by Thomas Hardy, 1886
This book was suggested to me as his favorite classic during the FAC at Susan and Doug’s, by the retired cancer doctor from Indiana who lives in the new MCM house on E. Myrtle Street. I think his name is Jim.
This was a soap opera! Main character, Michael Henchard, gets drunk and sells his wife (Susan) and baby girl (Elizabeth-Jane) to the highest bidder, a sailor. He regrets his actions so deeply, he vows to not drink again for 21 years (twice his then age). Skip ahead 18 years and he is the mayor of Casterbridge, successful and prominent. His wife and daughter (who is now 18 years old) come looking for him because the sailor has died. He takes them back but jilts a lover (Lucetta) at the same time. They never tell each other the truth in this book. It turns out this daughter, with the same name, Elizabeth-Jane, is not Henchard’s daughter at all. His daughter died 3 months after he sold them. This Elizabeth-Jane is actually the sailor’s daughter. Oh my! Henchard doesn’t find this out until he convinces Elizabeth-Jane that he is her real father. That very evening, he reads a letter Susan left for him to read when Elizabeth-Jane is to be married, and learns that Elizabeth-Jane is really the sailor’s daughter; that his Elizabeth-Jane died shortly after he sold them. He immediately despises the sweet Elizabeth-Jane he has just convinced she is his daughter. Oh my! He spends the next months being unloving and unkind to her, while she wonders and wonders what is going on.
Then, Lucetta comes back into the scene and wants to marry Henchard now that he is available again, since Susan has died. Unfortunately, they mess this up badly by getting hurt and playing hard to get. While Henchard is playing hard to get, Lucetta falls in love with the young Scot, Donald Farfrae, and things get really messy.
Lucetta and Donald marry. Elizabeth-Jane and Henchard finally get together and are living a somewhat peaceful existence. But then, Lucetta dies after the scummy townspeople find out her indiscretion with Henchard and do a “skimmity-ride” of effigies of her and Henchard down the main street. She is so upset, worried that Donald will find out, she actually dies after a night of anxiety. Wow!
Then, it turns out Elizabeth-Jane’s sailor father is not really dead and he comes looking for Elizabeth-Jane, who happens to be out at the time. Henchard lies to him and tells him Elizabeth-Jane died a few years ago.
Elizabeth-Jane and Donald slowly fall in love and are going to be married. Then, the sailor finds out he was lied to, and returns to bless Elizabeth-Jane and Henchard disappears in shame. He returns the night of the wedding, Elizabeth-Jane tells him how his deceit hurt her deeply and how can she love him, he leaves in sorrow, and dies 3 weeks later!
Such a soap opera!
Henchard is deceitful, rash, pessimistic, and always thinking the worst of what others are thinking of him. This causes so much harm to himself and others! I haven’t told how Donald Farfrae was such a blessing to him but because of Henchard’s jealousy, he turns him out and treats him as an enemy. Donald Farfrae ends up successful and happy while Michael Henchard falls deeper into poverty and wretchedness.
Throughout this, Elizabeth-Jane was an innocent and loving character, always thinking the best of others, always true and honest. Try to be like her, not like her step-father, Henchard!