Article: Hardy's THE MAYOR OF CASTERBRIDGE.(Thomas Hardy)(Critical Essay)

In Thomas Hardy's novel The Mayor of Casterbridge, there is a scene in which Michael Henchard forces "Poor Abel" Whittle to go to work without his trousers "to teach [him] a lesson" in punctuality (74-77). But then Henchard backs down when his new manager, Donald Farfrae, insists that Whittle be sent back home to dress properly. Hardy implies that the scene plays a crucial role in the conflict between the two men that is the main theme of his novel. Hardy's telling metaphor for this process is that "the seed that was to lift the foundation" of their rugged manly friendship was "at that moment taking root in a chink of its structure." Given this importance, the scene ...

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