Human Destiny and Chance in Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge

Human Destiny and Chance in Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge

Present readers might perceive that Thomas Hardy's viewpoint in the novel The Mayor of Casterbridge is severe and depressing. However, most people adored Hardy during his living years. In an era when the Industrial Revolution was bringing dramatic and sometimes disturbing changes to England, he celebrated the nation's roots in its rustic past. In an era when new ideas like Darwin's theory of evolution challenged long established religious beliefs, Hardy showed that even the simplest people have, at all times, dealt with comparable eternal questions: How are humans to live? What determines an individual’s destiny? Are humans self-determining beings? He spoke directly to the concerns of people vacillating on the verge of a new era. Though he dealt with key questions, Hardy was an immensely popular author for the reason that he believed in writing a good story. In addition, he liked writing about common people: their troubles, their success or failures, were in his vision, the most important material for an author.

Hardy was conscious of the latest scientific theories that were defying previous beliefs and other intellectual ideas. Though he wrote about uneducated rural characters in lonely hamlets or villages, he wrote from the point of view of a theorist who questions traditional beliefs. This voice is, undoubtedly, that of a disbeliever. He does not know whether God exists; he does not know if the universe works upon ethics of righteousness.

Depressing as his theoretical views may be, Hardy delights the reader with his lively characters and his profound care for the British countryside. He had a superior ear for local dialects. He had a painter's eye for theatrical views in nature.

Incontestably, Hardy speaks straightforwardly and strongly to some need within the populace. In addition, most individuals question destiny and hope that altruism will be rewarded. The Mayor of Casterbridge has faults, numerous of which may hit the reader right away. However, the reader’s mind will remain with this brilliant tale and its memorable characters. People possibly will find themselves saying; "Yes, this is how life is." People might even commence to perceive the everlasting questions that Hardy keeps on laying in their own daily life. The Mayor of Casterbridge is a story of ru...

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... he bought thinking that it would be a good harvest. Out of luck, the following day it starts raining, and it turns out to be a poor, not to say appalling, harvest. It is as mystifying as destiny. In this volume, Hardy investigates these and further aspects of the natural world. By making it a dominant presence in this story, Hardy illustrates to people that they need to consider the power of nature.

Is destiny similar to luck? Diverse readers’ opinions diverge on this query. Perhaps it is pitiless and intentional doom that Michael Henchard, for instance, has lost all his possessions and dignity. It could be simple unpredictable chance that Mr. Newson chooses to visit on the day that Michael decides to have Elizabeth-Jane to live with him. In other words, destiny gives the impression to regulate actions according to several patterns, which is beyond human control. Chance looks as if it interferes in minor and more unsystematic ways, while humans are trying to proceed on by themselves. A countless number of readers, though, believe that chance and fate are the identical thing in this story. Things "just happen," devoid of motive, and that in itself is the mold of the cosmos.