Curated set · answers marked
At the start of the novel, what shocking act does Michael Henchard commit that initiates the entire plot?
Rationale
In the first chapter, a drunken Michael Henchard sells his wife Susan and their baby daughter Elizabeth-Jane to a sailor named Newson at a tent run by a furmity woman during a village fair. This morally reprehensible act weighs heavily on Henchard throughout the novel and underpins the key themes of guilt, consequence, and the struggle to escape one's past.
At the start of the novel, what shocking act does Michael Henchard commit that sets the entire story in motion?
Rationale
In the novel's striking opening scene, a drunken Michael Henchard auctions off his wife Susan and their infant daughter Elizabeth-Jane to a sailor named Newson at Weydon-Priors fair. This act of moral failure haunts Henchard throughout the novel and drives the central tragedy of the story.
At the start of the novel, what shocking action does Michael Henchard take that kickstarts the entire story?
Rationale
In the novel's gripping beginning, a intoxicated Michael Henchard auctions off his wife Susan and their baby daughter Elizabeth-Jane to a sailor named Newson at Weydon-Priors fair. This morally reprehensible act haunts Henchard throughout the story and drives its key themes of guilt, consequence, and the potential for redemption.