holds her social position, as well as financial/social reassurance. However, Bathsheba never really loved Boldwood; she’s only seeking attention. Their marriage is full of control, lacking tenderness or any affective emotions, leading to another breakup. Bathsheba’s love toward Sergeant Troy is induced by the flattery that Troy proposes to her, such as stating she is the most beautiful woman, and kissing her, exposing his affection toward her. The uncertainty of marriage soon comes since we have no control of the other side of everyone’s relationships. Though Troy appears charming physically, he possesses no authentic love neither toward Fanny Robin nor Bathsheba. The only person that he loves is himself. The reason why he preferred marrying Bathsheba instead of Fanny Robin, who even reminded him, is because of her social status and rich background. In conclusion, marriage is full of complexity.
People stick to the stereotype of women providing their husbands and children with a safe household and being humble, obedient, and pure to their companions in the Victorian Era. Society at that time expected women to be submissive, rather than being powerful, or even knowledgeable. The role of females differs between social status. In Far From the Madding Crowd, the two main female characters: Bathsheba and Fanny Robin. With both women being beautiful, independent pursuers, and love believers, Bathsheba attained a successful marriage in the end because she’s richer than Fanny. It’s apparent that Bathsheba represents the key traits of self-esteem, ambition, and independence while Fanny represents poor femininity. Society is never fair; being a patrician would always benefit from being a plebian. No matter how many times Bathsheba fails in her three marriages, at last, she still manages to ensconce a warm cozy home with Gabriel Oak. In contrast, Fanny Robin can be described as an unfortunate servant who is left with nothing: no family, friends and eventually lost her life in the end.
In Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy, Bathsheba experiences fortune with her three suitors: the honest shepherd Gabriel Oak, the superior farmer owner William Boldwood, and the charming but dangerous Sergeant Troy. The novel encounters a wide range of themes like love, social class, marriage, and feminine roles through portraying the complicated relationships between Bathsheba’s marriages and other characters. From dividing the characters into the rich, middle class, and the poor, Thomas Hardy gives us an explicit state of Victorian society at that time. The value of independence and ambition can be clearly revealed through Bathsheba’s decisions while the rejection of Gabriel Oak and the death of Fanny Robin indicates the poor consequence of the working class. Far From the Madding Crowd is a suitable novel for readers to understand the importance of social status, and to have a general idea of the prevalent Victorian Literature.
Comments