"Happiness is an occasional episode in a general drama of pain"-this is the conclusion drawn by one of Hardy's chief women characters, Elizabeth-Jane in his tragic novel The Mayor of Casterbridge. This is also the concluding sentence of the novel. We can imagine how much emphasis is put upon this observation made by a character who has throughout her life remained a passive sufferer, and therefore an observer, of human life, of human misery. This sad realization is not something that we find in this novel only; all of Hardy's so-called novels of character and environment reflect human tragedy after the grave and sombre manner of ancient tragedies. All the novels depict the despair and agony of man in eternal conflict with external as well as internal forces. His protagonists fight not only with circumstances but also with their own impulses, their own strong passions.
The Return of the Native is one of Hardy's representative novels based on his sombre recognition of life as a series of ironic situations which play with mankind, allure them to his doom, and he dies -either spiritually or physically or both-with the kind of bitterness in his heart which may be found in a Macbeth or an Oedipus. The critic John Paterson is not ready to place RN in the same category with The Mayor of Casterbridge, Tess of the d'Urburvilles, and Jude the Obscure. He calls it "too studied and self-conscious an imitation of classical tragedy." The novel is, according to him, merely `an attempt at great tragedy'. He reminds us of Hardy's original plan to divide it into five books or `acts' of traditional tragedy: "The Return of the Native was meant to recall the immensities of Sophocles and Shakespeare. But the facts of its fiction simply do not just...
... middle of paper ...
....signifying nothing"(Dobree).In the Return the final effect is one of irony and pathos. As Deen points out, "The episode tends to absolve both Eustacia and Clym of responsibility, and to make both appear to be the innocent victims of a malignant fate."
But the march of mankind does not stop, even though it is `a slow, silent walk' and the road inimical. Hardy's `man' is walking against all odds, both internal and external, that make the journey more enervating, but he goes on. This is the true picture of the Hardiean protagonist, a lonely figure set against the vastness of the universe. And we can say with Bonamy Dobree that "the movement within the landscape is not without its dignity."
*********
Hardy attempts to illustrate Michael as a common man, which ultimately serves his purpose of exposing the archetypal and somewhat psychological realities of typical, everyday people. According to archetypal literary critics, “archetypes determine the form and function of literary works and … a text's meaning is shaped by cultural and psychological myths.” For that reason, Henchard is a perfect example of the archetypal fall because Thomas Hardy is demonstrating how Henchard reacts to situations like a real person would and that life is not always as simple as it is depicted in fictional fairytales. The archetype of Michael’s fall functions as Hardy’s vehicle to relay the meaning behind his work.
With this, his last novel, Hardy is moving away from the convention of the "inner life of the characters to be inferred from their public behavior" (Howe 513), so, although Sue...
The poem Your Last Drive captures all of Hardy’s unique traits in one poem. The title starting with “Your”
Once you have read the poems The Wanderer, The Wife's Lament and The Seafarer it is rather clear how harsh the life of people in the medieval society was. Many people of the medieval society, man or woman, were faced with gruesomely difficult times and hardships. Life back then wasn't as easily enjoyed as it can be now. People of all descriptions had their own obstacles in the way of an easy life, or their happiness. Medieval times were far from ideal. In each one of these poems it is shown by their authors how common it was to be unhappy. The poems give us a small glance into their lives and what it was like. It can be hard imagining life different from what it is today, but with the help of the poems, readers are given their
Taking an Ecocritical approach, Hardy seeks refuge in the country and his past. Looking at Hardy’s poems, I conducted the evaluation that has led to the agreement of the statement. Hardy seeks refuge in the country to connect with his past, giving him the safety he physically and emotionally needs due to the grief he feels towards the loss of his late wife: Emma. The three poems that link into the statement are: ‘Under the Waterfall’, ‘Your Last Drive’, and ‘The Going.’ Each one gives a different aspect towards the topic of refuge.
The novels of Thomas Hardy are intricate and complicated works whose plots seem to be completely planned before the first word is ever actually formed on paper. Though I have no proof of Hardy’s method of writing, it is clear that he focuses more on plot development than characterization in the novels Far From the Madding Crowd, Tess of the d’Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure. The advantages of this can be easily seen in the clever twists and turns that occur in the novel which hold the reader’s interest. But the main reason Hardy uses this method, especially in the tragedies Tess and Jude, is to present a moral argument to the reader through actions done by and to the main characters of the novels. By mapping out the turning points ahead of time, Hardy is able to control the course of his writings, and they emerge as a social criticism. But in doing this, the characters are condemned to a literary predestination. Hardy concentrates more on forcing the characters to carry out these actions than allowing their personalities to become fully and freely developed. Females perform most of the necessary but unlikely actions, and Hardy blames any erratic behavior on woman’s natural inconsistency. Thus, in reaching for a high literary purpose Hardy inadvertently stunts the development of the main female characters.
Jealousy, power and ambivalent emotions can illuminate a pathway to an uneasy mind. These feelings and desires may not seem very strong at first glance, but can lead to the total destruction of oneself. All four of these pieces of literature make the reader question the society in which they live in as Brontë upholds the influence that choices have on us, Browning gives us the magnitude of decisions made in haste, Shakespeare giving us all a message to step back and take a closer look at the bigger picture and Duffy who gives us the extent of total damnation. These four characters may seem psychologically disturbed but are in fact products of their societies. All four of these great writers ultimately give a voice, to the voiceless.
The use of imagery in the poem gives Hardy a place to start to form his attitude toward the sinking of the Titanic. The abrasive descriptions of the objects in the poem show that Hardy has
As mentioned in the introduction, a hallmark of a naturalistic tale was covering taboo topics in a work. “The Awakening” covers many topics that...
Thomas Hardy sheds new light on the idea of the fallen woman. Throughout several of his works, he portrays the fallen woman through her own eyes, and, in doing so, presents a different perspective. Three of his works which establish this new perspective are the poem, "The Ruined Maid," and the novels Far from the Madding Crowd and Tess of the d'Urbervilles.
In Thomas Hardy?s three short tales, the presentation of women is negative, however typical of the 1800?s. His stories show just how women lived in these times and how it was difficult. They received few opportunities and choices as most were made for them. Their main role in life was to be a good mother and a devoted wife.
The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy is a novel about the rising and plummeting of a complex man named Michael Henchard. Michael Henchard does not just have one characteristic or just one personality for that matter. His personality can be described as thoughtful and strong-minded but also as ruthless, stubborn and cold. Henchard's impulsiveness, aggressive attitude, childishness and selfish nature made failure and misery inevitable in his life. The essence of his character is the root of his demise and 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.
Clarke, R. (n.d.). The Poetry of Thomas Hardy. rlwclarke. Retrieved February 1, 2014, from http://www.rlwclarke.net/Courses/LITS2002/2008-2009/12AHardy'sPoetry.pdf
Hardy originated from a working class family. The son of a master mason, Hardy was slightly above that of his agricultural peers. Hardy’s examination of transition between classes is usually similar to that of D.H. Lawrence, that if you step outside your circle you will die. The ambitious lives of the characters within Hardy’s novels like Jude and Tess usually end fatally; as they attempt to break away from the constraints of their class, thus, depicting Hardy’s view upon the transition between classes. Hardy valued lower class morals and traditions, it is apparent through reading Tess that her struggles are evidently permeated through the social sufferings of the working class. A central theme running throughout Hardy’s novels is the decline of old families. It is said Hardy himself traced the Dorset Hardy’s lineage and found once they were of great i...