Conflict between Henchard and Farfrae as the Central Thematic Element

Farfrae is, at one point, the employee of Michael Henchard. On the post of manager Farfrae was appointed by Henchard. Under the surveillance of Henchard, Farfrae began to work. Soon Farfrae began to develop his skill through sound managerial performance.

Once Henchard tried to teach a lesson of punctuality to Abel Whittle by forcing him to go to work naked. It was an odd way, a humiliating way to teach a lesson through that sort of punishment. Farfrae was observing Henchard's way of punishing Abel so that Abel could learn the lesson, of punctuality. But Farfrae was dissatisfied. Hence Farfrae took this way of Henchard as irrational and somewhat an inhuman way of teaching a lesson about punctuality to a lazy worker. Therefore Henchard interfered and sent Abel back to put on his cloth. This activity of Farfrae punctured the pride and ego of Henchard. Actually Farfrae did not intend to produce an ego puncturing effect on Henchard, Farfrae was simply trying to become rational and practical in handling such an awkward situation. But this interference of Farfrae produced an ironic effect. Henchard began to develop a destructive rivalry towards Farfrae. Henchard intended to defeat Farfrae in social prestige and popularity by reorganizing celebration. But this celebration ended in fiasco (failure). Again Henchard tried to defeat Farfrae. But it too ended in fiasco. Then Henchard tried to destroy Farfrae in a threatening way. Finally, in this inner game of destroying Farfrae Henchard destroyed himself. Again Henchard tried to defeat Farfrae by creating a deviation in the relationship between Farfrae and Henchard. The more Henchard felt defeated the more mean and aggressive he became. In each of these steps Henchard's activities produce the reverse consequence. Finally, he went bankrupt. At the situation of bankruptcy, Henchard faced, Farfrae wanted to help Henchard by setting up a small corn business. Farfrae tried to do this out of his generosity. "But the more generous activities Farfrae wanted to perform for Henchard the more vindictive and defeated Henchard became. Each generous act of Farfrae produced a reverse consequence in Henchard. Why? Answer is- Henchard used to think that it is he who established Farfrae. So Henchard expected that Farfrae should be loyal and subordinate to him. But Farfrae was rising at every step, whereas Henchard was sliding from the popularity. How can Henchard humiliate himself, how can be lower himself by accepting generous care from his rival Farfrae. Hence there is every reason to believe that to dramatize the intense rivalry between Henchard and Farfrae is the ultimate target of Thomas Hardy.