The Mayor of Casterbridge

Henchard feels humiliated, as much by Lucetta’s disapproval as by Farfrae’s rough treatment. He plans to fight Farfrae “face to face” (200). Henchard sends a message to Farfrae, asking to meet him in the corn storage building. Henchard believes that he is the stronger man so, to make the fight fair, he ties his left arm behind his back. Later, Farfrae arrives and is summoned up to the loft of the corn storage building. When he sings to himself, Henchard’s aggressive attitude toward him softens. Nevertheless, Henchard launches into a string of accusations, saying that Farfrae has repeatedly publicly humiliated him. He challenges Farfrae to finish the fight that Farfrae started earlier in the day. The first man to push the other out of the door—and over the 40-foot drop—will win, Henchard says. The winner can choose to either tell the truth or claim that the fall was an accident.

Henchard launches himself at Farfrae and quickly overpowers him. As Henchard pushes Farfrae to the edge, however, he cannot bring himself to kill the man. Farfrae’s weak position strikes him as being filled with “womanliness” and evokes pity from Henchard (203), who allows his enemy to leave. Farfrae leaves quickly, passing Abel Whittle. He says to Whittle that he has been called to travel to Weatherbury, so must cancel his plans to travel to Budmouth. Left alone, Henchard feels ashamed. He wants to find Farfrae and apologize but, by the time he seeks him out, Farfrae is gone. Henchard returns instead to the gloomy bridge, whereupon he hears a strange commotion from the town. He surprises himself by caring very little about the odd noises.

Farfrae is asked to visit Weatherbury by his men, who hope to save him from the humiliation of the skimmity-ride. Lucetta has received no protection. The people believe that she and Henchard had an extramarital affair, so they take to the streets in a chaotic procession, marching past her house just as she feels safe. Elizabeth-Jane learns about the people’s plans. She runs to try to help Lucetta, telling her not to look outside. Lucetta has already heard the rumors, however, and she knows what is planned. She stands at the window and watches the procession past her house. A crowd leads a donkey. On the donkey’s back are two effigies made to look like Henchard and Lucetta. They are bound together, “impossible to mistake” (207), implying that they have had an affair. Lucetta understands the meaning. She worries that her husband will see the display. Feeling overwhelmed, she has an epileptic seizure. A doctor is called, and he immediately notes that she is pregnant. He is concerned that her condition is grave, so someone is sent to fetch Farfrae, though they are mistaken about his location. Mr. Grower encourages the meek police officers of Casterbridge to arrest the organizers of the skimmity-ride. The investigation cannot find the people responsible. Jopp claims to be entirely ignorant of what happened. When they visit the disreputable pub, all the patrons are quietly drinking. They lie about their whereabouts and vouch for each other’s alibis. The police arrest no one.

Following his fight with Farfrae, Henchard cannot sleep. He returns from the bridge into town and witnesses the skimmity-ride. Understanding exactly what this implies, he rushes to Lucetta’s house where he is told that she is seriously ill. He seems to be the only person who knows Farfrae’s true location, so he tries to warn people that they are looking for him in the wrong place. No one believes him, however, so he sets out himself to fetch Farfrae. He believes that Farfrae’s presence might be the difference between life and death. When he finally catches up to Farfrae on an empty road, he tells Farfrae everything he knows. Farfrae refuses to believe Henchard. He is worried that the frantic, anxious Henchard is trying to trick him into continuing their fight. He continues on his journey as Henchard chases along behind his carriage, pleading with him to stop. Eventually, Henchard cannot keep up. He returns to Casterbridge, cursing himself. He spends the night fretting about Lucetta. Farfrae returns the same night. He sits vigil beside his sick wife. When she wakes, she tells him about her past but the exact details remain “Farfrae’s secret alone” (214). Henchard is in his room, where he comes to see Elizabeth-Jane as his only comfort in the world. He is told by Jopp that some sort of sea captain called on him earlier in the evening. Henchard ignores the comment and tries to sleep. Instead, he spends the night anxiously pacing outside Farfrae’s house. In the morning, Henchard learns that Lucetta is dead.

The next day, Elizabeth-Jane goes to Henchard. For the first time in months, he feels genuine affection toward her. As she sleeps, he offers to make her breakfast. He is pleased and honored to have her in his home. As she sleeps, Captain Newson reveals himself as the sea captain who visited the previous day. He introduces himself to Henchard, who is immediately horrified. Newson tells his story. He believed that his marriage to Susan was untenable, so he orchestrated a cover story in which he would be lost at sea. Since then, he has become a wealthy man. He now wants to claim his daughter, Elizabeth-Jane. Henchard fears that Elizabeth-Jane will leave him in his time of need. Henchard acts on impulse and says that Elizabeth-Jane is dead. Newson believes Henchard. He is upset and departs from the town immediately. When Elizabeth-Jane wakes up, Henchard fears that she will find out what he has done. He goes to the deepest part of the river and thinks about throwing himself in. He is surprised by a vision of himself, floating in the river, and he has a sudden change of heart. He returns to Elizabeth-Jane, taking her to the river to confirm his “supernatural” experience (221). There, they find his effigy from the skimmity-ride. Elizabeth-Jane, fearing that Henchard might die by suicide, invites him to live with her. She wants to take care of him. Henchard agrees. From this moment on, he says, he is a changed man.

Roughly a year later, Farfrae is all but ready to forgive the organizers of the skimmity-ride. He still does not know what role Jopp played in events. By this time, Henchard is running the town’s seed store with the help of the Casterbridge council; he has “developed its trade considerably” (224). He lives with Elizabeth-Jane. Though he is no longer concerned that Newson might return, he fears that Farfrae may rekindle his relationship with Elizabeth-Jane and “rob” her from him (226). She has recently acquired many new books and he is suspicious how she could afford them all. By this time, Farfrae has concluded that Lucetta’s scandalous past would inevitably have been revealed. If she were alive, the scandal would still haunt her and would undermine their chance to be happy. After an accidental run-in, Elizabeth-Jane and Farfrae begin to spend more time together. He buys books for her and they develop a new love for one another. Henchard, watching them from afar, is jealous once again. When he sees them kiss, he briefly thinks about telling Farfrae about the scandalous nature of Elizabeth-Jane’s birth. He dismisses these temptations and begins to think about why he is always so angry and jealous.

Henchard notices that everyone in Casterbridge is talking about Elizabeth-Jane and Farfrae. He begins to worry about what his life will look like, should they marry. He watches the couple through a telescope but sees Newson instead. When he returns home, Elizabeth-Jane tells him about a strange letter she has received which requests a meeting. Henchard knows that Newson is planning to claim his daughter. He suddenly announces his own plans to leave Casterbridge and he refuses to change his mind. He leaves at dusk, returning to his life as a traveling hay-trusser. Elizabeth-Jane walks with him some way but she then says goodbye. She walks back to Casterbridge, where she is met by Farfrae and taken to his home. There, she meets Newson. He tells her that Henchard has lied about his demise. Elizabeth-Jane has a suddenly cold feeling toward Henchard. She criticizes him so much that even Newson feels compelled to defend the “poor” Henchard (235). Eventually, she is able to put aside her negative emotions and begin planning her wedding to Farfrae.

Henchard travels for six days until he reaches Weydon-Priors. The fair is long gone. He spends some time recalling the shameful auction of his family, thinking about everything that has resulted from that day. He cannot stop thinking about Elizabeth-Jane. Eventually, he is hired as a hay-trusser. His new place of work is 50 miles from Casterbridge. The days pass and he thinks about what might have happened if Newson did not reclaim Elizabeth-Jane. Henchard begins to think he acted too rashly. He plans to attend Elizabeth-Jane’s wedding. Filled with “a sudden reckless determination” (239), he sets off for Casterbridge with two days to spare, hoping to arrive in time for the evening. He takes a rest in Shottsford and hopes to buy a new set of clothes for the wedding. He also buys “a caged goldfinch” as a wedding present (239). He arrives in Casterbridge earlier but waits outside the town for several hours so that he only enters when evening arrives. He walks through the celebrations and asks about the married couple at the Farfrae house. Leaving his present behind a bush, he waits for Elizabeth-Jane. He sees her dancing with Farfrae, then with a new person whom he recognizes as Newson. He feels suddenly hopeless but, before he can leave, Elizabeth-Jane spots him and addresses him. He is surprised that she addresses him formally as “Mr. Henchard” (242). He asks her politely to always save some love for him. However, she cannot forgive him for lying to her. Henchard accepts her judgment. He apologizes for her pain at seeing him. He promises never to trouble her again and to leave her alone forever.

Almost a month has passed since the wedding. Elizabeth-Jane is growing used to her new status as Farfrae’s wife. Newson lives in Budmouth, to be near the sea. Elizabeth-Jane is told by a servant that the owner of the birdcage has been identified. The cage—containing a dead goldfinch—was only found after the wedding. Elizabeth-Jane was very upset. She is told that it belonged to a “farmer’s man” who attended the wedding that night (244). Elizabeth-Jane realizes that the bird and the cage were Henchard’s gift for her. She feels regret for having treated him so harshly. Together with Farfrae, she attempts to find Henchard. They search long and hard for him, to no avail. A long distance from Casterbridge, they happen to meet Abel Whittle. He tells them that Henchard died just 30 minutes earlier. Whittle explains that, on the night of the wedding, he followed Henchard out of town. He saw that Henchard was sick and had taken care of him right up until the moment of his death. Whittle still remembers the kind way in which Henchard treated his mother, many years before. Henchard has left a will, he reveals, in which he asks for no formal funeral. He requests that no one tell Elizabeth-Jane that he is dead and that “no man remember” him (248). Elizabeth-Jane regrets her treatment of Henchard and she respects his wishes. As well as spending the rest of her life as a loyal wife, she also pledges to help those less fortunate than herself.