Who Bathsheba Everdene is
Bathsheba Everdene has beauty, confidence, and little money when she first meets the shepherd Gabriel Oak. She refuses his offer of marriage because she values independence and does not love him. After inheriting a farm, she becomes an employer in her own right at Weatherbury.
What Bathsheba Everdene wants
Bathsheba wants to direct her own life rather than leave the farm's business to a man. She takes responsibility for workers and decisions in a world that does not readily accept a young woman's authority. Her independence faces pressure not only from others, but also from her own pride, attraction, and carelessness.
Bathsheba Everdene and the others in the story
Gabriel works as her hired shepherd, bringing practical skill, steady affection, and a willingness to tell her unwelcome truths. William Boldwood, a prosperous neighboring farmer, takes her playful valentine with a seriousness she does not intend. Sergeant Francis Troy attracts her through charm and a dazzling manner that Gabriel's steadiness does not offer.
Questions
Who is Bathsheba Everdene?
Bathsheba Everdene is a young woman who inherits a farm and takes charge of running it.
Why does Bathsheba reject Gabriel Oak?
She does not love him when he proposes, and she prizes her independence.
How does Bathsheba feel about her suitors?
Her feelings differ: she initially refuses Gabriel, feels pressure rather than passion toward Boldwood, and becomes strongly attracted to Troy.
