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Montserrat Navarro

AP lit. & comp.

The Transcendent Hero

The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy has many idiosyncratic characters and

distinct archetypes, but Michael Henchard plays a major role being the transcendent hero. He

encounters many tragedies and downfalls, but proves his intentions are better than what his

actions demonstrate. Although he loses money, power, and family, he transforms into a better

man by making an oath and giving back to his community. All characters have flaws,and even

though Henchard has the most, his actions are incomparable to any other.

Michael Henchard is a strong-minded character with powerful energy. Although he is a

scrupulous man, he carries less admirable qualities.In the first chapters of The Mayor of

Casterbridge, Henchard, having little money, went scouting for a hob with his wife and daughter

accompanying him. They reached a fair in Weydon-Priors where Henchard purchased loads of

rum-laced basin which caused him to be incredibly drunk. After consuming large amounts of

alcohol, he sold his family to a complete stranger.The next morning, Henchard found his wife’s

ring,and the money he gained from the transaction. Immediately, he regret the event of the prior

night. The action that he demonstrated,portrayed him as a bad father and husband. He

represented himself as a careless man who preferred money over family. When he finally

became conscious of his [he] will avoid all strong liquors for the space of twenty-one years to

come…” (Hardy, 19). He was never forced to sacrifice liquor, he did it on his own will because

he knew he messed up. Also, he didn’t make it known to the world about his sacrifice to be a

better man, instead he was humble about it.Throughout the years he kept his promise and after

19 years he was finally reunited with his wife, Susan, and daughter, Elizabeth-Jane. He was the
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mayor of Casterbridge while she was a poor widow. He didn’t turn her down, instead he

validated to be a tender man by telling Susan he would to remarry her, and he would “have the

pleasure of seeing [his] own child under [his] roof, as well as [his] wife” (Hardy, 71). Although

abandoning his family isn’t a hero characteristic, he proved his worth by making an oath to

sacrifice alcohol and doing anything possible to have his family back even if it meant not telling

Elizabeth he’s the real father. For the love of his family, he transformed into a better man even

after all the damage he caused.

Throughout the novel, Michael Henchard committed several careless mistakes. He

became a jealous and furious of his manager, Donald Farfrae, and pushed Elizabeth-Jane aside

after finding out she’s not his biological daughter. Henchard used to be very wealthy and had a

great relationship with Farfrae and his family, but it all came crumbling down after bad

investments and his bad temper. He ended up poor and lonely which dragged him in a deep

depression, “he now gazed more at the pavements and less at the house-fronts when he

walked about; more at the feet and leggings of men, and less into the pupils of their eyes with

blazing regard which formerly had made them blink” (Hardy, 203). He was at his lowest point,

and he felt very powerless. Though having absolutely no money in his pocket, he refused to

hide a cent of his property to the administrators from his bankrupt business. After Henchard told

the people, “it all belongs to ye, as much as everything else I’ve got, and I don’t wish to keep it

from you, not I” (Hardy, 204), he placed his gold watch along with a money-bag on the table for

them to collect. His archetype of the transcendent hero falls perfectly in this example because

even with such few things Henchard has left, he still gives it away. Having several downfalls

anchoring him down doesn’t make him a weak character; his strength is determined by how he

handles the situation.

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Michael Henchard is the transcendent hero because he carries many fatal flaws but in

the end, realizes his mistake and makes up for it. The author wants the reader to feel sorry for

Henchard after all the cruel things he has done. He made an oath and welcomed his family with

open arms, and gave his last cents to his former business members. He writes it in a way where

the pure, good things Henchard does, balances out the bad. He is not a hero, but he is also not

the antagonist of the story. After having gone through multiple, difficult obstacles, Henchard’s

strength is determined by how he handled all the situations, hence, why he is the transcendent

hero.