Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy’s novels frequently shift on dastardly turns of chance. Wrong turns and minor mishaps on the way to churches, mistaken impressions of deaths, unexpected inheritances, and unreceived letters all affect the outcomes of the decisions made by the characters in Hardy’s fiction. These twists of luck outside the character’s control makes judging the morality of their actions more complex. Should Hardy’s characters be judged by their actions or their intentions? Chengping Zhang asserts in “Moral Luck in Thomas Hardy's Fiction” that Hardy uses “moral chance” to cause readers to question their moral judgments. Some critics and moral readers disagree with Zhang and follow a Kantian ideology and argue that characters should be judged by their intentions. A close reading of “Hap” reveals that Hardy believes that chance is a fact of life and that it cannot mitigate or excuse personal moral responsibility. Hardy’s denial of an all powerful presence directing his life and acceptance of chance implies personal responsibility. The concept of personal responsibility expressed in Hap is supported by moral judgments of the narrator and protagonist of Hardy’s own novel Far From the Madding Crowd. Hap concludes “Hap” with the stirring declaration that “These pureblind Doomsters had as readily strown / Blisses about by pilgrimage as pain.” (13-14). Hardy uses this declaration to assert that mortal men and women have little control over the quality and content of their lives. However, Hardy does not use this lack of control to excuse or justify the joys or pains of life. In “Hap”, Hardy stoically accepts chance as a part of life, neither condemning it nor disputing its control. Hardy’s acceptance of chance shows that men are ultimately respon...

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...od that is found in accepting the chance happenings of the world and working through them. Gabriel’s eventual marriage to Bathsheba shows that, although it is rare, a man can overcome chance and find bliss in a world overrun with misery.

“Hap” articulates Thomas Hardy’s denial of fate and the morality of actions in the face random chance. The lack of appeal or excuse is the true indicator of Hardy’s belief in personal responsibility for ones actions in a world ruled only by chance. Hardy’s extreme emphasis on acceptance and lack of excuse shows the need for personal moral responsibility for ones actions. This concept is readily seen not only in the Far From the Madding Crowd but also in many of his other narratives. In “Hap” Hardy makes an eloquent statement on the condition of the Victorian world and offers his opinions on how best to endure life in it.