Pillars Of Hercules in The Miniature Mediterranean

In Chapter 47 of Far From The Madding Crowd, Hardy describes the small cove where Troy goes swimming. 

"Two projecting spurs of rock which formed the pillars of Hercules to this miniature Mediterranean." 

This is a classical geographical metaphor. 

The real pillars of Hercules 

The pillars of Hercules were the two promontories flanking the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea at the Strait of Gibralter. 

On the European side stands Rock of Gibralter. On the African side is Jebel Musa. 
Greek mythology says it was created by Heracles (same as Roman Hercules)
To the ancient Mediterraneans the pillars marked boundary between Mediterranean world and the  Atlantic ocean. 

What Hardy means:

The cove where Troy bathes is a tiny Mediterranean sea.
Mediterranean sea is an enclosed basin of water. There are two rocky projections at its mouth, like the pillars of Hercules. Beyond this cove is Atlantic ocean. As long as Troy swim inside the cove, he is in sheltered calm water. Once he passes the sea between pillars, he leaves safety and enters the open sea where the current catches him and sweeps him away.

The metaphor goes beyond geography.

Hardy often shows characters crossing boundaries they do not fully understand.  Troy passes from safety to danger; from the known to unknown; and from control to helplessness.

Just as ancient sailors feared what lay beyond the pillars of Hercules, Troy discovers that beyond the mouth of cove, lies a force stronger than himself.  His impulsive decision to swim outside the pillars becomes a symbolic crossing into uncertainty, and, as everyone later believes into death.

The image also fits Hardy's style of giving classic touch to ordinary places: a small Dorset cove attaining 
a miniature Mediterranean status, and Troy's swim becomes a voyage beyond ancient limits of the known world.



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