Character is Fate.docx
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Character is Fate.docx
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CharacterisFate
Abstract
ThomasHardyisoneofthemostwidelyreadandprominenttragicnovelistsinEnglishliterature.Thusheisaquiteinfluentialfigure.MostofhisnovelshavehisnativeplaceDorsetastheirsetting,whicharecategorizedashisfamous‘Wessexnovels’.InthesenovelsHardydescribesthetragicfateoftherurallifeinEnglandinquiteamorbidmoodandexpressedhispessimisticviewonhumanlifeatlarge.HisTheMayorofCasterbridgeisamostcontroversialnovelreviledandrevered.ThisthesisintendstomakeacomprehensiveexplorationofthetragicfateoftheheroHenchard.
AsthemayorofCasterbridge,Henchardneverstoppedthefightagainsthisfatethroughouthiswholelife,however,heneversucceeded,andmoreover,hewasbeatdownbyfate.Hischaracterdeterminedhistragicfate.Hisimpulseandcrankinesscausedhimtosellhiswifeafterhegotdrunk,whichisthebeginningofhistragicfate;HewasunwillingtoadjusthimselftothecustomofCasterbridge,sohelosthisbattleinthecompetitionwithFarfrae.Hetriedsohardtoexpiatehispast,buthewasfrustratedbykinship,friendshipandlove;thedeficiencyinhis.charactermadehimunfittothechangeableworld,eventually,hewaseliminatedbyhistory.
ThisthesismainlyshowsthecharacteroftragicheroHenchardbyanalyzingthetext.PartoneintroducesthephilosophicalandworldviewofHardy,focusingontheunderstandingofHardy’sFatalismandDeterminism.ParttwowillanalyzethehardlifeofHenchard,withtheviewtofindoutthereasonofhisfailurefromhisrelationshipwithhiswifeanddaughterandlover,andgetstheconclusionthat‘Characterisfate’.PartthreeanalyzestherivalrybetweenHenchardandFarfrae,andlooksintothereasonwhyHenchardiseliminatedbyhistory,anditstrengthenstheconclusionthat‘Characterisfate’.
Keywords:
character,environment,fate,tragic
Introduction
1.1ThomasHardyandHisNovels
BornJune2,1840,inthevillageofUpperBockhampton,aboutthreemilesfromthetownofDorchesterinsouthwesternEngland,ThomasHardylivedwellintothetwentiethcentury,dyingin1928attheageof88.HardyremainedaVictoriantotheend.Thisisparticularlytrueofhiscareerasanovelist.Allofhismajornovelswerewrittenbeforetheturnofthecentury.HewasthelastimportantnovelistoftheVictorianage.InhisWessexnovels,hevividlyandtruthfullydescribedthetragiclivesofthepeasantsinthelastdecadeofthe19thcentury.
Asthechildofabuilder,HardywasapprenticedtoJohnHicks,anarchitectwholivedinthecityofDorchester,andDorchesteristhemodelofHardy’sfictionalCasterbridge.“AlthoughHardygivesseriousthoughttoattendinguniversityandenteringthechurch,astrugglehewoulddramatizeinhis1895novelJudetheObscure,hisdecliningreligiousfaithandlackofmoneyencouragedhimtopursueacareerinwritinginstead”.Hardyspentnearlyadozenyearsonwriting.Intheend,hebecameasuccessfulnovelistandpoet.
FarFromtheMaddingCrowdwaspublishedin1874,whichistheturningpointofHardy’sliterarylife.Thenovelwasanoverwhelmingsuccess,andfromthenon,hardywasabletosupporthimselfonlybywriting.From1878to1895,Hardyachievedalotasanovelist.DuringthisperiodHardypublishedTheReturnofNative,TheMayorofCasterbridge,TessoftheD’urbervilles,JudetheObscure,withwhichHeconsciouslyexperimentswiththeideaandformoftragedy.“Inthesebooks,Hardy’sperseveringpessimism---basedonhisconceptionofthe‘ImmanentWill’--andhissenseoftheinevitabletragedyofhumanlifearecontinuallyapparent”.Whenhestayedinfamiliarruralsetting,usedclassicform,andfocusedonaconcernwiththedramaofbasichumanpassions,hisnovelstookonauniquetragicpowerdifferentfromotherEnglishnovelists.
Sometimes,byhisuseofdisastrouscoincidence,Hardyintentionallyleavesthereadertheimpressionofmakinghismaterialinagreementwithhisoutlook,forinstance,thefateofTess’sletterofconfessiontoAngelClare.YetthereisrealtragicdignityinthestoryofTess,aswellasofHenchardinTheMayorofCasterbridge.“Thelatter,withthegradual,cruelrevelationofHenchard’spast,mustmeansmorethananunconsciousrecollectionofSophocles’Oedipus,whilethefunctionofthevillagersorCasterbridgetownsfolkinthesebooksisclearlytoprovideacommentaryakintothatofthechorusinGreektragedy”.ButHardy’sintimateknowledgeoftheWessexcountrysideandofrurallifepreventsthenovelsfrombeingregardedonlyasattemptstotransplantGreektragedyintothe19thcenturyEnglishcountryside.
1.2LiteratureReview
Asoneofthe“NovelsofCharacterandEnvironment”,TheMayorofCasterbridgeisamostcontroversialnovelreviledandrevered.Sinceitspublication,thisnovelhasmetwithbothapprovalanddisapprovalfromcritics.InhislettertohisfriendStevensonin1886,Hardywrites,“TheSaturdayhasthrowncoldwateronitbybutthentheSaturdaymanintowhosehandsmybooksareputhasalwaysbeensayingthatmystoriesaredull’.JamesPayne,thepublisher’sreader,reportstoSmith,ElderandCo.that“Thelackofgentryamongthecharactersmadeituninteresting.”Perhapsbecauseof“thecoldwater”,evenHardyhimselflacksconfidenceinthisnovel.Inhisnotebook,hesays,“Ifearit(TheMayorofCasterbridge)willnotbesogoodasImeant,butafterallitisnotimprobabilitiesofincidentbutimprobabilitiesofcharacterthatmatter”.
“Smalldispraise”ofthenovelcomesfromananonymousreviewerwritingintheSaturdayReviewon29th,May1886.ThereviewermakesacomparisonbetweenTheMayorandanearlierworkFarFromtheMaddingCrowdandcommentsthattheformer“isnotequaltotheauthor’sgreatandmostpicturesqueromanceofrurallife…”thusseeingTheMayorasa“disappointment”.Thewritinggoesoncommentingthatthenovelis“tooimprobable”,andassertsthattheopeningsceneisimpossibletobelieve.WilliamDeanHowellsprovesthiscompletelywrongandsays:
“Henchard’ssaleofhiswifeisnotwithoutpossibilityorevenprecedent”.
Whiledenouncedbycritics,TheMayorofCasterbridgeisappreciatedbysomewesternwriters.InanswertoHardy’sletter,Stevensonreplies,“IhavereadTheMayorofCasterbridgewithsincereadmiration:
Henchardisagreatfellow,andDorchesteristouchedinwiththehandofamaster”.Moreover,thisnovelisVirginiaWoolf’sfavorite.Inhereyes,“Thisnovelisanimpression,notanargument”,“Thereisgreatnessinthecontest,thereisprideandpleasureinit,andthedeathofthebrokencornmerchantinhiscottageonEgdonHeathiscomparabletothedeathofAjax,LordofCalamis”.
Asfarasthetragicfateofthemayorisconcerned,criticsquitedisagreewithoneanother.Thefirstkindofviewtendstobeoverwhelming.Thatis:
MostcriticsemphasizethatHenchard’stragedyisdeterminedbyhischaracter.Thesecriticsmust,withoutexclusion,beinfluencedbythewriter’stitle“TheStoryofaManofCharacter,”andHardy’squotation“Characterisfate”.Karlbelievesthat“theeventsthathelpnullifyHenchardarethosethatdevelopfromhisowncharacter:
herliterallymakestheworldthatfirstenvelopsandthensqueezeshimtodeath”.DaleKramerevensumsup“atleastfourcrucialdemonstrationsofthisflawinaction”.
ThesecondkindofviewoftenusesthenoveltodemonstratethesimilaritieswithGreekandShakespeareantragedy.SoHenchard,thewretchedcornmerchant,isalwaysbearingtheanalogieswithOedipus,andShakespeare’sHamletandKingLear.Inthearticle“TheMayorofCasterbridgeandtheOldTestment’sFirstBookofSamuel:
AstudyofSomeLiteraryRelationships,”JulianMoynalainprobesintodetailsoftherelationshipbetweenthemayorandthestoryofSamuel.HeillustratesthecloseresemblancebetweenHenchardandSaulandthatbetweenDavidandFarfraeinthesimilardownfalloftheformertwoandtheriseofthelattertwoalike.HethenconcludesthatthethemeoftheMayorisnot“characterisfate”or“managainsthimself”butratheritis“theconflictbetweengenerations.”Fromthisstandpoint,JulianMoynalanseesHardyas“amelodist”---atitleHardyhasendowedhimself---thatis,abeliefthattheworldmaybemadebetterbyhumanefforts.
ThethirdkindofviewregardsthisbookasanovelaboutDarwinismandjunglelaw.Manycriticsholdthatthetworivals,HenchardandFarfrae,aretherepresentativesoftheoldworldandthenewworldrespectively.Itisalife-and-deathfightbetweenthem.“Itwas,insomedegree,NortherninsightmatchedagainstSoutherndoggedness---thedirkagainstthecudgel.”IntermsofDarwinism,HenchardisdoomedtobedefeatedbyFarfrae,astheoldworldinevitablygiveswaytothenewone.ManyChinesecriticsattempttointerpretHenchard’stragedyinlightofDarwinismandsocialevolution.Forexample,NieZhenzhaopointsoutinhisbook,“AsHardydepictsthecourseofCasterbridge’sruin,thepremiseofhisthoughtsisDarwinism.Intermsofsocialevolution,Hardysuggeststheinevitabilitytoreplacetheoldbythenew,explainingthatthechangeofCasterbridgeandthedevastationofthecityisanunavoidableaftermathofevolution”.
InspiteofbeingavoraciousreaderofDarwinism,Hardyisveryskepticalandhesitanttoembraceitwholeheartedlyandhisviewontheevolutionaryprocessisamixedone.Inanotebookentryof1876,HardycopiedthefollowingfromanarticlebyTheodoreWatts:
“Sciencetellsus,inthestruggleforlife,thesurvivingorganismisnotnecessarilythatwhichisabsolutelythebestinanidealsense,thoughitmustbethatwhichismostinharmonywithsurroundingconditions.”Inthissense,Hu
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