The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy

Introduction

• Published: 1886
• Genre: Tragic Novel
• Famous Line: "Happiness is but an occasional episode in the general drama of pain."
• Theme: Tragic outcomes are common in Hardy's works; the same applies here.

Main Characters

• Michael Henchard: Protagonist, becomes Mayor of Casterbridge
• Susan Henchard (later Newson): Henchard's wife, later marries Richard Newson
• Elizabeth-Jane: Daughter of Susan and Richard Newson, raised by Henchard
• Richard Newson: Sailor who 'buys' Susan and Elizabeth-Jane
• Donald Farfrae: Young Scottish manager, Henchard's rival
• Lucetta Templeman: Henchard's former lover, marries Farfrae

Plot Summary

Initial Setup

• Henchard, traveling for work with Susan and toddler Elizabeth-Jane, auctions his wife and daughter while drunk.
• Richard Newson 'buys' them for five guineas.
• Henchard regrets his actions and vows not to drink for 21 years.

Eighteen Years Later

• Susan is now Mrs. Newson; her husband is lost at sea.
• Susan and Elizabeth-Jane face financial difficulties.
• They seek out Henchard, who is now a successful grain merchant and Mayor of Casterbridge.
• Susan and Henchard remarry to provide a stable home for Elizabeth-Jane.

Rise and Fall of Henchard

• Henchard buys bad wheat; his business starts failing.
• Donald Farfrae helps Henchard turn his business around, becomes popular.
• Henchard grows jealous, fires Farfrae, and they become rivals.
• Susan dies, revealing in a letter that Elizabeth-Jane is Newson's daughter.
• Henchard's business fails further; Farfrae becomes the new mayor.
• Lucetta Templeman arrives, has a history with Henchard, but marries Farfrae.

Climax and Resolution

• Henchard exposes Lucetta's past; she is publicly humiliated and dies.
• Henchard's bankruptcy forces him to work as a laborer for Farfrae.
• Richard Newson returns, takes Elizabeth-Jane away.
• After Lucetta's death, Farfrae marries Elizabeth-Jane.
• Henchard, broken and lonely, returns to alcohol and dies in a poor cottage.

Conclusion

• Final message: A tragic lesson in the consequences of impulsive actions and the inexorable march of fate.
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