Essayyy

In the Mayor of Casterbridge they use many symbols that are very important to the book. I am just going to talk about three of the symbols to show you how they fit in with the book and show you certain aspects of characters or a foreshadowing they show. The first one is when one of Henchard's men driving a wagon collides with one of Farefraes wagons. This happens right in front of High-place Hall. This is where Elizabeth Jane and Lucetta live. This shows the conflict that will happen before Henchard and Farfrae foreshadowing that Henchard will lose. It also symbolizes the clash between Henchards traditional ways and Farfraes new era ways. I also believe that the crash happened in front of High-Place Hall for a reason. This is where Lucetta lives and both men are trying to win her heart. It shows you by who wins in the case of who to blame in the crash on who will win Lucetta's heart. The bull that tries to attack Elizabeth Jane and Lucetta is also another symbol. The bull in my opinion resembles Henchard. It is his forceful attack on Lucetta to marry him and his attack on Elizabeth Jane because she is not his real daughter. It attacks them with a lot of force just like Henchard. Henchard has to blackmail Lucetta to marry him. He gets so angry every time she tells him no that he keeps on and on making the consequence worse if she does not accept the offer. He is also rude to Elizabeth Jane when he finds out she is not his real daughter. He ignores her and she can never do anything right around him. He always criticizes her about something. However the bull also gives the readers a sympathetic view of Henchard. He shows bravery and strength when he rescues them from the bull. It lets the reader see him as a kind person instead of just rude all the time. The last thing would be the gift that Henchard gives to Elizabeth Jane and Farfrae for their wedding. Henchard gives them a Goldfinch in a cage. The bird was left in the cage forgotten about and therefore it died from lack of food. When Elizabeth Jane found the bird she felt the need to search for Henchard. The bird is a symbol of how Henchard will die. Henchard died in Whittle’s cottage because he would not/ could not eat, just like the bird. The bird was also in a cage just as Henchard was. His cage was a cage of his past. He lived in regret of so many things that caged him in a state of depression. He also had nothing to live for after losing all of his possessions , his title, and the people he loved. As you can see there are many symbols in this book that you could take however you see it. These were just a few I picked that I used in my perspective. Next time you are reading don’t forget to look for those hidden symbols and try and decipher their meanings.

Movieee Starrrr

There were three different things that were made out of the book. There was a movie that just aired on TV that was released in August of 2003. The series was released in the US and the UK. There was also a TV mini series that in September of 1978 it was released in the UK. It was only aired for one season. There was also a silent film released in the UK as well in November of 1921.

What do I think???

At first I was a little worried that this book would just be god awful. As I continued reading I changed my mind. Even though it was a tragic story with all of the bad things that were happening I found myself to continue reading. It was one of those books that everything that could go bad was and you wanted to keep reading to see what could possibly happen after all of the other things. I liked how it was not just tragic but it had some drama too. It wasnt just poor Mr. Henchard it had love affairs and other drama going on instead of just stupid bad things that kept happening. I also liked how I never really got bored with it. Something new was always happening with each day. It didnt do a good job of letting you know how much time had passed from chapter to chapter though. But all in all I think that this book was not as terrible as I was thinking it would have been. Way to go Mrs. Rebeskee :)

Frustrations and Favors

In the beginning of the book I was very frustrated with the author because he felt the need to describe everything with a lot of detail. He would describe so much of the geography of the land and the way things were placed. I thought that it would have a purpose but I never really saw why he did it. In the first chapter when Susan and Michael Henchard were walking into the town he described the dirt and the placement of their arms and how their feet were. It was just too much information in my opinon. I did like how he gave background on all the characters. You never were introduced to a new character without learning information on them. He would also give information on all of the towns that they traveled through so you knew how far it was from the other town they were in.

Publication Info

The book was written in the years of 1884 and 1885. It was then published by Smith Elder & Co in 1886. It was Hardy's tenth book to be published. The book has had many revisions from Hardy. He had an 1887 second edition that was published by Sampson Low and then another in 1895 that was published by Osgood McIlvine & Co. He then made a final revision like he did with most of his books that was for Macmillan's 1912 Wessex edition of the novels.

About the author

Thomas Hardy was born on June 2, 1840 in Higher Bockhampton, Dorset. Hardy did not attend school until he was eight years old. In 1870 Hardy was sent to start a church restoration in St. Juliot in Cornwell and he met Emma Gifford and they were married in 1874. He published his first novel in 1871 but it did not bring him much attention. It wasn't until he published Under the Greenwood Tree the next year that he became popular. When Hardy moved back to Dorchester in 1885 that is when he published the Mayor of Casterbridge. Emma died in November of 1912 and Hardy remarried in 1914 to Florence Dugdale. At this time in his life Hardy was only writing poetry. Thomas Hardy died on January 11, 1928 and his heart was burried next to Emma.