Far from the Madding Crowd Lesson Plan

Gabriel proposes marriage to Bathsheba very early in the book, after only talking to her a few times. Why do you think Gabriel does this?

Gabriel knows very little about Bathsheba, but their few encounters have intrigued him. Observing her looking at herself in the mirror and playfully riding on the horse have shown her to be unconventional and interesting, which is apparently attractive to Gabriel. Students might find this surprising, since Gabriel seems quite steady and conventional at this point int he book. Students may offer different explanations for Gabriel's attraction. There don't seem to be an abundance of pretty young women in Gabriel's rural corner of the...