64 pages • 2 hours read
Thomas HardyFar From The Madding Crowd
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1874A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Clocks, Watches, and Time
The relative passage of time is an important theme in the novel, and at various points throughout we are reminded of differing conceptions of time. The recurrence of watches and clocks symbolizes a modernity in which time becomes more regulated and more important for everyday life, rather than being guided by the natural world. Indeed, standard time was only introduced and popularized as a concept in the mid 1800s as it was necessary for scheduling railroad shipping. Far from the Madding Crowd, written in 1874, is situated in the midst of this tension between local and standard time. One interesting example of this is Gabriel’s own timepiece at the start of the novel, which is almost cartoonish in its inefficacy: not only is it too large and kept in a place that makes it difficult to actually retrieve, but the time isn’t actually accurate, requiring Gabriel to resort to old-fashioned methods or peering into others’ houses (5). Another interesting example occurs later, in Chapter 42, while Joseph whiles away the afternoon at the Buck’s Head Inn: as the group continually convince him to stay rather than rushing, as Fanny is already dead, we are told of the persistent chiming of Jan’s pocket watch noting the passage of time in a manner in conflict with their own, slow conception of it. Time in Weatherbury seems to be a flexible, fluctuating thing—important, except when it isn’t.
Unexpected Weather
At several points in the novel the characters encounter freak weather occurrences, and other natural occurrences, that complicate the more deterministic elements of the novel. One key example is, of course, the night of the harvest supper, during which a dreadful, complex storm threatens to destroy the yield from the prior season. The irony of this occurring on the night of the harvest celebration is keen, but the incident in some ways suggests an ability on the part of the determined to overpower nature, which makes it even more important that the two who work to save the yield are Gabriel and Bathsheba—and Boldwood allows his own to perish. Likewise, a heavy rain the night of Fanny’s burial destroys the work Troy put into planting flowers around her grave in memoriam, which allows us to compare acts of kindness—Troy gives up and walks away, whereas Bathsheba takes the time to collect and replant all of the flowers for the woman who was the true object of her husband’s affection. In some instances, on the other hand, characters’ actions in response to natural occurrences suggests a need to lean into them rather than work against them. For example, Troy is swept out to sea, effectively being given the opportunity to start anew in the United States; however, he insists on coming back to Weatherbury to reclaim what he views (rather illogically) as rightfully his, which leads to his death.
Country Landscapes
Much of the beauty in the novel lies in its pastoral elements. The narrator presents their description of events with frequent asides to explain country life, and there is a suggestion that the narrator finds beauty in the simplicity of it, undercut only somewhat by the actual complexity of life in Weatherbury. There is a reverence for the landscape and the community it requires that the complicated drama of the events of the novel does not undercut. In fact, an argument could be made that the simplicity of Weatherbury life is disrupted primarily by people like Bathsheba, Boldwood, and Troy, whereas the life itself and the work required of it is primarily done by the rest of the town. This reverence is established through characters’ deep connection with the landscape—Gabriel’s attention and intuition regarding the land and its myriad creatures; Bathsheba’s escape and solace in the swamps; even Troy submerging himself in a cove en route to what should have been a new life for him, even if he had not been swept out to sea. Some of the most beautiful scenes in the novel are a result of these pastoral descriptions, and they work best when they are read in contrast to the ugliness of social life interfering with that simplicity—it would be a mistake to presume that Hardy is championing the rural over the urban, but likewise it would be a mistake to assume that this means the beauty of the novel resides in the modern rather than the Romantic.
Pubs, Inns, and Festivals
Gabriel is introduced to life in Weatherbury through his first encounter at the local malthouse, and as such, so is the reader. These are communal gathering places, where people drink and talk until the evening. As such, they serve as microcosms of the social fabric of Weatherbury society, symbolic of both progress and stasis. In many of these moments, it seems as if very little happens, and from the perspective of plot, this is true—when Gabriel first spends time with the townspeople, little important is said. But the larger representation of community and history told through those moments is just as important to representing Weatherbury as are the moments of sheep-shearing and haymaking. Even the smaller points serve to illuminate key social elements and differences: Gabriel brushing off a bit of dirt in his ale versus Troy drinking brandy while everyone else is drinking cider or ale (and insisting that everyone join him in drinking brandy, as well). These social spaces do more than kill time in the plot; rather, they are important, interwoven moments into the text.
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By Thomas Hardy
