Farmer Boldwood is remarkable both physically and morally. He has the nearest approach to an aristocrat at Weatherbury, as he is a prosperous farmer. He is not an ordinary person. His character is a mixture of opposite qualities. When his equilibrium is once disturbed, he becomes oversentimental and over-emotional. If an emotion possesses him, it rules him. Boldwood’s restfulness is entirely due to his freedom from self-disturbance.
Once he falls in love with Bathsheba, Boldwood’s whole nature is convulsed. There is no restraining his passion. At first, he pleads with her and argues with her. But then his reason founders. His whole outlook on life is upset; the strong man becomes utterly weak and unreasonable. He importunes and entreats with a piteous wail of helplessness. We see him almost on the brink of insanity. And then insanity comes. It sweeps him off his feet.
Boldwood strikes us as a pathetic figure. He twice loses his beloved when he is just on the point of winning her. He becomes an extremist when he is emotionally disturbed. When Bathsheba rejects him, he neglects his farm and looks melancholy. He loses all interest in life. He is a disappointed and frustrated man. Though a “passion’s slave,” he yet retains our sympathy throughout.
Boldwood’s tragedy lies in the fact that he is unable to maintain emotional balance once love enters his life. Before meeting Bathsheba, he lived a calm, disciplined, and orderly existence. He is respected by society because of his dignity, seriousness, and self-control. However, Bathsheba’s playful valentine awakens in him a passion that completely transforms his personality. What begins as love gradually turns into obsession, and this obsession destroys his peace of mind.
Thomas Hardy presents Boldwood as a man caught between reason and passion. Outwardly, he appears grave, stable, and practical, but inwardly, he possesses deep emotional intensity. Since he has suppressed his emotions for many years, his sudden love for Bathsheba becomes overpowering. He cannot accept rejection calmly because his entire future and happiness are centred upon her. Thus, Hardy shows how excessive emotional attachment can lead to mental and moral collapse.
Another important aspect we find in Boldwood’s character is his loneliness. Despite his prosperity and social respectability, he lives an isolated life without emotional companionship. Bathsheba’s presence gives him hope and meaning, and therefore her rejection leaves him utterly devastated. His tragic end evokes pity because he is not naturally evil; rather, he becomes the victim of uncontrolled passion and emotional frustration.
Indeed, Boldwood is never able to realize his only ambition of marrying Bathsheba. His grand passion remains unsatisfied. He shoots Troy dead when the latter rough-handles Bathsheba and is sentenced to life-long imprisonment. His consuming passion leads to all his misfortunes and to his ultimate ruin. His story illustrates Hardy’s pessimistic view that human beings are often powerless before destiny and passion. Therefore, Boldwood emerges as one of the most tragic and psychologically complex characters in the novel.
Also read: Character analysis of Miranda in The Tempest by Shakespeare
