Far From The Madding Crowd

A detailed Summary of Far From The Madding Crowd

English Literature Coursework Assignment - Far From The Madding Crowd

'Compare and contrast Bathsheba Everdene's three suitors'

In the novel 'Far from the Madding Crowd' the main female role, Bathsheba Everdene, is pursued by three suitors, each of whom is very different from the others. These three men are Farmer William Boldwood, owner of the farm adjacent to Bathsheba's, Gabriel Oak, bankrupt farmer who becomes Bathsheba's shepherd, and later, bailiff, and Sergeant Francis Troy, a soldier whose regiment was close by to Weatherbury.

Each of the three suitors pursues Bathsheba in a very different style, each of which I will look at in this coursework, but, unfortunately for naive Bathsheba she fails to choose the best for her, Gabriel Oak, when he becomes her first suitor. Only at the end of the novel does she make the obvious and correct choice.

The first character I will look at is Sergeant Francis Troy who came upon Bathsheba one night as she walked along the fir plantation, checking that all was well in the fields and paddocks, although Gabriel Oak had check before her. When Troy had become entangled with her, one of his first questions was 'Are you a woman?', to which Bathsheba replie

When Troy finally returned that fateful night, Boldwood's desperation for Bathsheba caused him to reach for his shotgun, his mental instability clearly showing itself. After this, Boldwood was promptly arrested, charged with murder and sentenced to death, though this sentence was later quashed on the grounds of insanity. I think that Boldwood would have made a very good husband for Bathsheba if it were not for Troy's 'interfering' causing him to feel rejected and finally cause him to lose his sanity completely.

and this shows how she did not wish her happy mood to be ruined. This also shows her reluctance to face the reality of her situation and her refusal to face the truth that she had made the wrong choice. Even before her marriage, when she had first met Troy, she asked Liddy if she knew him and almost immediately Liddy warned her of him. She said that he was 'a wild scamp' and Bathsheba immediately jumped to his defence, protecting him because she could not see his faults as she was so blinded by her infatuation with him. Liddy pleaded with her to forget about him, saying he was a liar and a cheat but Bathsheba eventually told her, after a lengthy bout of sobbing, that she was to keep her opinions to herself and try to understand what she was feeling.

Later in the novel, we find out the real consequences of Troy's earlier affair with Fany Robin, an employee of Farmer Boldwood. Troy's relationship with her had ended up with he becoming pregnant, and to avoid embarrasment and a possible expulsion from his regiment, he agreed to marry her. He did not, however, do this immediately and atempted to stay away from her for a while, not asking his superiors if it was even possible. When he finally did agree to wed her, he discovered that she had arrived at the wrong church and had turned up too late and could not get married then, to Troy's delight.

Careful not to put himself in a position where he could miss a job opportunity, he decided to show no romantic or emotional interest in Bathsheba for the moment, and from this point onward. Gabriel is regarded by Bathsheba as her confidant, whom she asks advice for whenever she needs it, especially about Boldwood and Troy. At several places in the novel, Gabriel does indeed become very close to Bathsheba, for example the sheep-shearing where they both worked in silence beside each other but these seem to be always interrupted in some way, mostly by Boldwood, anxious to see Bathsheba again, much to his disapproval. Though he tries to hide it and cope with it much more calmly, Gabriel is just as infatuated with Bathsheba much more so than Boldwood, the difference being that Boldwood is very persistent and demanding, Gabriel simply accepts defeat and appears to give up, though still holds a flicker of hope in his heart. He patiently waits until the time is right and until Bathsheba is ready to accept him as the husband she needs.

Troy also had frequent outbursts with Boldwood on the subject of Bathsheba, before and after the marriage, in which we saw his humour in laughing at these 'country bumpkins' of the village, for example Gabriel, Boldwood and the others who frequented the malthouse, who wouldn't know how to win the heart of a woman even if they spent years trying to. In fact, while he was playing around with Bathsheba, even after the marriage, he failed to realise that both Blodwood and Gabriel were deeply serious about Bathsheba and would never treat her the ways in which Troy would never have thought of. This shows Troy's over-confidence in how he treats women, thinking that what he does is the best any man can do.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Gabriel Oak, Bathsheba Boldwood, Boldwood Troy's, Bathsheba Bathsheba, Christmas Day, Weatherbury Bathsheba, Troy Liddy, Fanny Robin, Bathsheba Gabriel, Boldwood Troy, gabriel oak, disappeared presumed dead, presumed dead, disappeared presumed, eventually told, shepherd bathsheba, bathsheba gabriel, farmer william, william boldwood, farmer william boldwood, sergeant francis troy, sergeant francis, francis troy,

Approximate Word count = 2882
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English