The Mayor of Casterbridge Group at eNotes

Part of this pattern you are seeing is a result of the idea of fate....

Thu, 1 May 2008 15:00:17 PST

Part of this pattern you are seeing is a result of the idea of fate. Sometimes the novel may seem a bit contrived and the coincidences that appear almost become unbelievable. However, the theme of fate is that each character has a downfall based on his or her fate and nothing can change that. The fate is due to the character and his or her flaws. This is who that person is and the charaters do not change or alter their personalities even...

The repeated pattern is coincidence, the chance occurrences that explore...

Mon, 2 Jul 2007 09:30:34 PST

The repeated pattern is coincidence, the chance occurrences that explore the nature of fate. Hardy leaves it to the reader to decide if these coincidences suggest the blindness of fate or if they are directed by some supernatural hand leading the characters to their deserved fates. These chance happenings progress the plot of the story. Hardy believed that life is shaped by powerful, uncontrollable forces, such as heredity and God, so that his...

There is a repeated pattern in the episodic plot of The Mayor of...

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 12:36:16 PST

The plot of The Mayor of Casterbridge is episodic. It can be divided into 5 sections (chapters 1-2/ 3-19 / 20-30 / 31-40 / 41-45). My question is there is a repeated pattern in these sections. What is this pattern a and what does it mean?

Waiting for the answer.