Mayor Of Casterbridge Character Development Essay

With the coming of age of Catherine and Heathcliff, the hapless families of Earnshaw and Linton brave the storms that brew between them and realize that they must rise up to meet what they have forced upon themselves. Foremost, the main characters, Catherine, Heathcliff, and Edgar are never quite as they appear to be, and are constantly changing in both dynamic and static ways. For example, Catherine is the one who changes the most. As she states, “In my soul and in my heart, I’m convinced I’m wrong … I’ve dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas: they’ve gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the color of my mind,” (p. 79). This expresses how she feels as if she has been

In the novel, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë there were many incidents that had affected the overall plot of the book. Sometimes an author adds certain events or ideas to help accentuate the plot. In this novel there is a recurring theme of betrayal. The one that seems to be affected by the curse of betrayal the most is the main character, Jane Eyre, herself. Her first encounter with betrayal came about when she was still just a child. And as she grew older and experienced the world new ways unlike before, she could never escape the curse of betrayal.

For example in the prologue of the story, Douglas initially includes in his introduction of the governess the detail that she was the “youngest of several daughters of a poor country parson” (James 4). Douglas’ mention of this minor fact is crucial to understanding the fundamental psychology of the governess. By considering the fact that the governess was raised in an environment of an “English middle-class class-consciousness” it is shown that a result of this is the development of “her somber and guilty visions and the way she behaves about them.” Inevitably, her upbringing through the taboos of the Victorian-English time period has ultimately led to her “inability to admit to herself her natural sexual impulses and the relentless English ‘authority’ which enables her to put over on inferiors even purposes which are totally deluded and not at all in the other people’s best interests” (Gale 3).

In Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Arthur Huntington, Helen’s husband and Arthur’s father, is presented as an alcoholic, disgraceful, narcissistic “gentleman” (Brontë 311). Despite Helen’s efforts to shelter their son, Arthur, from the corrupted masculinity embodied by Huntington and his friends, Huntington encourages Arthur’s “manly accomplishments” that mirror his own character, such as excessive drinking, swearing, and selfishness (297). For fear of Arthur becoming “a curse to others and himself”, like his father, Helen has acquitted herself to prepare for an escape; however, Huntington seizes her journal which reveal her plans (203). In this passage Mr. Huntington is not only devaluing aspect of his corrupted masculinity,

Fitting with the common theme between the two novels of the judgment of others, each heroine falls victim to a horrible misjudgment of the character of another. After discovering that the engagement between her brother and her friend Isabella has been broken, Catherine finds she has grossly misjudged her friend’s character, and thinks, “She was ashamed of Isabella, ashamed of ever having loved her” (Northanger 150). Elizabeth, on the other hand, finds her attachment the Wickham wholly inappropriate after receiving her letter from Mr. Darcy. After digesting the shocking contents of the letter, Elizabeth “grew absolutely ashamed of herself.—Of neither Darcy nor Wickham could she think, without feeling that she had been blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd” (Pride 156). And indeed, as suggested by Elizabeth’s mention of Darcy, this misjudgment goes on to affect each girl’s attachment to her future husband.

Throughout the course of history, social hierarchies have existed across the globe, spanning from prince to pauper or business tycoon to lowly scrivener. Authors, in turn, have written works regarding social class, often examining the negative effects of societal structure on personal growth. Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre takes place in Victorian England, in the age of industry and genesis of industrial capitalism. The novel’s protagonist, Jane, first lives a life of neglect, then a life in poverty, and eventually finds her happy ending. Through Jane’s personal experiences and interactions with fellow characters, Brontë analyzes the effects of social class. Professor Chris Vanden Bossche’s article analysis “What Did ‘Jane Eyre’ Do? Ideology, Agency, Class and the Novel” examines social inclusion and monetary pressures placed on the central characters during this pivotal era of English history. Through the Marxist lens, Jane Eyre can be understood in terms of complexity and character motives. Vanden Bossche effectively argues that external forces, like money and people, both motivate and repress Jane into choosing her own path. Thus, a more developed explanation is made for Jane’s various behaviors regarding social inclusion and societal rebellion.

Characters are made to seem sinister, having an ulterior motive due to this. For example, Lily fakes being interested in the Americana, not smoking and going to church for Mr. Gryce, while Mr. Trenor helps Lily financially in order to sleep with her. The reader is able to identify the difference between a conversation Lily has with Selden and one she has with other characters, due to the lack of need for Lily to keep her good reputation with Selden. Bart herself acknowledges that she doesn't have to ''pretend'' with him or be ''on guard against'' him. In other occasions, the young woman has to concentrate primary on gossip and pretense and strive to manipulate others, by calculating her every word. The irony in this fact is that by acting so, they showcase bad manners; lying, adultery, gossiping, and being passive aggressive, are all behaviours evident in the upper class. In the reader's eyes, this fact makes her relationship with Selden the realest one of the whole book, and comes to the logical conclusion, that he is the best partner for her, him symbolising freedom from materialism, something that she wants for herself. However, Bart is not able to detach herself from her thirst for money and therefore, continues her pursue for a wealthy husband, like Mr. Gryce, who is a symbol for freedom from financial

A husband who will be able to help her assure a stable status in society. This, from all of her faults is what exasperates me the most. She uses her looks as an asset to aid her in getting ahead in life. Despite all of this, as a reader, I was still hopeful to see her regain her status, and through her desperation I was even expecting it. Nonetheless, despite the strained circumstances in her life, she is still too snobbish to compromise her sensibilities and settle for Mr. Gryce or Mr. Rosedale. Throughout the whole novel her pride got in the way of her making the right choices. Had she been able to put that aside she would have been able to marry Seldon, despite the fact that he was a working man and she would have been able to put a stop to the rumors that arose regarding the affair with George Dorset. Unfortunately however Edith Wharton had another fate planned out for our beloved protagonist. The ambiguity of the ending not only left me with more questions but also destroyed the hope I had for Miss. Bart and

Renowned author and poet, Thomas Hardy, was born and raised in the English village of Dorset, a town that known for its ability to remain relatively untouched for hundreds of year by modern society in both quality of life and mentalities. Hardy bases his story, The Mayor of Casterbridge, in the town of Casterbridge, which is based on his own hometown of Dorset. Within this town of Casterbridge, we follow, as Hardy puts it, “A Story of a Man of Character”. This supposed Man of Character, is Michael Henchard, a man with a tumultuous past and an excess of secrets. This story also follows the characters of Elizabeth-Jane, Henchard’s daughter, and Donald Farfrae, his co-worker and later rival.

In the novel the reader is introduced to two characters who both have guilt issues, that they both need to work through. Sam is an individual who is central to the novel because, his history has had such an impact on his life, and this leads him to try and find some form of peace through writing the biography of Clare Wald, a woman who had a substantial amount of influence in his formulating in his own values and morals after all the issues which he has to work through as a child. Sam as an individual has experienced an unpleasant childhood due to the death of his parents and being abused by his guardian, through the novel one gets to know Sam’s character in depth and it is clear that he suffers from guilt and remorse. Sam can be considered as damaged goods, as he struggles with his chronic remorse and tries to connect himself with his past where there is a sense of security.

The novel in which Jane Eyre stars in can be seen criticizing many aspects of those times such as the role and nature of women, child negligence and social hardships for those in a lesser class. Jane Eyre’s alienation from society allows for a greater reveal of the story’s culture, values, and assumptions. It’s presented through the use of gender, class and character conflicts throughout the story. On multiple occasions, Jane is judged for the presented factors reflecting the type of society Jane lives in and what the times were like at that time.

In Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge, rejection and reconciliation is a consistent theme. During the Victorian era, Michael Henchard, a common hat trusser, becomes Mayor of the town of Casterbridge, Wessex. However, his position does not prevent him from making a series of mistakes that ultimately lead to his downfall. Henchard’s daughter, Elizabeth Jane Newson, is affected by her father’s choices and is not spared any disappointing consequences. In the novel, the characters of Henchard and Elizabeth Jane both experience the pain of rejection in its different forms and discover reconciliation from that rejection.

Men and women during the nineteenth century were thought to have completely different natural behaviors with men featuring characteristics ideal for the public world while women were suited for a private world. Women were generalized as being weak, emotional subordinates that were in all respects dependent on men (Radek). It’s important to recognize that women and men were expected to demonstrate, “traits [that] are generally polar opposites,” to one another in order for a marriage to function properly (Radek). Any woman that expressed a desire to break free from these expectations was ostracized for their defiance. The main protagonist, Jane Eyre, embodies a spirit destined to defy the social expectations of her time in a multitude of ways. Not only does Jane represent the strength and wisdom that women can display, she takes action striving for her own personal happiness. Despite a powerful love affair, she refuses to ever allow her desires to become, “completely controlled by the men,” in her life as society informed her to, but rather pursues what she believes will be the most beneficial for her own journey (Smith). A woman with the audacity to make decisions with this mindset is unheard of during this time which emphasizes the complexity of Jane as a character. Bronte utilizes this evolving character to contest the common stereotypes that modified the perception of women and created a society that provoked limitations upon

Pride and Prejudice is one of the most popular novels written by Jane Austen. This romantic novel, the story of which revolves around relationships and the difficulties of being in love, was not much of a success in Austen's own time. However, it has grown in its importance to literary critics and readerships over the last hundred years. There are many facets to the story that make reading it not only amusing but also highly interesting. The reader can learn much about the upper-class society of this age, and also gets an insight to the author's opinion about this society. Austen presents the high-society of her time from an observational point of view, ironically describing human behavior. She describes what she sees and adds her own

The impact of Henchard’s fluctuating self-concept is seen in the different ways that he treats Elizabeth-Jane. His attitude towards her moves from warm and caring to cold and distant and back again. While he believes that he is Elizabeth-Jane’s biological father, Henchard is warm and caring towards Elizabeth-Jane. This can be seen by them taking frequent walks together. He, however, does not show his full affection to Elizabeth-Jane though actions such as kissing her cheek because he is viewed as her stepfather by the townspeople and by Elizabeth-Jane herself. After Henchard convinces Elizabeth-Jane that he is her biological father, he reads a posthumous letter from Susan saying otherwise. Instead of feeling joy at being able to show his full affection the next day “…it was no less than a miserable insipidity to him now that it had come” (Chapter 19, para.34). The change in his self-concept of himself as her biological father cast a shadow over their budding