FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD by Thomas Hardy Does Hardy want Bathsheba to appear good or bad? Discuss and give reasons. Gabriel Oak is the hero of 'Far From the Madding Crowd' but Bathsheba Everdene is a more ordinary person who is a mixture of good and bad. Gabriel Oak does not change very much through the novel, he is always noble and reliable, but Bathsheba changes as the experiences in her life force her …showed first 75 words of 1243 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1243 total…not the mad, passionate love between Bathsheba and Frank Troy. Bathsheba has been through so much. She has learned so much. This is a more mature love that will last their lifetimes. But it is still a happy ending, and maybe it is the ending that Bathsheba Everdene deserves because like the story-teller says: "Then Oak laughed, and Bathsheba smiled (for she never laughed readily now), and their friends turned to go." 1239 words ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**