Henchard and Farfrae contrast each other, both by the provinces of their characters, and by the thoughts they evoke. Farfrae is testament to the power of modernness and alteration and, in Casterbridge, an existent drift of it. He implements new agriculture and reaping techniques. Henchard, nevertheless, is representative of tradition and fusty stableness ; while Henchard is Mayor the town simply survives, while under Farfrae it flourishes.
Unlike the contrast that is presented between Henchard and Farfrae, Henchard and Lucetta are presented as regards. They are really much alike: inclined to strong, irrational passions, characterized by wilful, independent natures, and compelled by love every bit good as aspiration. However, Lucetta is non a “ adult female of character. ” Unlike Henchard, Lucetta ‘s chiefly duty is to her ain felicity, whereas Henchard ‘s is to a higher sense of interpersonal duty and the moral amendment of past errors. This committedness to the “ right-course ” is what both compels Henchard to better his moral and material status and what prevents him from taking ownership of his felicity.
Farfrae and Elizabeth-Jane are besides presented as regards to each other. They are both “ emotionally moderate, ” non excited into extremes of emotion the manner that Henchard and Lucetta are ( although Farfrae ‘s infatuation for Lucetta was instead unprompted ) . I think that Elizabeth-Jane is genuinely the most admirable character in the book. She seems to hold a subtle, unnoticeable beauty and reserved mode that I find more compelling than Lucetta ‘s sophisticated cuteness and coquettish demeanour. Lucetta is non a deep or particularly intelligent adult female ; we get the sense that Elizabeth-Jane is really much is both of those things. She is sort, compassionate, empathic and beautiful ; yet she is non, nevertheless, a unidimensional weakling the manner Tamsin is in The Return of the Native. Although Farfrae and Elizabeth-Jane are presented as similar characters, I think Elizabeth-Jane is still more admirable. Farfrae is ambitious, smart, successful, and really sort, yet Elizabeth-Jane seems to exudate a greater grade of profound empathy, possibly because she has suffered so much herself.
The tone of this novel is both really much like Hardy ‘s other novels and slightly different. There is a strong sense of determinism in the novel ; I sense that the lives of these characters are about predestined- their life-courses are inevitable, it is merely the emotions that they feel that are capable to the alteration. I think that Hardy suggests that the natural universe, destiny, clip, and opportunity are non antagonist to human life, but instead slightly apathetic to it- for single people are so inconsequential amidst the greater reconditeness of Life itself. This gives the book a slightly melancholic, but non necessary pessimistic tone. Ultimately, Hardy suggests that the novel is like life itself: equivocal, neither good nor bad, exultant or self-defeating.
