The Mayor of Casterbridge

Given the scope of Henchard’s self-destructive behavior, the need for forgiveness and atonement is apparent. While Henchard may act emotionally and ruin his life in the process, he strives to find a way to forgive himself for these actions. The oath he swears to forego alcohol for 21 years is an example of his desperate attempt to find some sort of forgiveness from God. The oath is a direct product of his self-destruction, in which he addresses the surface cause of his behavior (his drunkenness) without addressing the root cause (his tendency toward emotional self-destruction). Henchard’s oath has the consequence of allowing him to focus on making a fortune but does nothing to repair the harm to his missing wife and daughter. When Susan comes to Casterbridge, then, Henchard has done nothing to earn her forgiveness. He may be sober, but he has not atoned to Susan for his mistake. Likewise, his attempts to deal with past mistakes often lead to even bigger mistakes. By remarrying Susan, he forsakes Lucetta. When attempting to return his scandalous letters to Lucetta, he gives Jopp everything needed to ruin her reputation. Henchard acknowledges the need for atonement, and he strives toward forgiveness. His problem is that his efforts fail to acknowledge his own role in his destruction. He cannot achieve atonement because he is trying to atone for the wrong things.

Amid Henchard’s many mistakes, he is capable of acting in an altruistic manner. The clearest example of this is mentioned in passing by Abel Whittle. Farfrae notices Henchard mistreating Whittle and he undermines Henchard’s authority by contravening his order. Whittle has been treated like a fool by Henchard, who has publicly shamed him for his lateness. When Farfrae criticizes Henchard’s actions, however, Whittle leaps to Henchard’s defense. The past winter, he explains, Henchard went out of his way to take care of Whittle’s mother. Out of the kindness of his heart, Henchard provided her with food and fuel to ensure that she survived the cold months. Henchard never mentions this to anyone. These quiet acts of charity are separate from his public and often faltering quests for atonement. Ironically, the actions that make him more sympathetic are those that he does without thinking. He takes care of Whittle’s mother because he believes that this is the right thing to do. It is not an emotional decision because Henchard does not decide; he cannot imagine doing anything else, so there is no decision for him to make. In Whittle’s eyes, Henchard is already forgiven for any harsh treatment because he has proven himself worthy.

At the end of the novel, Henchard begins to recognize that he is the common denominator in many people’s sufferings. Rather than attempt to rectify his mistakes, he simply removes himself from the situation. He goes into a self-imposed exile, abandoning the idea of forgiveness from others because he cannot begin to forgive himself. At the end of this self-imposed exile, when he becomes sick, Whittle provides a degree of symbolic atonement. He cares for Henchard, as Henchard once cared for Whittle’s mother. Henchard’s quiet good deeds indicate that he has the potential for atonement, though his continued behavior means that he struggles to achieve the forgiveness of others. Unfortunately for Elizabeth-Jane and Henchard, she does not reach him in time to make his forgiveness from her explicit. He leaves behind a will, which suggests that he believes himself to be beyond atonement. As well as physical exile, he sees spiritual exile as the only solution, asking that he be forgotten. Henchard may never be able to forgive himself but his will functions as an acknowledgment of his culpability for his actions.