An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1609 words)
ROY’S ROMANTICISM
When Troy’s wife had left the house at the previous midnight his first
act was to cover the dead from sight. This done he ascended the stairs,
and throwing himself down upon the bed dressed as he was, he waited
miserably for the morning.
Fate had dealt grimly with him through the last four-and-twenty hours.
His day had been spent in a way which varied very materially from his
intentions regarding it. There is always an inertia to be overcome in
striking out a new line of conduct—not more in ourselves, it seems,
than in circumscribing events, which appear as if leagued together to
allow no novelties in the way of amelioration.
Twenty pounds having been secured from Bathsheba, he had managed to add
to the sum every farthing he could muster on his own account, which had
been seven pounds ten. With this money, twenty-seven pounds ten in all,
he had hastily driven from the gate that morning to keep his
appointment with Fanny Robin.
On reaching Casterbridge he left the horse and trap at an inn, and at
five minutes before ten came back to the bridge at the lower end of the
town, and sat himself upon the parapet. The clocks struck the hour, and
no Fanny appeared. In fact, at that moment she was being robed in her
grave-clothes by two attendants at the Union poorhouse—the first and
last tiring-women the gentle creature had ever been honoured with. The
quarter went, the half hour. A rush of recollection came upon Troy as
he waited: this was the second time she had broken a serious engagement
with him. In anger he vowed it should be the last, and at eleven
o’clock, when he had lingered and watched the stone of the bridge till
he knew every lichen upon their face and heard the chink of the ripples
underneath till they oppressed him, he jumped from his seat, went to
the inn for his gig, and in a bitter mood of indifference concerning
the past, and recklessness about the future, drove on to Budmouth
races.
He reached the race-course at two o’clock, and remained either there or
in the town till nine. But Fanny’s image, as it had appeared to him in
the sombre shadows of that Saturday evening, returned to his mind,
backed up by Bathsheba’s reproaches. He vowed he would not bet, and he
kept his vow, for on leaving the town at nine o’clock in the evening he
had diminished his cash only to the extent of a few shillings.
He trotted slowly homeward, and it was now that he was struck for the
first time with a thought that Fanny had been really prevented by
illness from keeping her promise. This time she could have made no
mistake. He regretted that he had not remained in Casterbridge and made
inquiries. Reaching home he quietly unharnessed the horse and came
indoors, as we have seen, to the fearful shock that awaited him.
As soon as it grew light enough to distinguish objects, Troy arose from
the coverlet of the bed, and in a mood of absolute indifference to
Bathsheba’s whereabouts, and almost oblivious of her existence, he
stalked downstairs and left the house by the back door. His walk was
towards the churchyard, entering which he searched around till he found
a newly dug unoccupied grave—the grave dug the day before for Fanny.
The position of this having been marked, he hastened on to
Casterbridge, only pausing and musing for a while at the hill whereon
he had last seen Fanny alive.
Reaching the town, Troy descended into a side street and entered a pair
of gates surmounted by a board bearing the words, “Lester, stone and
marble mason.” Within were lying about stones of all sizes and designs,
inscribed as being sacred to the memory of unnamed persons who had not
yet died.
Troy was so unlike himself now in look, word, and deed, that the want
of likeness was perceptible even to his own consciousness. His method
of engaging himself in this business of purchasing a tomb was that of
an absolutely unpractised man. He could not bring himself to consider,
calculate, or economize. He waywardly wished for something, and he set
about obtaining it like a child in a nursery. “I want a good tomb,” he
said to the man who stood in a little office within the yard. “I want
as good a one as you can give me for twenty-seven pounds.”
It was all the money he possessed.
“That sum to include everything?”
“Everything. Cutting the name, carriage to Weatherbury, and erection.
And I want it now, at once.”
“We could not get anything special worked this week.”
“I must have it now.”
“If you would like one of these in stock it could be got ready
immediately.”
“Very well,” said Troy, impatiently. “Let’s see what you have.”
“The best I have in stock is this one,” said the stone-cutter, going
into a shed. “Here’s a marble headstone beautifully crocketed, with
medallions beneath of typical subjects; here’s the footstone after the
same pattern, and here’s the coping to enclose the grave. The polishing
alone of the set cost me eleven pounds—the slabs are the best of their
kind, and I can warrant them to resist rain and frost for a hundred
years without flying.”
“And how much?”
“Well, I could add the name, and put it up at Weatherbury for the sum
you mention.”
“Get it done to-day, and I’ll pay the money now.”
The man agreed, and wondered at such a mood in a visitor who wore not a
shred of mourning. Troy then wrote the words which were to form the
inscription, settled the account and went away. In the afternoon he
came back again, and found that the lettering was almost done. He
waited in the yard till the tomb was packed, and saw it placed in the
cart and starting on its way to Weatherbury, giving directions to the
two men who were to accompany it to inquire of the sexton for the grave
of the person named in the inscription.
It was quite dark when Troy came out of Casterbridge. He carried rather
a heavy basket upon his arm, with which he strode moodily along the
road, resting occasionally at bridges and gates, whereon he deposited
his burden for a time. Midway on his journey he met, returning in the
darkness, the men and the waggon which had conveyed the tomb. He merely
inquired if the work was done, and, on being assured that it was,
passed on again.
Troy entered Weatherbury churchyard about ten o’clock and went
immediately to the corner where he had marked the vacant grave early in
the morning. It was on the obscure side of the tower, screened to a
great extent from the view of passers along the road—a spot which until
lately had been abandoned to heaps of stones and bushes of alder, but
now it was cleared and made orderly for interments, by reason of the
rapid filling of the ground elsewhere.
Here now stood the tomb as the men had stated, snow-white and shapely
in the gloom, consisting of head and foot-stone, and enclosing border
of marble-work uniting them. In the midst was mould, suitable for
plants.
Troy deposited his basket beside the tomb, and vanished for a few
minutes. When he returned he carried a spade and a lantern, the light
of which he directed for a few moments upon the marble, whilst he read
the inscription. He hung his lantern on the lowest bough of the
yew-tree, and took from his basket flower-roots of several varieties.
There were bundles of snow-drop, hyacinth and crocus bulbs, violets and
double daisies, which were to bloom in early spring, and of carnations,
pinks, picotees, lilies of the valley, forget-me-not, summer’s
farewell, meadow-saffron and others, for the later seasons of the year.
Troy laid these out upon the grass, and with an impassive face set to
work to plant them. The snowdrops were arranged in a line on the
outside of the coping, the remainder within the enclosure of the grave.
The crocuses and hyacinths were to grow in rows; some of the summer
flowers he placed over her head and feet, the lilies and forget-me-nots
over her heart. The remainder were dispersed in the spaces between
these.
Troy, in his prostration at this time, had no perception that in the
futility of these romantic doings, dictated by a remorseful reaction
from previous indifference, there was any element of absurdity.
Deriving his idiosyncrasies from both sides of the Channel, he showed
at such junctures as the present the inelasticity of the Englishman,
together with that blindness to the line where sentiment verges on
mawkishness, characteristic of the French.
It was a cloudy, muggy, and very dark night, and the rays from Troy’s
lantern spread into the two old yews with a strange illuminating power,
flickering, as it seemed, up to the black ceiling of cloud above. He
felt a large drop of rain upon the back of his hand, and presently one
came and entered one of the holes of the lantern, whereupon the candle
sputtered and went out. Troy was weary and it being now not far from
midnight, and the rain threatening to increase, he resolved to leave
the finishing touches of his labour until the day should break. He
groped along the wall and over the graves in the dark till he found
himself round at the north side. Here he entered the porch, and,
reclining upon the bench within, fell asleep.
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
When we fail someone's real needs, we try to compensate with expensive, visible gestures that serve our guilt more than their memory.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when people use expensive or dramatic gestures to compensate for past neglect rather than make genuine amends.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone makes a big show after failing you - ask yourself what simple thing you actually needed from them instead.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"There is always an inertia to be overcome in striking out a new line of conduct—not more in ourselves, it seems, than in circumscribing events, which appear as if leagued together to allow no novelties in the way of amelioration."
Context: Hardy explains why Troy finds it so hard to change his destructive patterns
This reveals how both internal habits and external circumstances seem to conspire against positive change. It's Hardy's way of showing that Troy's failures aren't just personal weakness but part of larger forces that keep people trapped in destructive cycles.
In Today's Words:
It's like the whole universe is working against you when you're trying to get your life together - your own bad habits plus everything that can go wrong does go wrong.
"In fact, at that moment she was being robed in her grave-clothes by two attendants at the Union poorhouse—the first and last tiring-women the gentle creature had ever been honoured with."
Context: While Troy waits on the bridge, Fanny is already dead and being prepared for burial
The bitter irony emphasizes how Fanny lived and died without proper care or attention. The phrase 'first and last tiring-women' shows she never had anyone to help her dress or care for her until death.
In Today's Words:
While he's sitting there getting mad that she stood him up again, she's already dead in some government facility, and the people dressing her body are the first ones who ever really took care of her.
"Twenty pounds having been secured from Bathsheba, he had managed to add to the sum every farthing he could muster on his own account, which had been seven pounds ten."
Context: Troy gathers money to meet his obligations to Fanny, but it's too late
This shows Troy's pattern of scrambling to fix problems after damage is done. He can find money when guilt motivates him, but couldn't provide consistent support when Fanny needed it most.
In Today's Words:
He managed to scrape together every penny he could find - borrowing from his wife and emptying his own pockets - but only after it was way too late to matter.
Thematic Threads
Guilt
In This Chapter
Troy's elaborate tomb and flower garden represent guilt-driven performance rather than genuine devotion
Development
Introduced here as Troy finally confronts the consequences of his neglect
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when you're planning expensive gestures to make up for emotional unavailability
Class
In This Chapter
Troy spends his last twenty-seven pounds on marble and ornate decorations, using money as substitute for care
Development
Continues the theme of how people use material displays to mask deeper failures
In Your Life:
You might see this when someone throws money at a problem instead of addressing the underlying relationship issue
Neglect
In This Chapter
The contrast between Troy's elaborate memorial efforts and his failure to check on Fanny when she needed him
Development
Builds on Troy's pattern of dramatic gestures paired with everyday failures
In Your Life:
You might notice this when you're more invested in looking caring than in actually being present
Timing
In This Chapter
Troy's devotion comes too late—Fanny needed his attention when alive, not his money when dead
Development
Continues Hardy's exploration of missed opportunities and poor timing
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when you realize you're offering what you want to give instead of what someone actually needs
Self-Deception
In This Chapter
Troy cannot see the absurdity of his grand gestures or how they serve his guilt rather than Fanny's memory
Development
Deepens the pattern of characters lying to themselves about their motivations
In Your Life:
You might catch yourself justifying elaborate gestures when simple presence would mean more
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Troy spent his last twenty-seven pounds on an elaborate marble tomb and flower garden for Fanny after she died. What had he failed to do when she was alive and needed him?
analysis • surface - 2
Why do you think Troy chose to create this expensive memorial instead of simply mourning Fanny's death? What was he really trying to accomplish?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see this pattern today - people making grand, expensive gestures after failing someone in small, everyday ways?
application • medium - 4
When you've hurt someone through neglect or absence, what's the difference between making amends and making a guilty spectacle? How can you tell which one you're doing?
application • deep - 5
What does Troy's behavior teach us about how guilt can trick us into thinking expensive displays equal genuine love or care?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Guilty Gesture Audit
Think of a time when you or someone you know made a big, expensive, or dramatic gesture after failing someone in smaller ways. Write down what the grand gesture was, then list 3-4 simple things that person actually needed instead. Finally, identify what the gesture was really trying to accomplish - was it genuine repair or guilt management?
Consider:
- •Grand gestures often feel meaningful to the giver but miss what the recipient actually needed
- •The most expensive or visible response isn't always the most caring one
- •Sometimes the guilt we feel drives us toward spectacle rather than genuine change
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when someone's small, consistent presence meant more to you than any big gesture they could have made. What does this teach you about how to show care for others?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 46: When the Universe Conspires Against You
Troy's elaborate memorial faces its first test as the elements threaten to undo his carefully planned tribute. Sometimes nature has its own plans for our grand gestures.
