Why did Michael Henchard fail? Essay -- English Literature

Why did Michael Henchard fail? The Mayor of Casterbridge is a novel about the rise and fall of a mercurial man called Michael Henchard. The book takes us through his life when he is twenty-one and outlines his ascent and descent in society. Michael Henchard is a man of many characteristics. Amongst his characteristics he has a kind, honest and determined personality along with a cold, ruthless, and stubborn personality. Henchard's impulsiveness, aggressive attitude, self-centredness made failure inevitable in his life. We first meet Henchard a disconsolate twenty-one year old hay-trusser, he is married with a young daughter. We see Henchard sell his wife and daughter in a drunken rage in furmity tent at a county fair. At first it was a bit of a joke, a friendly banter but then it turned nasty. The two main reasons for Henchard not backing down from his offer of a wife and daughter this was alcohol and his pride. Alcohol played a big part in Henchard's mistakes in life. He often regrets things after he does them, and suffers the consequences like the fact that he sold his wife and daughter to a sailor whom he had not known, a complete stranger for five guineas. It stays on his conscience and haunts him. Henchard was young and naive and felt that his wife and daughter were a burden upon him, and he felt he needed a new start. The sale of his wife and daughter suggests Henchard is childish and stubborn. It is almost as if when Henchard is under the influence of alcohol he turns into a aggressive child saying ''No I said I will sell my wife and daughter, I don't care what happens I said i will and I will!'' The next morning Henchard knows that he has committed a terrible sin, but the fact that Hencha... ...hard is now declared bankrupt and in front of the creditors throws down his gold watch rather childishly. He would do this because he is a very proud man and he wants nothing. ''He had used his one talent of energy to create a position of affluence out of absolutely nothing.'' One thing about Michael Henchard is that you have to admire him for what he has achieved in his life, his energy, aspirations and determination allowed him to do this. But the only problem is that Henchard is too impulsive and acts n emotions, and does not think before he acts. That is why he failed in life. I also believe that fate played a big part in his failure. For example the weather forecast, he acted on impulsion and he did not think about the accuracy of the reading. So overall I think that Michael Henchard's character contributed to his failure along with pure fate.