Ghosts From An Enchanter Fleeing

In Chapter 44 of Far From The Madding Crowd Thomas Hardy connects the life of Bathsheba to the poem "Ode to the Westwind" by Percy Bysshe Shelly.  The autumn wind violently scatters dead leaves, comparing them to terrified spirits fleeing a powerful magician. 

Shelly uses this metaphor to establish the West Wind as a powerful, almost supernatural force. Here is the break down of the first stanza. 
• The Enchanter: The fierce Westwind, acts as the untamable breath of autumn.
• The Ghosts: The dead leaves of various colours (yellow, black, pale and hectic red) being swept away.
• The Meaning: The wind acts as a destroyer and preserver. While it destroys the old, it carries the winged seeds to their winter beds, ensuring the rebirth in the spring.

Because of its vivid imagery, it is frequently used to describe any mass exodus or frantic scattering of people, animals, or objects.

The simile reflects Bathsheba's emotional condition after shocking discoveries about Sergeant Troy and Fanny Robin.

Bathsheba lived under a kind of enchantment by Troy's charm, attraction, and persuasive qualities.  She had imagined a happy married life and believed in Troy's devotion.  As truth becomes clear, the hopes disappear suddenly like summoned ghosts, which scatter when the magician's power ends.  The red and yellow leaves settled upon her were carried away by the wind. Her illusions and hopes are like dead leaves and they have been carried away by the realities connecting Troy and Fanny.


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