The Mayor of Casterbridge as a Novel of Series of Coincidence

In Hardy's novel coincidence play very vital and dominating role in determining the destiny of the character. In his novel The Mayor of Casterbridge too, there are a series of coincidences throughout the whole plot structure. Michael Henchard, the protagonist is a laborious hero, but everything goes beyond his control and at last he meets his tragic death in a very sympathetic mood.

He is guided by his fate in every step of his life. The series of coincidences are started from beginning to the end of the novel. Selling his wife and daughter in his unconsciousness, taking them by Richard Newson, successive establishment of Farfrae, Susan's death, naming the newly born child of Susan and Sailor as Elizabeth Jane, Henchard's failure in business, getting Susan and Jane at Casterbridge, becoming the mayor of Casterbridge from a hay- trusser, knowing the child as a sailor's daughter, etc. all events of the novel are guided by the coincidences and fate in the novel.

By filling the whole plot structure with so many coincidences Hardy imposes his philosophy of life. According to the life philosophy of Hardy, we do not have any free will, though we have, we are manipulated by our fate or coincidences. This sort of philosophy proves as true by presenting the protagonist of the novel, Michel Henchard as a victim of his own fate or coincidence. The very starting event of coincidence is his act of selling his wife and daughter in his unconsciousness. Before selling his wife and daughter, there is not any clues to say that Henchaed doesn't like his wife and daughter. By intentionally he does not want to sell his wife and daughter. So it is a kind of coincidence that he drinks there and in his drunkard mood he sells his wife and daughter unconsciously. This is very first and crucial coincidence which cause further ups and down in his whole life. Not only that the arrival of the person who is ready to buy the wife and child of Henchard has also been presented in a very coincidental manner. Similarly, when Henchard comes in conscious and feels guilty and goes in search of his wife and daughter, but just before reaching Henchard they are taken away from there which is another series of his fate or coincidence.

Susan's return to Henchard after a period of eighteen years is a pure accident for Henchard. Henchard had given her up as dead. He had awaited her return for a long time, but finally hearing nothing about her, he had given up all thought of her. And then she suddenly turns up one day. Her arrival coincides with Henchard's decision to marry Lucetta. The unexpected return of Susan upsets all Henchard's calculations and brings a series of misfortunes to him. Although Henchard is very glad at his wife's supposed daughter's being restored to him, yet he is somewhat perplexed how to deal with the other woman, namely Lucetta.

Henchard's effort to win Elizabeth-Jane's filial love almost coincides with his discovery that she is not his own daughter. Having lost his wife Susan through death and having lost the friendship of Farfrae through estrangement, Henchard tries to win the affection of Elizabeth-Jane whom he believes to be his own daughter. He tells her that she is his daughter and not the sailor Newson's. She believes him and agrees to regard him as her father and also to change her name accordingly. Then Henchard, on opening the imperfectly sealed letter left for him by Susan, discovers the painful secret, namely that Elizabeth-Jane is after all the sailor's daughter and not his own. If Henchard had not found Susan's letter, or if that letter had been properly sealed, he would have lived happily with Elizabeth-Jane, at least till her wedding-day. But it was an accident that the letter had not been properly sealed. And it is another accident that Henchard finds the letter just after he has tried to convince Elizabeth-Jane that he is her father.

It is a pure accident that Elizabeth-Jane and Lucetta meet for the first time in the churchyard. This accidental meeting leads to several complications afterwards. Lucetta engages Elizabeth-Jane as a companion, her motive being partly to attract Henchard to her house. Henchard on his part is now ready to marry Lucetta. As the author tells us, he now transfers to Lucetta the sentiments which had run to waste since his estrangement from Elizabeth-Jane and Farfrae. But fate intervenes to prevent Henchard from marrying that lady. Farfrae pays a visit to Lucetta's house in order to meet Elizabeth-Jane whom he wants to court with the object of marriage. It so happens that Elizabeth-Jane is at that particular moment not in the house, and Farfrae meets Lucetta just by chance. Lucetta has been expecting Henchard to visit her, but Henchard is unable to come, and Farfrae turns up there instead. What a coincidence! Far-reaching are the consequences of this coincidence. Lucetta falls in love with Farfrae, and Farfrae falls in love with her, with the result that Farfrae is no longer interested in Elizabeth-Jane who has all long been in love with him. A pure accident or coincidence leads to these big changes in the lives of four human beings. Lucetta would now like to marry Farfrae, not Henchard. Farfrae would like to marry Lucetta, not Elizabeth-Jane. Henchard who has lost Susan, Farfrae, and even Elizabeth-Jane, will now lose Lucetta also. Evidently fate is hostile to Henchard, and has played a trick upon him by sending Farfrae to Lucetta's house just when Elizabeth-Jane is away.

The appearance of the old furmity woman in Casterbridge is another accident. It was absolutely unforeseen that the furmity woman would one day disclose the secret of Henchard's early life. And, yet, perhaps the disclosure would not have come if the furmity woman had not been produced before Henchard for trial. What a coincidence, again! The furrnity woman is prosecuted by the police for committing nuisance near a church and Henchard is one of the two magistrates who will try her. The furmity-woman is perhaps the only living witness of the sale of Susan by Henchard. And she happens to be in Casterbridge, after having lived all these years in the village of Weydon-Priors where Henchard had first seen her. This coincidence again leads to far-reaching consequences. The disclosure of Henchard's secret of his early life affects Henchard's reputation badly.

Newson's arrival in Casterbridge to claim his daughter Elizabeth-Jan is another unforeseen and accidental occurrence. Newson was supposed to have been drowned. In fact, it was the news of Newson's death that had made it possible and even necessary for Susan to return to Henchard. If Newson had been known to be living, Susan's return to Henchard would not have taken place, and Henchard's life would have been absolutely different. But Newson was thought to be dead and then suddenly one day he appears in Casterbridge searching for his daughter. Newson comes to claim his daughter just when she has become indispensable to Henchard. Indeed, Elizabeth-Jane is the only source of comfort that Henchard has now got, because in every other respect he is a ruined man. Newson's arrival in the town almost coincides with Henchard's new emotional attitude towards Elizabeth-Jane.

In this way there are so many coincidental events in the novel that plays vital role in the holistic plot development of the novel. Henchard has become the puppet of his own destiny. Everything goes beyond the control of Henchard during the whole life journey of Henchard. All those events are brought into the world by fate. Henchard has been depicted as a helpless protagonist in the hand of fate or coincidences. No doubts he commits the mistakes by his own hands, but even in that condition also readers sympathy goes to him. All these coincidental forces have come from the outside world rather than the characters' own intentional commitment. Henchard always tried to maintain his power, prestige, glory and dignity, but after all he faced only the tragic end of his life. There are so many ups and downs during the entire journey of Henchard caused by the coincidences. The only determining factor of the destiny of the character in Hardy's novel is that the mayor of Casterbridge is only chances, the coincidences fate of the protagonist. After all, the whole plot structure moves around the series of coincidences in the novel.