Far From The Madding Crowd

English Literature Coursework Assignment - Far From The Madding Crowd (Prose written before 1900) ‘Compare and contrast Bathsheba Everdene’s three suitors’ In the novel ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’ the main female role, Bathsheba Everdene, is pursued by three suitors, each of whom is very different from the others. These three men are Farmer William Boldwood, owner of the farm adjacent to Bathsheba’s, Gabriel Oak, bankrupt farmer who becomes Bathsheba’s shepherd, and later, …

…quickly tired of. Boldwood’s relationship with Bathsheba was much more genuine and acceptable at the start but tragically it became a fatal obsession for poor desperate Boldwood. Gabriel’s relationship with her was a lengthy one, tried and tested, totally unselfish. Bathsheba was indeed very fortunate that Gabriel was patient enough to wait until she matured enough to recognise his good qualities. As in most good stories, the best man wins in the end.