Realism In Thomas Hardy's I Look Into My Glass And Neutral Tones
It is well known that Thomas Hardy’s poetry can be interpreted in several ways; In this essay I will be evaluating, with the help of two poems, which definition is most apt for Hardy, Romantic or Realist. The two poems I will be using to help draw a conclusion are, I Look Into My Glass and Neutral Tones. Beginning with I Look Into My Glass. To the surprise of many, the poem was written when Hardy was only 57 years old. Hardy discusses the huge impact of time on the human identity. The predominant theme is the contrast between his aging physical body and his heart which he feels is still young and lively. In the first stanza Hardy contrasts his ‘wasting skin’ to his emotions. He is wishing that his heart had the same outcome as his body, shrunken and ‘wasting’ away. Hardy believes that his body can’t physically handle his strong emotions. This stanza suggests that Hardy is romantic, as even at this stage in his life he describes his emotions as being so strong that he struggles to live with them. The second stanza continues with the discussion of his aging body and vibrant emotions. Hardy implies, that if his heart had ‘grown cold’ just like his body had, he would be able to comfortably await his death. He also states that he wishes not to think …show more content…
Hardy hiding his emotions suggests that Romantic would certainly be an appropriate term to use when describing him however its is clear that in his life he’s grown old and become somewhat of a realist, which is supported in the poem I Look Into My Glass. Hardy portrays his isolation and loneliness which has arisen due to events in his life which have severely damaged him mentally and caused him to separate himself from the rest of the world to avoid yet more pain. I believe both terms can successfully describe Hardy, purely based on the analysis of his
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