Student Question
Where does the encounter between Elizabeth Jane and Lucetta occur in The Mayor of Casterbridge?
Quick answer:
Elizabeth-Jane and Lucetta's encounter occurs in the cemetery where Elizabeth-Jane is visiting her mother's grave. This meeting leads to Lucetta hiring Elizabeth-Jane as a companion, and they develop a close relationship, with Lucetta becoming a mentor and almost a second mother to Elizabeth-Jane. The encounter is pivotal as it influences Elizabeth-Jane's actions after learning about her true parentage and the impact of Henchard's past actions on her family.
In The Mayor of Casterbridge, Elizabeth-Jane is the daughter of the mayor, Michael Henchard, and his former wife Susan. Much of the plot revolves around the fact that Elizabeth-Jane’s biological father is a different man, Newsom, which only emerges after Susan dies. After Lucetta (le Sueur) Templeman, his former lover, moves into town, the two women meet by serendipity in the cemetery, where Elizabeth-Jane is visiting her mother’s grave. Soon Lucetta hires her as a companion, and the young woman comes to see her as a mentor and almost a second mother. When she learns that Henchard is not her biological father and that his actions had ruined her family, she turns to Lucetta for help and even moves into her house.
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