Far From the Madding Crowd: Chapter 2 Summary & Analysis

It is the eve of St. Thomas (December 21) and Norcombe Hill is covered by ancient beech trees, which shelter one slope from the growling blasts of wind and shaking of the dry leaves on the ground. Between the hill and horizon is a sheet of shadow: one might stand and listen as these trees wail to the others. The sky is clear, the constellations sparkling, such that an observer might feel the very turn of the earth.

The sounds of Farmer Gabriel’s flute begin to pierce the silence. They come from a shepherd’s hut under a plantation hedge, which looks like a small Noah’s Ark against the plain.

Only in the past year has Gabriel been called “Farmer.” As a boy he was a shepherd, then a bailiff, before leasing the sheep farm that includes Norcombe Hill and stocking it with 200 sheep—a venture that he recognizes as requiring great responsibility.

Holding a lantern, Gabriel comes out and paces the well-cleared fields slowly but deliberately. He carries a new-born lamb back into the hut and places it on hay in front of the stove before going to sleep. The inside of the hut is cozy and small. The lamb is revived, begins to bleat, and wakens Gabriel, who carries it back outside to its mother, and determines the time—one o’clock—from the stars. He stands still, appreciating the beauty of the sky.

Then Gabriel sees an artificial light some yards away. He walks towards it and remembers that there’s a shed here. Peering inside from the roof, he sees two women and two cows. One woman is older, while the other is young, though he can only see her “as Satan first saw Paradise” (that is, from above). The elder says they’ll go home now; the other yawns and says she wishes they were rich enough to pay a man to do these things.

Calling the elder woman “aunt,” the young woman says her hat has blown away. Gabriel sees a small, newborn calf between the two cows, and realizes what they’re here for. The aunt says there’s no more bran, so the niece says she’ll ride over for it in the daylight, even without a side saddle, as her aunt protests.

This makes Gabriel even more curious to see her features, though he immediately assumes she’s beautiful. In a sudden coincidence, though, the girl drops the cloak tied tight around her, and as her black hair falls over her jacket, Gabriel immediately recognizes her as the girl from the yellow wagon.