YMMV / The Mayor of Casterbridge

• Cry for the Devil: For all the horrible things Michael Henchard does over the course of the novel - selling his wife and daughter, mistreating his workers for minor infractions, turning on Farfrae and eventually trying to kill him, lying to Elizabeth-Jane and then to her real father, Newson, to keep her in his life - he becomes a pitiable figure in the final chapter, when he dies alone and miserable, leaving final instructions for a Lonely Funeral.
• Too Bleak, Stopped Caring: A common reaction to Hardy's novels, and The Mayor of Casterbridge is no exception; it becomes obvious early on that Henchard will never improve as a person and will be the architect of his own downfall, while the more virtuous characters, such as Farfrae and Elizabeth-Jane, are viewed as significantly less interesting.

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