An Exploration Of Michael Henchard's Tragic Fate

ffe W of MW is one of the successful works of Hardy, whois a famous Enghsh pOet and novelist. Though as eary as more than seventyyears ago he left us, we are Still attraCted by his own charm. The protagoniStMichael Henchard is a very successful charaCter Hardy creaed in the nove.Ths thesis intends to make an all--round exPloraion of his tragic fate.Henchard has a lot ofsiwilarhes with the heroes in ancient Greek tIagedand Shakespearean tragedy who coedt unforgivable tristakes because ofthe flaw in their charaCtefS Which in tUrn makes them a victgh. me Mopof Cndrbthe belongS to a ''charaCter and envirnment" novel, whichmeans enVironrnent p1ays an importan role in a man's life. Henchardachieves his success in CaStethridge -- a tOWh Which is self contained,heavi1y dePenden on agricultw. ros value can oniy be hahaed in such anenvironment. When faCing the industrial and material age, his old idea.tough and ready metho4 rude and star atthade are all out of tune with it.What's mOrC he cannot adaP himsefto the rNuirement of the 8ge. ThuS,aCCOrding to the eVofotion theq of Dtw he can oniy be elindnaedthrOUgh nand selecton. The Anval of Fforae precipitates thes course. As aselfmade m WhO has rejeCted his wife and daugher Henchard isdifferent frOm all the Others around him. This diffirence makes it impossililefor him to understand thetn. As a result, he is Self isolate4 in the end he diesAnserably because of the lOss of emOtional prop. In the fate of Henchard, wesee the social change as the extemal faCtOr, and his own twaCter as theintemal faCtOr The two factors act on each other and eventually bring himto a ndserable end.This theSs seta the souce of his tropc fate from HenChard's twlsbeproud, and seteisolated charaCter Theoretical foundations are also found in4Greek tragedy and Danvin's Evokitionny thcory Which prove theinevitabiIity of Hopchar's fate. This thesis fully acInoWedgs the heroicsPirit of Henchar in bravin the reality and shouldering the reopnSthility,meanwhile, it also POints Oll that Henchard has loSt many chances tO changehis fate. But he has to lose them because of his own defedbe charaterParadokically, his Wer makes hifn grca and haserable.