Pacific Upon Balboa's Gaze

In Chapter 47 Hardy writes that when Troy reaches the top of the hill and suddenly sees the sea: 
"A wide novel prospect burst upon him with an affect almost like that of Pacific upon Balboa's gaze." 

This is a reference to Vasco Núñez de Balboa.  According to traditional account Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and became the first European to view the New World.  The sight was so vast and unexpected that it became a symbol of discovery and revelation. 

Hardy's comparison suggests several things: 

1. Sudden expansion of vision 
Troy had been trapped in a grief, remorse, and disgust with his life.  On reaching the summit the sea opens before him like an entirely new world. 

2. A sense of escape and adventure 

Just as Balboa saw new opportunities beyond the mountains, Troy feels the pull of a life beyond Weatherbury, Bathsheba and the memory of Fanny.

3. Irony

Hardy elevates Troy for a moment by comparing him to a great explorer, yet what follows is not heroic exploration, but another impulsive act: swimming in a dangerous cove and nearly drowning.  The grand comparison is ironic.

The narrative is also characteristic of Hardy's love of landscape and painters.  The landscape here mirrors Troy's emotional state.  The vast sea represents both freedom and danger.

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