Symbolism in Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge

Movement of plot, the use of symbols and images becomes almost necessary to propel the major theme in the novel. We know Hardy has adopted a third-person omniscient point of view. With the adoption of this third person point of view the writer feels prevented from entering into the narrative and comments upon the actions characters.

That is why Hardy had to rely upon the frequent use of images and symbols. The setting of the novel is itself symbolic. The world of Wessex is described as though it is still backward. Wessex surrounding suggests dark, arresting glory, regressive backwardness, traditional methods, unrefined manner, little insufficient light of progress. How can light-seeking, progress-crazy and freedom-loving individual will and aspiration stand undefeated?

To describe about Michael Henchard's nature and his world view, Hardy has used a set of dark images. By nature Michael Henchard is impulsive, impetuous and instinctively, aggressive. He can't think rationally. He hardly thinks before taking any hasty action, therefore he is being guided by vengeful feelings. He is sacrificial of anything for the sake of nature. To become successful, he felt that his wife and a daughter are obstacle. So he sold them. Outwardly and at surface Henchard was vindictive and aggressive. But deep down at heart he was genuine, generous and assertive. He was not bad in himself. Rather, his approach to life was bad in the sense that with this approach to life the change of becoming successful was rare.

To describe about such a problematic character, Hardy selected a stock image. Hardy described Henchard as a raging bull. He described powerless Henchard as a fangless lion. The utter helpless Henchard is described as a caged bird. Henchard's activities are described as thunderous whereas Farfrae's activities are described as musical and soft. The womanless free life of Henchard is described as the life of flying bird whereas the life of his sold wife is described as a horse. The aggressive and warring relation between Henchard and Farfrae is symbolized as the colliding carts. Farfrae's introduction of seed-drill machine is symbolically used as the forces of modernization. Farfrae's musical object and tactfulness symbolically suggest rationality and practicality. Henchard's inner emotional entrapment is symbolized by the imagery of the cone. Skimmity-ride itself stands for the life-destroying and poisonous, superstitious forces of the Wessex. The wall of New place is symbolic of Lucetta's subconscious need to stand in the superior position. Finally the tiny character Abel Whittle is not a character only. He is a symbol of universal consolation and compassion for those who, through their flaw and hamartia, come across such a tragic doom which few people are heroic enough to encounter.