Theme

One-sided Love-
A good majority of the novels plot is based on unreequited or one-sided love. Unrequited love is when one person is in love with another but that other person does not love them back, or love them in the same way that they love them. Basically the saying the feeling is not mutual applies here. In the beginning of the novel we see Gabriel profess his love for Bathsheba by asking her to marry him. She however, turns him down saying that she is not in love with him. That is our first example of unrequited love in the novel. It is a common theme in almost all of the couples relationships in the novel. From Bathsheba and Gabriel, the main characters, all the way down to Fanny, the servant girl, and Frank, the sergeant, unrequited love effects them all. Fanny really does love Frank, but even though he says he loves her too he really does not. He tells her he will marry her just to get what he wants. He ends up getting Fanny pregnant and gets frustrated with her and decides to leave her instead of marrying her. Without anyones support, Fanny ends up dying while giving birth to the baby.

Tragedy-
Tragedy is a common theme in Far from the Madding Crowd. It helps lead the characters to where they are supposed to be. You start to believe that everything really happens for a reason. The first tragedy we see is when Gabriels sheep are hearded off the side of the mountain by his dog. This leads him to find a new job, and he winds up in weatherbury, which is where Bathsheba has moved to. In Weatherbury Gabriel comes across a fire which he helps put out. Only to find out that the farm that the fire was on belongs to Bathsheba. Bathsheba offers Gabriel a job as a repayment for helping to extinguish the fire. Had there not been a fire Bathsheba most likely would not have offered him a job. In fact, she might not have even known he was in town. Gabriel could have just passed right through and never saw Bathsheba. In that case, the novel would have ended right then and there.

Social Status-
In the beginning of the novel, Gabriel and Bathsheba have equal social statuses. Gabriel lived in a hut next door to Bathsheba and her aunt. Once Bathsheba inherits her uncles farm however, their social statuses become polar opposites. Social status plays a very prominent role in Far From the Madding Crowd. While Bathsheba is running her own farm, Gabriel is looking for a job after all his sheep get hearded off a cliff. Bathsheba has no plans on marrying Gabriel because of his being a lower class citizen. She would be more suited for someone of Boldwood's social status.