Pessimism
in The Mayor of Casterbridge.
Hardy's
The Mayer of Casterbridge is
a kind of pessimistic story of its protagonist
Michel Henchard. He is the main character
who has become puppet of his own luck
though he is labourious man. He tries
to do good and becomes a good human
being but everywhere he gets frustration,
disillusionment, alienation and disorder
in his life.
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His
whole life is tragic one.
His very crucial and unforgivable
mistake is selling his wife
and daughter being in drunkard
mood. But even here to reader's
sympathy goes towards Henchard
because everything had become
unconsciously.
But after that Henchard tried
to do good all the time. He
searched his wife and daughter.
He promised not to drink even
a drop of wine for a long
time. He got economic success,
He reached at the top of his
power. He undoubtly welcomed
his previous wife and his
so-called own daughter. He
tried his best to take care
of his daughter, wife, friends,
believers.
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But after all his life resulted in very
pessimistic mood. He believed Farfrae
as his own right hand but couldn't get
the ultimate satisfaction. He felt high
range of economic downfall but at last
everything resusted in to the very initial
position of Henchard. Rather more bad
position than that of his previous one.
Henchard
is pessimistic protagonist of the novel
because he couln't get happiness at
any time. His success has become the
antithesis of his happiness. His small
error groups all kinds of happiness
and ordered life patterns. If there
is anything that is very responsible
to give the pessimistic tone of the
novel. It is only coincidences. Coincdences
have played the very crucial role to
take the pessimistic vision in the entire
life journey of Michael Henchard through
the whole novel.
So,
the sense of pessimism in Hardy's The
Mayor of Casterbridge has been
presented in a bit different way. No
dought the protagonist of the novel
is a pessimistic character but the whole
credit of his pessimism has not been
given to his own flow only. But the
pessimism has been broadly caused by
the luck, fate, coincience of human
being. Life has been presented there
as pessimistic in the hand of luck or
chances. Our pessimistic life is a kind
of truth but the very cause behind it
is beyond our control. This sort of
pessimism is there is Henchard's life
too.
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