Far from the Madding Crowd · Chapter
After the Shock explained
Boldwood walks to Casterbridge and surrenders himself at the gaol.
What happens
Boldwood walks to Casterbridge and surrenders himself at the gaol. News of the shooting spreads through Weatherbury. Bathsheba, having recovered from her initial shock, takes charge of Troy's body, lifting his head into her lap and directing Gabriel to fetch a surgeon. She later has the corpse brought to her own house, prepares it for burial herself, and collapses only after the surgeon and parson arrive. Gabriel rides to Casterbridge, gives notice to the authorities, and learns that Boldwood has already given himself up.
Themes in this chapter
Obsession and Madness
Boldwood's obsessive love for Bathsheba culminates in the fatal shooting of Troy, leading to his own surrender and imprisonment.
Deception and Honesty
Troy's unexpected reappearance after being presumed dead shatters the fragile peace and triggers the violent climax.
Love and Marriage
Bathsheba's actions after Troy's death reveal a deep, almost stoic devotion, as she personally prepares his body for burial.
Characters to notice
- William Boldwood
Walks to Casterbridge and surrenders himself at the gaol after shooting Troy.
- Bathsheba Everdene
Sits on the floor with Troy's head in her lap, directs Gabriel to fetch a surgeon, later has the body brought home, prepares it for burial alone, and collapses from exhaustion.
- Gabriel Oak
First to hear of the catastrophe, rides to Casterbridge for a surgeon and gives notice to the authorities.
- Frank Troy
Shot by Boldwood, dies with his head pillowed in Bathsheba's lap.
- Liddy Smallbury
Helps Bathsheba fill the bath and waits in the next room; reports to the surgeon and parson.
- Mr. Aldritch
Surgeon called to attend Troy; arrives after three hours and later examines the body prepared by Bathsheba.
Key passages
“The household convulsion had made her herself again. The temporary coma had ceased, and activity had come with the necessity for it.”
The crisis restored Bathsheba's composure; her initial paralysis gave way to purposeful action.
Highlights Bathsheba's resilience and ability to act decisively in an emergency.
“She was of the stuff of which great men’s mothers are made. She was indispensable to high generation, hated at tea parties, feared in shops, and loved at crises.”
Bathsheba possessed the strong, practical character of a matriarch—unpopular in social settings but invaluable in times of trouble.
Narrator's commentary on Bathsheba's paradoxical nature: socially difficult yet heroic in adversity.
“The simple consciousness that superhuman strain was no longer required had at once put a period to her power to continue it.”
As soon as the immediate crisis passed, Bathsheba's extraordinary strength gave way and she collapsed.
Shows that her fortitude was a matter of willpower rather than natural endurance.