Boldwood’s double-barrelled gun

Boldwood’s double-barrelled gun becomes the material instrument of the Christmas gathering’s sudden catastrophe. Taken from the gun-rack behind him, it kills Troy at close range; when Boldwood turns its second barrel on himself, Samway intervenes just in time. The gun’s paired barrels give physical form to the scene’s fatal sequence: violence against Troy followed almost immediately by an attempted end to Boldwood’s own life.

The Gun in the Farmhouse

The gun is kept in a farmhouse rack constructed to hold two guns, positioned behind Boldwood as he stands before the fireplace. Until the crisis, it belongs to the familiar equipment of the room. Its ordinary place among domestic objects makes its sudden use all the more abrupt: the gathering’s attention is fixed on Troy’s return, while the weapon waits within reach behind Boldwood.

Troy’s Shooting

When Troy seizes Bathsheba’s arm and she gives a quick, low scream, Boldwood’s expression changes from gnashing despair to frenzy. He turns, takes one of the guns, cocks it, and fires at Troy. The men are so close that the shot does not spread; it passes into Troy’s body like a bullet. Troy gives a long guttural sigh, his body contracts and extends, and then his muscles relax. The gun has changed the gathering’s upheaval into a death.

The Second Barrel

Boldwood is not finished with the weapon. Through the smoke, he is seen fastening his handkerchief to the trigger of the double-barrelled gun and placing his foot on its other end, preparing to turn the second barrel on himself. Samway rushes at him amid the general horror. Boldwood has already twitched the handkerchief, but Samway’s timely blow diverts the shot into a beam crossing the ceiling.

The gun therefore carries the scene’s violence beyond Troy’s death without completing Boldwood’s suicide attempt. After the second discharge, Boldwood says that it makes no difference and that there is another way for him to die. He breaks from Samway, crosses to Bathsheba, kisses her hand, puts on his hat, and leaves through the door into the darkness. The weapon’s second barrel fails to kill him, but its failed discharge leads directly into his departure and the unresolved danger of what follows.