The Story of The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy

The story of The Mayor of Casterbridge centers rounds a strong-willed and self-made man of great energy passions, Michael Henchard, whose rise to and fall from a high state form the core of the tragic tale of his life. The with the description of Henchard, a hay-tresser, his wife Susan and their small daughter Elizabeth-Jane walking long distances in search of work and approaching "the large village of Weydon Priors, in Upper Wessex on foot".

They arrive in time for an agricultural fair being held in the village. Fatigued because of their long journey, they come to a refreshment-tent where a woman is selling furmity, a type of milk punch relished by villagers. There, Henchard gets some rum mixed up in furmity, and drinking it gets intoxicated.

In his drunken state, Henchard becomes abusive and aggressive. He curses himself for having married at too young, an age to be able to earn enough to support his family, and offers to sell his wife and the small girl to the highest bidder. Taking pity on the downcast woman, Susan, Richard Newson a sailor who happens to be present there on that occasion, buys her for five guineas, and walks away with her. Later he takes the woman and the child to Canada where they live with him for a few years.

Regaining his senses, Henchard realizes the gravity of his act of selling his wife, but finds himself unable to do anything because his search for her and her daughter at a seaport town ends in his coming to know that they have emigrated from England with the man who had bought them. He feels repentant, and takes a vow never to touch drink for the next twenty-one years. After wandering about different places, he comes to the ancient town of Casterbridge (Dorchester), and settles down there. He works hard to improve his position. He prospers in the grain-business and becomes a prominent figure of the town. As Solomon Longways tells Elizabeth-Jane who has come in search of him, along with her mother. Henchard is "the powerfullest member of the Town Council, and quite a principal man in the country round besides."

In Canada, Richard Newson tries to convince Susan that she has no longer any legal ties with her husband, Henchard, who has sold her out. She begins to live with Newson as his wife, and a daughter is born to her by him. Meanwhile, the daughter born by Henchard, whom she had brought with her, dies. Susan comes to know that her marriage with Henchard is still valid, but cannot decide what to do. Once it is reported that Newson has been drowned as a result of a shipwreck. Learning about his death, Susan leaves Canada for England with his daughter by Newson, who is about 18 years old now, to find out the whereabouts of Henchard so that there may be somebody to look after and support her daughter.

Back in England, Susan approaches the furmity-woman who was present in the fair where she was sold, and learns that Henchard has become very rich and prosperous, and is now the Mayor of Casterbridge. She meets Henchard who expresses his regret over having done the great wrong to her, and apologizes to her. He asks her to be re-united with him as his wife. But Susan does not agree, because she does not want to cause any embarrassment to her daughter who thinks Newson to be her real father, and may not like Henchard to take his place. Henchard is introduced to Elizabeth-Jane as a relative of her mother. He begins to court Susan, and finally marries her. Susan and Elizabeth-Jane begin to live in his house.

By this time, Henchard has already appointed Donald Farfrae, a Scotsman and an expert in agricultural matters, who was intending to go to America, as his manager. He has not been told by Susan that Elizabeth-Jane is not really his daughter. During the period of his separation from Susan, he reveals to Farfrae the secret of his having sold his wife and had an affair with Lucetta Le Sueur whom he has now jilted after the arrival of Susan on the scene. On the other hand, Farfrae begins to love Elizabeth-Jane and wants to marry her. In spite of the suggestion made by Henchard, Elizabeth-Jane refuses to take his legal name.

The re-marriage of Henchard and Susan seems to fill their life with happiness. But sorrow soon comes in the shape of Susan's death hardly a year after they have been re-united, and Henchard's coming to know that Newson, and not he, is the real father of Elizabeth-Jane whom he has so far loved deeply as his own daughter.

A rift grows between Hencihard and Donad Farfrae. Farfrae’s diligence, business-skill and popularity among people arouses feelings of jealousy in Henchard's mind, who, after some provocation, turns him out of the job under him. Farfrae starts his own grain-business, and prospers much in it. Much against his wishes, a feeling of rivalry grows between him and Henchard. Henchard forbids him to have anything to do with his daughter (Elizabeth-Jane). The rivalry in business between Henchard and Farfrae leads finally to the immense flourishing of the latter's business and the ultimate ruin of Henchard's. Things come to such a pass that Henchard is reduced to a state of bankruptcy, and has to work as an ordinary labourer in Farfrae's establishment. Farfrae, on the other hand becomes the Mayor of Casterbridge, a position occupied formerly by Henchard. Thus, there is a complete reversal of fortune in Henchard's case as well as Farfrae's.

The discovery that Elizabeth-Jane is really Newson's daughter, chills the warmth of Henchard's affection for her Elizabeth-Jane realizes the cooling down of his affection, and begins to work in the household of Lucetta Templeman as her companion. This Lucetta is none other than Henchard's former mistress Lucetta Le Sueur. His wife Susan having died, Henchard now begins to court Lucetta again. But she is won over by his business rival, Farfrae, who secretly marries her. Henchard feels unhappy over having lost his mistress to his rival, and so does Elizabeth-Jane over having lost her lover (Farfrae) to her employer.

Henchard tries to take his revenge upon Farfrae and Lucetta both, by exposing the fact of her affair with him and reading out several of her letters written to him by her, to Farfrae. Feeling humiliated by the disgrace and ridicule caused by Henchard's act, and by the exhibition of models of Henchard and herself carried on a donkey, Lucetta dies of miscarriage during childbirth.

Henchard suffers further setbacks, and is completely ruined. Having abstained from drink for twenty years, in accordance with his vow, he turns to drinking again. He falls ill, and is taken care of by Elizabeth-Jane. He has nobody to comfort him except this step-daughter of his. But this fountain of comfort soon dries up too.

Richard Newson, who was said to have died by drowning during a shipwreck, is not actually dead, but alive, and is living in Newfoundland. He comes to Casterbridge in search of his wife and daughter. By this time, Henchard has decided not to stand in the way of Elizabeth-Jane's love affair with Donald Farfrae, and to allow them to marry. But the return of Newson to claim his daughter complicates the issue, because it means that Henchard will be deprived of his only source of happiness and comfort . Henchard tells Newson that the latter's daughter as well as wife are already dead. But Newson discovers the truth, and comes back again. Henchard is not prepared to forfeit his claim over Elizabeth -Jane to whom he has not revealed the truth either.

Henchard is sure, however, that someday the whole truth will be revealed and his lie will stand exposed. So he takes up a job as a hey-tresser in some other farm, and goes away from Casterbridge. The day of the marriage of Farfrae and Elizabeth-Jane is fixed. Henchard arrives at Casterbridge to attend the wedding, and is scolded by Elizabeth-Jane for having told her a lie about her parentage. Feeling lonely, and deserted by all, he leaves Casterbridge, and has a severe physical breakdown. A month later, going out in search of him, Elizabeth-Jane and Farfrae find him lying dead in the arms of Abel Whittk, an old employee of his, death having snatched him away from the hands of life just half an hour before their arrival at the scene.