The Mayor of Casterbridge · Chapter
XI explained
Henchard meets his long-lost wife Susan at the Roman Amphitheatre in Casterbridge, where they discuss a plan to remarry and keep their past secret from Elizabeth-Jane.
What happens
Henchard meets his long-lost wife Susan at the Roman Amphitheatre in Casterbridge, where they discuss a plan to remarry and keep their past secret from Elizabeth-Jane. Henchard reveals he has stopped drinking and proposes that Susan and Elizabeth-Jane take a cottage as the widow Mrs. Newson and her daughter, allowing him to court and marry Susan without revealing their true history.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Truth
Henchard and Susan conspire to keep their past marriage and Henchard's sale of his wife a secret from Elizabeth-Jane, planning a facade of courtship and remarriage.
Fate and Consequence
The meeting at the Amphitheatre, a site of historical violence and secrecy, underscores the inescapable consequences of Henchard's past actions and the fated reunion with Susan.
Social Class and Reputation
Henchard's position as Mayor and churchwarden forces him to prioritize public reputation, leading to the elaborate plan to remarry Susan secretly to avoid scandal.
Characters to notice
- Michael Henchard
Arranges a secret meeting with Susan at the Amphitheatre, proposes a plan to remarry her while concealing their past, and asserts he has stopped drinking.
- Susan Henchard
Meets Henchard at the Amphitheatre, expresses her sense of obligation to her deceased husband Newson, and agrees to Henchard's plan for a secret remarriage.
- Elizabeth-Jane Newson
Mentioned as the daughter whose knowledge of the truth Henchard and Susan seek to protect; she is to be kept ignorant of their past.
- Richard Newson
Referenced as the man Susan believed she owed faithfulness to, and whose death prompted her to seek out Henchard.
Key passages
“I don't drink now—I haven't since that night.”
Henchard assures Susan that he has remained sober since the night he sold her.
Henchard's first words to Susan emphasize his repentance and changed behavior.
“I thought I owed him faithfulness to the end of one of our lives—foolishly I believed there was something solemn and binding in the bargain”
Susan explains she felt bound to Newson because he paid for her, viewing their arrangement as a solemn contract.
Susan reveals her sense of moral obligation to Newson, which delayed her return to Henchard.
“This would leave my shady, headstrong, disgraceful life as a young man absolutely unopened; the secret would be yours and mine only”
Henchard's plan ensures that his past misdeeds remain hidden from Elizabeth-Jane and the public.
Henchard prioritizes secrecy to protect his reputation and his relationship with Elizabeth-Jane.