Discuss with evidence from the text how characters like, William Boldwood, Sergeant Francis Troy, Fanny Robin and Joseph Poorgrass react to fate?

While the novel explores the moral choices faced by various characters and the consequences of those choices, it is clear that not everything is under the control of individuals. Many of the characters seem to be ruled by fate and unable to escape from certain experiences or events. Even though Gabriel has made all the right decisions to advance his career at the start of the novel, he loses everything through a single ill-fated event. Bathsheba also experiences reversals of fate, as she goes from being financially destitute to being a wealthy heiress. Various chance encounters also bring the characters together, such as the accidental meetings of Gabriel and Bathsheba, and Bathsheba and Troy. This theme suggests that human lives play out amidst larger forces that they cannot control or predict.