Monday 7 November 2022

Assignment Paper No. - 104

 Hello Readers ! This blog is Written as a Part Of assignment writing Of Semester - 1. This blog is Inspired by Dr. Dilip Sir Barad , Department Of English , MKBU. In this I am going to discuss about a topic - " Symbolism  Used in Thomas Hardy's Novel - ' Jude the Obscure ''.

  • Name :- Hetal Samirbhai Pathak

  • Batch :- M.A Sem - 1 ( 2022 - 2024) 

  • Enrollment No. :- 4069206420220022

  • Roll No. :- 10

  • Subject Code :- 22394

  • Paper No. :- 104

  • Paper Name :- Literature of the Victorians

  • E- Mail address:- hetalpathak28@gmail.com

  • Submitted to :- Smt. S.B.Gardi, Department Of English -

  • Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji, Bhavnagar University

  • Date of Submission :- 7th November - 2022




' Symbolism  Used  in   Thomas Hardy's  novel - 

' Jude the Obscure':-


  • Content of my Assignment :- 


  1.  Introduction 

  2. An Overview about the novel

  3. What is Symbolism

  4. Significance of Symbols

  5. Symbols used in Hardy's -   'Jude the Obscure' 

  6. Conclusion

  7. Work Cited 



Introduction :- 

 

Thomas Hardy ( 1840 - 1928 ) One of the greatest English writers. No matter how we

may rank Mr. Hardy Whether we Put him before or after George Meredith or George Eliot,

or Charles Dickens his Place in the history of English literature is Secure. He has made a

locality live; he has immortalised its towns and Villages , its Sea - Costs , heaths and hills;

he has created a Whole army of men and Women and Sent them living, breathing, acting

down the highways of eternity. He has given us an arrangement of Certain Social

Conditions, In spite of himself he has given us an interpretation if not a Philosophy of life.

The life he set himself to Portray he has recorded with Something to the Shakespearean

irony and detachment.

 

 Thomas Hardy 's much Proclaimed Pessimism is really then due to the Fact that he does

Chiefly become Vocal at the Sight Of tragedy. In Speaking to him of one of his most

Pessimism Short Poems. Mr. Hardy's novels give us the Sense of relief and ease that go with

a happy ending. But, every time  it's not happen  like that, the novel ends with a happy

ending. He Processed and dealt with Subjects more and more austere. He was

entirely Uncompromising. He Would not Placate an audience. He offered no Current ,

Obvious Views of life. He chooses  his Setting and abode in and by it. The

deliberate Circumscription of an environment has indeed been One of Mr. Hardy's Chief

gains. Hardy himself warns us that Although he believes his metrical Work to Contain his

most individualistic Utterances, We must Still not make the mistake of taking his

Philosophy therein expressed to be Other than dramatic.


Thomas Hardy seems like George Meredith, to belong to the Present rather than to a Past age ,

and an interesting Comparison may be drawn between these two novelists. In Style , George

Meredith is Obscure and difficult, While Hardy is direct and Simple , aiming at realism in all

things. George Meredith makes man the most important Phenomenon in the Universe and the

Struggles of men are brightened by the hope of victory. While Thomas Hardy makes man an

insignificant Part of the World Struggling against Powers greater than himself , - Sometimes

against the Systems Which he cannot reach or influence , Sometimes  against a kind of grim

World - Spirit who delights in making human affairs go Wrong. He is therefore hardly a realist ,

but rather a man blinded by Pessimism. Thomas Hardy 's novels though generally Powerful and

Sometimes Fascinating, are not Pleasant or Wholesome reading. 

 

' The Return of the native ' in the Year - 1878 and 

' The Woodlanders ' are  generally regarded as Hardy's masterpieces. But two of the novels of

our Own day - ' Tess of the d ' Urbervilles in 1891 and 

' Jude the Obscure ' in the Year - 1895 is a better expression of Hardy's literary art and his

gloomy Philosophy.


 Thus, We can Say that Thomas Hardy - English novelist and an important literary Figure

during the age of Victorian.


  • ' An Overview about the novel:-' 


' Jude the Obscure ' novel Written by Thomas Hardy. It is Hardy 's last Completed novel. This

novel Created a huge impact on the minds of the readers. After the Publication of this novel

Hardy received So much Criticism and negative  responses and that is Why he Stopped Writing

novels and moved towards Poetry.



' Jude the Obscure ' reveals Thomas Hardy's major intention as demonstrated throughout his

Career as a novelist. Hardy's Wish was to Portray ' an honest Picture of Human nature ' and in

doing So Hardy Created , or tried to create and Write  of the magnitude and Scope of the epic.

The essential qualities of epic writing are described and demonstrated as relevant to ' Jude the

Obscure .' Understanding that Hardy is Writing a modern epic, a Story of destiny in a world

without God, explains that Why this novel - ' Jude the Obscure ' and other novels is not a

tragedy , but is a lament.


Jude is the epic hero or protagonist of this novel who lacks divine intervention, Who becomes

one of the First anti - heroes  of  existentialism and able  guide to the realities of twenty Century

life.


     " What  God , man or hero 

Shall I lay a tin wreath Upon ? " 

  • - Ezra pound


The narrative of the novel - ' Jude the Obscure ' was begun in the Year - 1892 Written in Full

length from August 1893 Onward into the next Year , and was in the hands of the Publisher by

the end of the Year - 1894. ' Harper's Magazine ' begun in Serialization in November 1894 under

the title ' The Simple tons ' and Continued with monthly instalments  from January to

November 1895, Under the title - ' Heart  Insurgent' . ' 


In 1916 , Harold Child argued that Hardy's novel - ' Jude the Obscure ' is another exposition

of the Conflict between love and morality. The Story of Jude is that of a man Struggling to

realise fine ideals , but Struggling vainly against a Current too strong for him.


The novel's sexual Frankness Shocked the Public as did Hardy 's Criticism of marriage and

the education and University System, and the Church.


  • ' What  is  Symbolism :- ' 


Symbolism is Used to Provide meaning to the Writing beyond What is actually being described.

A Symbol can enhance a theme , idea or a character in any Work of literature. When the author

uses Symbolism as an Object or reference to add deeper meaning to a Story. A Symbol is an

Object that stands for itself and a greater idea. Symbolism is the Practice or art of using an

object or a word to represent an abstract idea. When an author wants to suggest a Certain

mood or emotion , he can also Use Symbolism to hint at it, rather than just bluntly  saying it.

Objects are Often Used to Symbolise something else : A chain can Symbolise the coming

together of two things. In literature Symbols are full of meaning and are used to develop

atmosphere in the text.


 So , This is how we can Understand about the term - Symbolism which is Used by Writers in

any work of literature.


  • ' Symbols Used in Thomas Hardy's Novel - ' Jude the Obscure ' :- 

As we all know, Symbols are very important. One of the most important Symbols in the novel

is Christminser. Our Protagonist Jude is enchanted with it. It is a Symbol of all his dreams and

aspirations.


 Let's discuss the Symbols that Used in the novel in detail.


  1. Christminster :- 


Christminter is a Fictional University town based on Oxford, England. Jude First learns of it

when he was only an eleven years old and his teacher - Mr. Philotson leaves the Place Marygreen

to go there. Christminter then becomes the Young Jude's goal in his life and he idealises  the

Place as ' The new Jerusalem ' and a ' a city of light ' watching its Faint , distant glow from the

roof of the Brown house. When Jude Finally makes it to the Place Christminter he imagines the

Shades of dead Philosophers Speaking to him in the Streets. In the First Part of the novel ,

Christminter Symbolises Jude's hope and idealism and his desire to make a better life for

himself despite his low Social class.


The reality of the Place Christminter soon strikes Jude however as he learns that despite his

hard Work and natural intelligence. The Colleges are only open to the Upper classes. Philotson has also failed. So that's why he settled back into his earlier role as a schoolmaster

and Jude likewise remains a Stonemason.


In this way Christminster Comes to Symbolise Jude's Failed hopes and dreams and Hardy 's

pessimistic world view. After years of moving about nomadically , Jude returns  to

Christminster   for one last attempt to achieve his goals. It takes him a long time to realise it.

But, he finally gives up christminter as a hopeless dream.


He recognises that it Would take ' two or three generations ' to do what he tried to do in one

generation - raise his Social Class through his own hard work and intelligence. Because of the

tragedy of Jude's Situation, Christminter ultimately becomes one of Hardy's greatest critiques

of the Unfairness inherent in his Society. 


So , we can Understand that the Symbol of University Place Christminter became 

 one of the most important Symbols in this novel.


  1. Little Father Time :- 


Little Father Time is a character in the novel , but he also acts as a Symbol of Coming of age and

Hardy 's apprehensive View of the generation to come. Little Father Time lacks Personality

except as an excessively morbid , unexcitable Child but When he kills himself and Sue 's children

it is the Climax of the novel. As a Symbol Little Father Times represents the depression and

imorality that Hardy sees  as the inevitable result of the injustices in his Society.


Little Father Time is driven to despair by how Poorly Jude and Sue are treated for being

Unmarried, and by his lack of love from Arabella Donn and her Parents. After Little Father

Time 's death in the novel, the doctor actually diagnosis his murder Suicide as - ' In his nature '.

And ' The beginning of the Coming Universal wishes  not to live. ' In this way Thomas Hardy horrifies his readers and makes his Social Critiques seem that

much more Urgent implying that the injustices of his generation will lead to tragedy in the next.



Conclusion :-


To Conclude I would like to say that the Symblols Of University Place

Christminster and Little Father Time both the Symbols are Well Presented in Thomas Hardy’s

novel - “ Jude the Obscure.”


   Work Cited


https://www.litcharts.com/. Accessed 7 November 2022.

Long, william J. English Literature. AITBS, 2017. Accessed 7 November 2022.

Schwartz, Barry N. “Jude the Obscure - In the age of anxiety.” vol. 10, 1970,

https://www.jstor.org/stable/449715. Accessed 7 November 2022.



[Word Counts :- 1716]

[Images :- 2]


Thank You…





 

 

 

 


 




 

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