The pivotal event in Chapters 35-38 relating to landscape is the severe storm that would have obliterated Bathsheba's hayricks had Gabriel not thatched them. The chapters are full of nature imagery, such as sheep "crowded close together," a slug found indoors, and a toad on the path, all of which Gabriel successfully interprets as signs of impending foul weather; the storm is a metaphor for the conflicting agendas and relationships Bathsheba has with the three...
The pivotal event in Chapters 35-38 relating to landscape is the severe storm that would have obliterated Bathsheba's hayricks had Gabriel not thatched them. The chapters are full of nature imagery, such as sheep "crowded close together," a slug found indoors, and a toad on the path, all of which Gabriel successfully interprets as signs of impending foul weather; the storm is a metaphor for the conflicting agendas and relationships Bathsheba has with the three men in her life: Gabriel, Troy and Oak. As the storm rages and lightning strikes, Gabriel struggles -- initially alone -- to cover and protect the ricks. At that moment, all the other, principal characters are at a party indoors organized by Troy, so the image of Gabriel contending with the elements outside creates a powerful, contrasting landscape featuring man versus nature. His earlier premonition of the storm through sighting sheep "....grouped in such a way that their tails...were toward that half of the horizon from which the storm threatened" visually depicts the scope of the landscape and the intensity of the impending storm approaching from afar. Out of Bathsheba's three love interests, Gabriel is the most attuned to the natural world, so it is fitting that he becomes part of the landscape of destructive and chaotic nature, contributing a taming influence.
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