During the summers before 11th and 12th grades, I had to read numerous books and keep a reflective journal focused on my readings. Some of these journal entries are provided below.
Plausibility [entry dated May 30, 1997]
When reading the novel such as The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy, I take the account given as a chronicle of an actual set of events, even though the events are fictional. Therefore it is important for the plot to be somewhat plausible in order for me to believe the story and enjoy the novel.
The underlying premise of the book—that a man sold his wife while in a drunken state one night—is so unbelievable that the book is off to a poor start already. Then for the wife to have disappeared off of the face of the Earth despite the man’s strenuous efforts to locate her is even more disheartening. They meet by chance and—lo and behold—he has become terribly affluent and powerful. My reaction to this story can be summed up in two words: "Yeah right!"
The integrity of an author must be judged not upon the author’s life or the author’s times; it must be judged upon the novel he wrote. This author has no credibility in my eyes because of his trying to amaze me with this fantasy tale. I am not impressed.
Rise and Fall from Grace [entry dated June 2, 1997]
In the book The Mayor of Casterbridge written by Thomas Hardy, the character Michael Henchard experiences a dramatic rise to grace and an even more dramatic fall from it. It amazes me how one can become so accomplished and then manage to disavow all good that came to him.
When one is starting out, one has nothing. He may therefore gamble all that he has on anything, even foolish things, because he has nothing to lose. However, eventually some wealth is build up. The wealth may be money, knowledge, power, or prestige. But eventually one has something to gamble with. That is the point that Henchard reached in the story when his wife found him—Henchard had accumulated wealth through his profession and had accumulated power and prestige shown by his service as the mayor of Casterbridge. However, one area where Henchard was lacking was knowledge.
When one has built up some wealth, one must be more careful in the events and things that he gambles on. Now that there is something to lose, one must use exceeding caution in picking which "fights" to participate in. When poor acumen is used in choosing the causes to fight for, wealth is lost. This is illustrated by Henchard when he chooses to fight with Farfrae. This is an ill-chosen cause, and Henchard suffers unnecessarily because of it. Should Henchard have been more adept in choosing his fights, he would still be the town leader he was before.
Now, as in a cycle, Henchard has nothing. He has gambled once again—to ceremoniously greet the king. Foolishly again, Henchard picks a fight he cannot win. For Henchard to return to grace, he must continue to gamble—but only on causes which are worthy.
Michael Henchard [entry dated August 27, 1997]
One character in Thomas Hardy’s novel The Mayor of Casterbridge stands out in the reader’s mind because this character is always present in the plot of the novel. This character is Michael Henchard. Even when entire chapters are devoted to action away from Henchard, his strength of character still permeates the account. Hardy must certainly have intended this as the novel is subtitled A Story of a Man of Character.
Whether Henchard’s character is good or bad is left to the reader to decide. The story is simply a deep look into Henchard’s character and its effect on those people who come into contact with him. Susan had her life ruined by Henchard’s character and his ability for him to part with her. Elizabeth-Jane was born because of Henchard’s ill-advised decision to sell his wife. On the positive side of Henchard’s character, Farfrae received his start from Henchard. The groundless speculations and the wild nature of Henchard do indeed further Farfrae’s career.
The other characters in the book are not any less dynamic because of the dominance of Henchard. Indeed, the reader suspects that Donald and Elizabeth-Jane will eventually marry, and the reader also can presume that Lucetta will never marry Henchard. But these characters and their actions are interesting nevertheless. It is because of Henchard’s direct and indirect involvement with these characters that they are so interesting.
The Mayor of Casterbridge is indeed A Story of a Man of Character. And that man of character is Henchard. Thomas Hardy does not require the reader to like Henchard—simply to remember him. Whether the reader approves of Henchard or not, the reader may learn from him.