loses his business, Elizabeth-Jane feels sorry for him and wants to reconcile herself with Henchard. “[S]he wanted to be allowed to forgive him for his roughness to her, and to help him in his trouble”(294). She pushed her way back into Henchard’s life when he fell ill and remained there so that “by the time she went away [she] had reconciled her stepfather to her visiting him”(301). Later in the novel when Elizabeth-Jane discovers Henchard’s good intentions on her wedding day she persuades Farfrae to help her find her stepfather so “that she might make her peace with him; try to do something to render his life less that of an outcast, and more tolerable to him”(405). Elizabeth’s good will shines through despite her earlier rejection of Henchard.Henchard and Elizabeth-Jane encounter many obstacles of rejection yet both characters have the strength to reconcile these situations in some way. Henchard and Elizabeth-Jane are both rejected by those they care about; however, we see that these characters are also capable of rejecting each other. They are the victims as well as the instigators of rejection and in both positions they suffer grief. Both Henchard and Elizabeth-Jane similarly, in an introverted manner, handle and resolve the dereliction that they have experienced. Henchard silently tries to change how others regard him while Elizabeth-Jane reconciles herself without help from anyone. These character’s views on their situation are very different. Henchard wallows in a depressed state even after there is some reconciliation because he fears that he will suffer the same rejection again. Elizabeth-Jane, however, tries to be optimistic and trusts that better things await her. The theme of rejection and reconciliation, although carried through the novel by two very different individuals, follows the same patterns; however, the end results vary distinctly because of ...
