Although Thomas Hardy's novel, The Mayor of Casterbridge presents predetermination as a major role in the characters lives, the novel should also be seen as a platform for free will. ... In The Mayor of Casterbridge, despite the workings of blind fate, the occurrences of chance, and the vagaries of a hostile natural environment, Michael Henchard is still responsible for his on fate. ... Even the most cursory reading of The Mayor of Casterbridge reveals a structural pattern that relies heavily on coincidence. ... The Mayor of Casterbridge, like most of Hardy's work, is in fact mo...

• Word Count: 1078
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Guerard who believes while Hardy wrote a number of compelling leading ladies into his works, he only created two men of more than average interest, Jude the Obscure's Jude Fawley and The Mayor of Casterbridge's Michael Henchard (Marquez 1562). ...

• Word Count: 1140
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School