Mayor of Casterbridge (Exquisite)

Author: Thomas Hardy
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: The Mayor of Casterbridge is one of Hardy's masterpieces. Young Henchard, impulsive and stubborn, once made a great mistake after drinking and sold his wife and daughter to a sailor. Several years later, he became the Mayor of Casterbridge, and suddenly his wife and daughter appeared, bringing the family together. After that, he found a capable Scottish man to assist him. However, his weakness in character struck him down again. He gradually fell into disgrace, lost the support of friends and family, and died in desolation. Through the various twists of fate and dramatic conflicts in the story, the author expresses his lament that "character is destiny" and "happiness is merely an episode."