Social Problems In Thomas Hardy's Jude The Obscure

The social problems in the Victorian period were reflected in the literature of that time. The Victorian Period started in the 19 century, precisely in 1837 with the ascension of the Queen Victoria to the throne and ended in 1901 with the death of the Queen. This period is known for having big changes in England. Additionally, the Industrial Revolution was developing by the time the Victorian period began. As a result, people started to move from the countryside to the cities looking for a better job. However, not everything was going so good for the people of England, since the big growth in population caused a notable gap between the upper-class and the lower-class. Following that, when the upper-class was living in a luxurious world the

Hardy is known for his tragic heroes and his socially critical tone in his writings. Hardy married twice, since his first wife, whom he loved deeply died. In the story he projects marriage and divorce as something easy to do, without having to give it much of a thought. I believe that he marrying twice could’ve had an impact in his writings. In Jude the Obscure the main character, Jude Fawley is an orphan raised by his aunt. He wishes to enter the university in Christminster but his family doesn’t have the money to send him to university. So, he decides to work as a stonemason. Jude falls in love with Arabella, and ends marrying her because she tricks him into marriage saying she’s pregnant with his child. Despite the fact, their marriage goes wrong and they divorce; Arabella moves to Australia. Jude then meets his cousin Sue Bridehead. He introduces her to the town schoolmaster, Richard Phillotson. For the misfortune of Jude, who is in love with Sue, Sue and Richard get married. Not long after, Sue leaves Richard, so she can be with Jude but they didn’t marry, since Sue didn’t want to remarry. At this moment, Arabella tells Jude that she had his child in Australia. The kid is raised by Sue and Jude, along with two other kids of their own. Due to, Sue and Jude having kids without being married, they weren’t accepted in society. As a result, Jude couldn’t find a job and they lived a hard life in great poverty. Jude’s son believes they lived such a hard life because of him and his half-brothers so he decides to kill them and hang himself. Sue believes that what happened to the kids was a punishment from God for not going to church and having a sinful relationship with Jude. She decides to go back to live with Phillotson. Jude depressed goes back with Arabella. At the end, Jude dies. Above all, in this novel, Hardy projects various