Far from the Madding Crowd, Chapter 5 summary

What happens

1. Gabriel hears that Bathsheba has gone to Weatherbury, but cannot discover whether she intends to stay.
2. One night, Gabriel shuts George away but assumes the missing young dog remains on the hill eating a dead lamb.
3. Before dawn, unusually rapid sheepbell sounds wake Gabriel, who rushes uphill and discovers two hundred ewes missing.
4. He follows their tracks to the chalk pit, where the young dog awaits praise above the dead and dying sheep.
5. Gabriel mourns the ewes and unborn lambs, recognizes his financial ruin, and gives thanks that he has no wife facing poverty.
6. The young dog is shot at noon, and Gabriel finds that his remaining property barely covers his debts.

In this chapter

What to notice

Gabriel responds to ruin by considering the hardship a wife would suffer. His gratitude shows concern for another person even as his own hopes collapse.

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