Character is Fate
In the realm of human existence, the profound aphorism “character is fate” encapsulates the notion that one’s destiny is intricately woven into the fabric of their moral essence. This philosophical maxim suggests that the core qualities of an individual ultimately shape the course of their life, determining the path and outcomes they encounter.
Man, the architect of his Fate
Man is the architect of his own destiny. A man’s character and his deeds determine his fate. Whether a man suffers or prospers will depend upon a man’s temperament, his actions, and his doings. Good actions usually lead to good results, and bad or ill-considered actions have unpleasant, and even disastrous, consequences. This is the meaning of the statement “Character is fate.”
The logic of Cause and Effect
In one sense, The Mayor of Casterbridge is Hardy’s most outstanding novel. Here the logic of cause and effect is observed by Hardy to a greater degree than in any of his other novels. In other words, this novel shows to a large extent what is meant by the deterministic view of life. In The Mayor Casterbridge, however, character plays a dominant role although fate also plays a part in bringing about the tragedy.
Nature also here plays very little part except when Henchard indulges in certain business transactions on the basis of the forecast made by a weather prophet and when the weather lets him down. It did the same on a previous occasion when unexpected rain spoiled his arrangements for entertaining the people of the town on a day of national rejoicing. Fate, as in the other novels of Hardy, here manifests itself in the form of chance, accident, and coincidence.
The Consequences of Henchard’s Misdeed in Selling his Wife
Henchard’s life is a hopeless failure, a miserable tragedy. He is himself to blame for it in a great measure. Hasty, rash, reckless actions must produce unpleasant and harmful results. Such actions may be forgotten for some time, but they may in the long run lead to bitter consequences. Such an action is Henchard’s sale of his wife, Susan. It was a disgraceful act. No matter what the state of his mind at the time of the sale, the action in itself was one which cannot be condoned.
It is true that Henchard felt genuinely sorry for having subjected his wife to the humiliation of going away with another man and he even took a vow not to touch liquor for twenty-one years. But his feeling of repentance did not in any way alter the situation so far as the sale of Susan to the sailor Newson was concerned.
Retribution overtakes Henchard long after the act of folly which he commits by selling his wife. For eighteen years this action of Henchard remains buried. And then, after eighteen years, he has to pay the penalty for his misdeed. Susan suddenly turns up when he is about to marry Lucetta. He suffers much torture on learning that Elizabeth-Jane is not his own daughter. Afterwards the furmity woman discloses the secret which he had guarded for twenty years This disclosure accelerates Henchard’s downfall.
Henchard’s Foolish Jealousy of Farfrae
Henchard’s relations with Farfrae again show how a man may suffer on account of his peculiar temperament. Henchard is a man of strong likes and dislikes. Farfrae catches his fancy all of a sudden, and he becomes too fond of the Scotchman. But Henchard is an impulsive and reckless man. His selling of his wife was due to this very trait of his character. Now he becomes jealous of Farfrae as suddenly as he had become fond of him. He terminates Farfrae’s services at the expiry of the original contract and starts a war against him.
If Henchard had been a shrewd and sagacious man, he would never have alienated Farfrae. He resolves to crush Farfrae when he discovers that Farfrac is not only his business rival but also his rival in love. To a certain extent this reaction on Henchard’s part is natural. But a more balanced and prudent man would have exercised restraint upon his feelings. Henchard, in a desperate effort to destroy Farfrae, enters into foolish and rash transactions and ruins himself.
A Slow Lover
In losing Lucetta also Henchard is partly himself to blame. When Lucetta settles down in Casterbridge, she does so to make it easier for Henchard to marry her. But he proves a rather slow and careless lover. For this reason, he delays meeting her. His slowness and indifference led to his losing Lucetta altogether, because in the meanwhile Lucetta meets Farfrae and falls in love with him. If Henchard had been an ardent and passionate lover, he would not have lost her.
Another Misfortune Due to his Own Unpredictable Moods
Henchard’s own temperament proves his undoing in certain other ways also. He is a man of moods; his temper is uncertain; his behaviour and his reactions to situations are unpredictable When he loves, he loves intensely; when he hates, he hates violently. When, after having told Elizabeth-Jane that she is his daughter and not Newson’s, he discovers from Susan’s letter that Elizabeth-Jane is Newson’s daughter. Thus, his attitude towards the girl undergoes a complete change. He suddenly becomes cold and indifferent towards her. He now withdraws the ban which he had imposed upon Farfrae’s meeting with Elizabeth-Jane because now he would like to get rid of Elizabeth-Jane as soon as possible.
The Hostility of Fate: The Return of Susan
Many of Henchard’s misfortunes are thus due to his own character and his peculiar temperament. But, sheer bad luck also plays its role in the form of accidents, coincidences, and unforeseen circumstances. Fate or destiny also proves cruel to this man. For instance, it is Henchard’s bad luck that brings Susan back into his life. The return of Susan means the revival of Henchard’s past. The irony is that Susan turns up just when Henchard has decided to marry Lucetta.
Not only that; Susan brings Elizabeth-Jane with her and keeps the true facts about the girl a secret from Henchard. It would have been much better if Susan had revealed to him at the outset that Elizabeth-Jane was Newson’s daughter. Henchard would have given her financial help even in that case, but he would at the same time have adjusted his mind to the true situation from the very start and there would have not been so many complications in his life.
The Hostility of Fate: The Trick Played by Weather
Henchard is also unlucky in his grain transactions. At the advice of a weather-prophet Henchard backs bad weather, and bad weather does come but too late. Bad weather comes when, after waiting for it, Henchard gives up all hope of it. Some of us might call him impatient but there was also the possibility that, if he had waited longer, and bad weather had not come, prices would have fallen still further.
The Hostility of Fate: The Appearance of the Furmity Woman
The appearance of the furmity woman in Casterbridge is another evil circumstance in Henchard’s life. If fate had been favourable to Henchard, the furmity woman should either have been dead by now or should have remained, at the village of Weydon-Priors. It is another strange coincidence that, when the furmity woman is prosecuted for an offence, she is produced before Henchard for trial. The furmity woman’s disclosure of Henchard’s secret not only does a great damage to Henchard’s reputation in the town but also frightens Lucetta to such an extent that she hastens to marry Farfrae without the least delay.
The Hostility of Fate: Newson’s Return
The hand of fate can further be seen in the arrival of Newson in Casterbridge. Newson was supposed to have been drowned at sea long ago, yet this man turns up in Casterbridge to claim his daughter Elizabeth-Jane. Newson’s arrival in the town extinguishes the only remaining hope of Henchard who knows that he can no longer enjoy Elizabeth Jane’s affection.
The Diminishing Effect of Character as the Novel Proceeds
According to a critic, there are four movements in this novel, each providing a variation on a common pattern: an initial situation, which seems to offer some hope for Henchard, is followed by events which create doubt, fear, and anxious anticipation for an outcome that comes finally as a catastrophe. In these four movements, the effect of character on Henchard’s prosperity and happiness goes on diminishing and the effect of fate goes on increasing. In other words, in the earlier parts of the novel, character plays a predominant part, and in the last two movements the influence of the mysterious power called “fate” makes itself felt to a larger extent.
Related Questions
Q: “Character is fate”, said Novalis. How far is this true of the story of Michael Henchard?
Or
Q: To what extent is character, and to what extent is fate, responsible for the tragedy in The Mayor of Casterbridge?
Or
Q: Would you say that in The Mayor of Casterbridge character plays a dominant role in bringing about the tragedy.
Or
Q: Is it correct to describe The Mayor of Casterbridge as a tragedy of character?
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