Resumo de The Mayor Of Casterbridge

The Mayor of Casterbridge is probably the best of and probabaly the least known of the Hardy masterpieces.The novel bases itself in the Dorset or Wessex countryside of England.Wessex and Dorset had been Hardy's favourite backdrops where he had based most of his novels into.The other quintessential element of Hardy's novels is the intense psylogical insight into each of the charecters in the novels penned by him.The Wessexian Tales as most of his novels are often refered to are the documents which portray the intense psychological turmoil in the charecters of the novels.In the novel titled The Mayor of Caterbridge we find the central charecter named Micheal Henchard being toyed upon by fate and his ultimate disgraceful death in a cottage of a man who he once in his life had disgraced.
The story opens with we finding Henchard in the dress of a poor young hay trusser walking down a road in the village in search of a job.With him is his wife Susan and their very small daughter named Elizabeth Jane.They take a break in their journey and move in to the village fair in Weydon Priors where they move in to a furmity tent for their lunch.There Henchard gets intoxicated by smuggled rum and in couse of his intoxication sells his wife and daughter for a mere 5 guineas.The next morning he wakes up to realize his deeds and wanted to take his wife and daughter back but could not find them.He goes to a Church and takes an oath on the holy Bible that he would not touch liquor for a period of twenty one years to come.Next we find Henchard as the Mayor if the small town named Casterbridge which is essentially Hardy's very own name that he attributed to Wessex.Susan returns to the place where she was sold and she was told that Henchard was the Mayor and a very successful buessman at the town of Casterbridge.Elizabeth Jane is grown up to be a lady of eighteen.In a crisis situation Henchard finds a scot by the name of Donald Farfrae who ultimately becomes his secretary.But due to his inovative methods of working he becomes more popular than the mayor.Out of sheer jealousy Henchard fires him but he fetches a business in the same fields very soon.At this juncture Henchard finds that Elizabeth Jane is in love with Donald and his wife passes away.Fate strikes him once again as he comes to know that Elizabeth Jane was the daughter of the man Susan was sold to.At this critical moment Henchard loses his mayorhood and Farfrae is the new mayor.HE leaves Caterbridge as the man whom he sold his wife and child turns up and Elizabeth Jane comes to know about the truth and rebukes Henchard.HEnchard dies a very sad deaath in a wretched cottage in the outskirts of the town he was once the mayor of.The main aspect of the novel seems to be his tryst with fate.Hardy brings in a lot of local colors in the novel with the inclusion of charecters like Solomon Longways and Jopp.In alll its a very humane novel with a pathetic end.

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