Caster Bridge Essay

1251 Words6 Pages
CHOOSE a novel in which your initial impression of a character has to be reconsidered as the novel progresses. Explain how the novelist creates the initial impression, and go on to discuss how the reconsideration affected your view of the novel as a whole. STUDENT DID THIS IN 45 MINS NO TEXT initial imp - sullen/uncommunicative - drunk - misogyny - failure to accept responsiblity - pride - impulsive - honour reconsidered - woman hater BUT marries S and sees L as wife (DUTY) - EJ - rocky but “pinpoint of light” As a whole - UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTER - what theme ? women /social exps In Thomas Hardy’s novel, “The Mayor of Casterbridge”, the author creates a powerful initial impression of the eponymous hero, Michael Henchard. Through the events of the opening chapters, which form a prologue to the main storyline, Hardy presents us with a boorish, reckless and impulsive young man, for whom we feel little sympathy, but possibly enormous dislike. However, the novel’s title page informs us that we are to be presented with “The Life and Death of a Man of Character” and it is the masterly characterization of Henchard, as he plummets from the pinnacle of society to the depths of despair that makes us reconsider our initial impression. Hardy also employs Henchard as a vehicle for exploring themes such as social expectations and the role of women, thus affecting my view of the novel as a whole. Set in Casterbridge, a prosperous county town, during the early days of the Industrial Revolution, the novel presents us with an unforgettable main character – a tragic hero,
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