The Mayor of Casterbridge Quiz : Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge is a tragic tale of one man’s struggle with his past mistakes. Set in the fictional town of Casterbridge (based on Dorchester, England), the story follows Michael Henchard, a man whose life spirals due to a single reckless act.
The novel begins with a young, drunk Henchard selling his wife, Susan, and baby daughter, Elizabeth-Jane, to a sailor named Newson at a fair. The next morning, filled with guilt, Henchard vows to stay away from liquor for 21 years. Eighteen years later, Susan returns with Elizabeth-Jane (now grown up) after Newson’s supposed death. By then, Henchard has become the respected Mayor of Casterbridge. To hide their shameful past, Henchard pretends to court and remarry Susan, while Elizabeth-Jane believes he’s just a distant relative.
Henchard’s life takes another turn when he hires Donald Farfrae, a clever Scotchman, to manage his corn business. Though initially close, Henchard grows jealous as Farfrae outshines him in business and wins the town’s admiration. Their rivalry deepens when Farfrae starts courting Elizabeth-Jane, leading Henchard to fire him. Tragedy strikes again when Susan dies, and Henchard discovers Elizabeth-Jane is actually Newson’s daughter, not his. Heartbroken, he pushes her away.
Enter Lucetta, a woman from Henchard’s past, who arrives in Casterbridge to marry him. But fate twists again: Lucetta falls for Farfrae instead, and they marry. When villagers expose Henchard and Lucetta’s old love letters through a humiliating public parade (called a “skimmity-ride”), the scandal leaves Lucetta so ashamed she falls ill and dies.
Henchard’s downfall continues when Newson—alive after all—returns to claim Elizabeth-Jane. Henchard lies, telling him she’s dead, but the truth eventually surfaces. Abandoned and alone, Henchard leaves Casterbridge. Though Elizabeth-Jane forgives him later, she finds him too late—he dies alone, begging in his final will to be forgotten.
The Mayor of Casterbridge Highlights
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Title | The Life and Death of the Mayor of Casterbridge: A Story of a Man of Character |
| Author | Thomas Hardy |
| Type of Work | Novel |
| Genre | Tragedy; Naturalism; Bildungsroman (a novel that charts the protagonist’s moral and psychological development) |
| Time and Place Written | 1885–1886, Dorchester, England |
| Narrator | The anonymous narrator speaks in the third person. |
| Tone | Tragic, melodramatic, naturalistic |
| Tense | Past |
| Setting (Time) | Mid-1800s |
| Setting (Place) | Casterbridge, England (a fictional town based on the city of Dorchester) |
| Protagonist | Michael Henchard |
| Themes | The importance of character; the value of a good name; the indelibility of the past |
| Motifs | Coincidence; the tension between tradition and innovation; the tension between public life and private life |
| Symbols | The caged goldfinch; the bull; the collision of the wagons |
Table Data Source : Sparknotes
The Mayor of Casterbridge Quiz
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