New Understanding of Henchard’s Tragedy in “The Mayor of Casterbridge”  

作　　者：汪雅君[1] 

机构地区：[1]南方医科大学外国语学院,广东广州510515

出　　处：《读与写（教育教学刊）》2012年第9期1-4,共4页Read and Write

摘　　要：No masterpiece by great writers is single-sided.It is always polyhedron and is bound to show new sides if we read it in a different perspective.Traditionally,"the Mayor of Casterbridge",one of the important novels by Thomas Hardy,is an illustration of the inevitable doom of the patriarchal economy in the English countryside in the 19th century England due to the merciless squeeze by industrial expansion.However,considering the widespread accepted theory of Adam Smith's economic man and moral man,we could find that man are always in conflict between the two.Someone who are very rational and perfectly informed to pursue their own profits and wealth regardless of others' interests could always successfully gain their wealth with the cost of losing their own happiness,while others who always care about someone else,put themselves in someone else's places,and regard someone else's happiness as their concerns could eventually get their real happiness and sweet life with a sympathetic heart.Adam Smith thinks that the egoism(economic man) and the altruism(moral man) are both human's natural instincts.Only a moderately prudent balance and union between the two could both develop the economy and gain the happiness.In "The Mayor of Casterbridge",Henchard's tragedy just lies in the abundance of egoism but the shortage of altruism.That's to say,he possesses too many characteristics of economic man but too little of moral man.Then Henchard inevitably begins his tragic way with no repentance.No masterpiece by great writers is single-sided. It is always polyhedron and is bound to show new sides if we read it in a different perspective. Traditionally, ＂the Mayor of Casterbridge＂, one of the important novels by Thomas Hardy, is an illustration of the inevitable doom of the patriarchal economy in the English countryside in the 19th century England due to the merciless squeeze by industrial expansion. However, considering the widespread accepted theory of Adam Smith＇s economic man and moral man, we could find that man are always in conflict between the two. Someone who are very rational and perfectly informed to pur- sue their own profits and wealth regardless of others＇ interests could always successfully gain their wealth with the cost of losing their own happiness, while others who always care about someone else, put themselves in someone else＇s places, and regard some- one else＇s happiness as their concerns could eventually get their real happiness and sweet life with a sympathetic heart. Adam Smith thinks that the egoism （economic man） and the altruism （moral man） are both human＇s natural instincts. Only a moderately prudent balance and union between the two could both develop the economy and gain the happiness. In ＂The Mayor of Caster- bridge＂, I-Ienchard＇s tragedy just lies in the abundance of egoism but the shortage of altruism. That＇s to say, he possesses too many characteristics of economic man but too little of moral man. Then Henchard inevitably begins his tragic way with no repen- tance.

关 键 词：ECONOMIC MAN MORAL MAN Henchard'S TRAGEDY PRUDENCE 

分 类 号：H315.9[语言文字—英语]