The Three Strangers by Thomas Hardy is a short story. I have never read anything written by Thomas Hardy, so I thought I would familiarize myself with his writing style by reading a short story. In the story, there is a party going on for a baby’s christening when there are three strangers who knock on the door.
There is a party being held at a small cottage by Mr. and Mrs. Fennel to celebrate the birth of their baby. As the party goes on, there is a knock on the door. Mr. Fennel opens the door to see a stranger standing at the doorstep. He invites the stranger inside and gets him some mead. A little while later, there is another knock at the door. This time, too, there is a stranger standing at the Fennels’ door. He is also invited in, and given a glass of mead. Everyone at the party is curious about these two new strangers. There is a third knock at the door. As the door is opened, the third stranger looks at the first two strangers and rushes away.
The setting of the story is very interesting. The cottage of Mr. and Mrs. Fennel is situated away from the town. They are shepherds by professional and are celebrating the birth of their second daughter. Everyone seems to be having fun, dancing and singing. Mr. and Mrs. Fennel are very generous, they even invite the strangers inside. The story does not seem like it in the beginning but becomes a mystery. We don’t find out much information about the strangers soon. The second stranger works as a hangman and is in town to execute a prisoner tomorrow at the Casterbridge. This makes the people in the party wary of him. The person who is supposed to be executed is a family man, and his crime does not match the punishment.
The Casterbridge bells ring indicating that a prison has escaped, which the the second stranger guesses. The third stranger looks at the first two strangers and runs away just a few minutes before the bells. He is suspected to be the escaped prisoner because it makes sense the way he rushed off. The second stranger asks the people if anyone amongst them is a policeman and gathers all the partygoers as the search party. As the others are searching, the first and the second strangers come back to the cottage for food and mead. After having their fill, they shake hands and leave. The others spend the rest of the night half-heartedly searching for the escaped prisoner.
I loved how the narration of the story followed. I assumed there would be some element of the mystery as the title says The Three Strangers, but I was surprised by how the story turned out. This story was published in 1885 by Thomas Hardy, so the setting is pastoral, but it adds to the plot of the story. It alludes to the difficulties these people face even through the prisoner’s story. There is a strong sense of community among them, and even though they have tough lives, they are generous and try to enjoy their life. After the third knock and the third stranger’s behavior, the pace of the story changes. The mystery of the strangers is well-maintained till the very end.
I enjoyed reading Thomas Hardy’s The Three Strangers. I loved the setting, the historical nature of the story, and the mystery of the three strangers. I would be less intimidated now to delve into Thomas Hardy’s other works. This short story is an interesting and enjoyable read.
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