Far from the Madding Crowd, Chapter 55 summary

What happens

1. Weatherbury men watch a judge arrive, then agree to avoid the trial so their presence does not distress Boldwood.
2. A locked closet reveals expensive gifts labeled for Bathsheba as Boldwood’s wife, with dates six years ahead.
3. Oak reports Boldwood’s guilty plea and death sentence, while the discovery strengthens public belief in his mental illness.
4. A petition seeks reconsideration, but Oak returns from a farewell visit without news as the execution approaches.
5. Laban rides to town and returns with word that Boldwood faces confinement rather than death.

In this chapter

What to notice

The news resolves the immediate threat of execution. Boldwood survives, but the length of his confinement remains unspecified.

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