BOLDWOOD: A Innocent but Slayer Art of Characterization of Thomas Hardy

1. BY
IMRAN KAKAR
BOLDWOOD: A INNOCENT BUT SLAYER
ART OF CHARACTERIZATION OF THOMAS HARDY:

2. INTRODUCTION TO THOMAS HARDY
• THOMAS HARDY, A POET BUT KNOWN AS A GREAT NOVELISTS.
• SHARP OBSERVER OF THE SOCIETY AND ARTISTICALLY FRAME THE SOCIETY IN
PAGES.
• DEPICTED THE RURAL AND RUSTIC LIFE. FROM A URBAN TO PASTROL LIFE, FROM
CHURCH TO SYNAGOGUE

3. • HARDY’S NOVEL AS ONE’S FEEL THE FRAGRANCE OF REALISM.
• IT SEEMS AS EVERYTHING HAS JUST HAPPENED BEFORE THE HARDY.
• HARDY'S NOVEL ARE BLEND WITH GREEK AND MODERN ART OF
CHARACTERIZATION.

4. MR. BOLDWOOD
• THE NOVEL CONTAINS "ELEMENTS OF ROMANCE, MELODRAMA, TRAGEDY, AND MODERN REALISM.
NOORUL HASAN, THOMAS HARDY: SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION.
• "HE WAS ERECT IN ATTITUDE, AND QUIET IN DEMEANOUR. ONE CHARACTERISTIC PRE-EMINENTLY MARKED
HIM: DIGNITY" (12.14).
• BATHSEBA EVERDENE
“IT IS DIFFICULT FOR A WOMAN TO DEFINE HER FEELINGS IN A LANGUAGE CHIEFLY MADE BY MEN TO
EXPRESS THEIRS.”
• BOLDWOOD SAYS:
“ I WANT... VERY MUCH TO PROTECT YOU. FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE”
.

5. • A VERY MILD, SOBER, RESPECTABLE AND HUMBLE MAN .
• HE IS IN HIS FORTY AND A EXPERIENCED FARMER.
• SEEMS GENTLE BUT POSSESSIVE KIND OF NATURE.

6. • SECOND VICTIM OF BATHSHEBA AND NEVER MARRIED.
• COUNTERS THE SERIOUS MENTAL DISTURBANCE AFTER VALENTINE LETTER “
MARRY ME” FROM BATHESHEBA. A CLIMAX AND TURNING POINT IN HIS LIFE.
• IT OPENS NEW A PAGE IN HIS LIFE, HIS EYES.
• LETTER DISTURBS HIS LONELINESS AND HABIT OF STABILITY.

7. • "IF AN EMOTION POSSESSED HIM AT ALL, IT RULED HIM: A FEELING NOT
MASTERING HIM WAS ENTIRELY LATENT" (18.6).
• NOT EXTROVERT AND BOLD ENOUGH TO EXPRESS THEIR FEELING TO HER.
• OBSESSED NATURE AND DOESN’T CARE WHETHER SHE LOVES HIM OR NOT.
• WANTS HER TO BE HIS WIFI.

8. • HIS HEART HURTS WHEN TROY APPROACHES TO BATHSHEBA.
• WHEN HE COMES TO KNOW THAT TROY DROWNED , HE RETREAT TO
BATHSHEBA.
• AT CHRISTMAS PARTY, AS SOON AS HE WAS ABOUT TO ANNOUNCE THE
ENGAGEMENT WITH HER, SUDDENLY TROY APPEARED.
• HE ATTEMPTS TO SHOT HIM BECAUSE OF UNREWARDING LOVE FOR HER AS WELL
AS TRIES TO KILL HIMSELF BUT SAVED.

9. CONCLUSION
• ROSEMARY SUMNER CALLS HIS CHARACTER “A STUDY OF REPRESSION” AND
GOES ON TO STATE THAT “HARDY CALLS BOLDWOOD “A MAN TRAINED TO
REPRESSION” AND THIS ASPECT OF HIM IS OF CENTRAL IMPORTANCE TO
HARDY’S WHOLE CONCEPTION OF THE CHARACTER.
• BATHSHEBA HAS NO DEVELOPMENT AT ALL, ALTHOUGH HER CIRCUMSTANCES
CHANGE ALL THE TIME – WE SEE HER AT THE BEGINNING AS AN ORDINARY
COUNTRY GIRL, WHILE LATER SHE BECOMES A PROSPEROUS SELF-MADE FARMER.
SHE DOES NOT GET ANY WISDOM FROM HER EXPERIENCE WHICH IS VERY
IMPLAUSIBLE. (KELOSHEV, SPIRIDON: FAR FROM CONVINCING- CHARACTER
MISCONSTRUCTION IN THOMAS HARDY’S NOVEL).

10. • BATHSHEBA IS ACTUALLY INTENDED TO REPRESENT THE NEW
WOMAN WHO HAS A CENTRAL PLACE IN HARDY’S MATURE WORK.
• BOLDWOOD, DEPRESSED AND OBSESSED WITH HIS LOVE.
• HE KEEPS HIMSELF RESERVE AND ALOOF.
• HE BURST OUT WHEN HE HAS A GLANCE AT TROY, HE KILLS HIM.

11. THE END