E-E- 405. Thomas Hardy. Study of an Author

Name- Patel Payal G.

Sem-  M.A. Sem-IV

Roll no- 16

Paper- The Representation of Women in Hardy’s Novels

Year-2012

Submitted to- Dr. Dilip Barad

                         Head of the Department of English

                         Bhavnagar University

                         Bhavnagar

The Representation of Women in Hardy’s five Novels.

Tess of the D’Urbervilles

Jude the Obscure

For from the Madding Crowd

The Return of the Native

The Mayor of Casterbridge

Thomas Hardy portrays different characters in his novels but the treatment he has given to his women characters is noteworthy. It is said that Hardy has represented his social structure, norms and conditions in his writings besides women of his time. Moreover, in most of his novels female characters are protagonist which shows women empowerment as well. Tess remains Hardy’s favourite heroine as she is different from other female characters, as Hardy has given subtitle to this novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles “A pure woman”, this much he likes the character of Tess that he proves her purity of heart by describing her fragile and pure nature. But at the same time women are also presented  in different forms in some of his novels. For example, one cannot compare Tess with Arabella, sue, Thomasin, Eustacia, Bathsheba, because the way they are portrayed is difficult to compare them to her.

The Analysis of Women Characters:

1. Tess Durbeyfield:

             

She is innocent and very pure by heart. There is no evil in her mind and at the same time when she comes to know the death of her family horse named Prince she puts the hat of blame on her head. This much sincerity she contains in her life. But, when she stabs Alec, her husband who seduced her in the forest of The chase, one cannot believe about her action. The reader tries to judge her character when she commits such unexpected and unbelievable actions. But whatever she dose at the end of the novel is her dilemma and she is constantly passing through mental stress. Her condition is somewhat similar to the character of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Howthorne because Hester Prynne has to also suffer a lot because of her both men Roger Chillingworth, her husband and Arther Dimmesdale, her lover. She has been sandwiched between both these characters same has happened in the novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles especially with the character of Tess. Hardly also questions the society that, Does only a physical purity matter? Because Tess becomes pregnant without being married and was blamed not the person who seduced her. It gives a hint towards the condition of women during time which says that Victorian Era was having a narrow mindedness, as women were blamed or they were at a stake. It also messages that the condition of mothers who are virgin was bitter or more than that. Tess could not get, throughout her life, that comfort which woman expects from her married life. She, at last was punished by the society who is also responsible for her tragedy in one or other way.

           

            Thus, the character of Tess shows that evil traits in society like Alec, Angle, and society itself. One can argue why Angel is blamed for her tragedy. The answer is similar to Alec’s case that Tess was pure as she decided to make Angle aware of her past and she dose that, but with a change, that she passes one letter to Angle’s room but unfortunately it goes under the carpet so, she thinks that Angle has forgiven her as they meet at the place where they used to. But when Angle comes to know this reality he denies accepting Tess and leaves home and Tess for Brazil. Why the woman with past has no future? This well-known statement is also applicable to Hester Prynne, as she is also not accepted by society and by her own husband. Had Tess been impure and having evil traits, she would have not tried to inform Angle about her past before their marriage. This gives the faithfulness of Tess’ characters.

2. Arabella Donn and Susana Bridehead:

            Arabella is the female protagonist of Hardy’s one of the famous novels Jude the Obscure great expectations from life. This novel demonstrates the idea of marriage which has become a business. In most of his novels Hardy shows marriage as a need not as an outcome of love. It also presents the aspirations of Arabella, as she marries Jude because she thinks that she is impregnated by Jude and he for his moral duty gets married with her, but, after their marriage they realize mutual anarchy, as they were like North Pole and South Pole. To fulfil her desires she goes to Australia and she marries an Australian person. So, Arabella’s character is like butterfly who never sticks to one thing ever. When Arabella goes and Sue, another female character in the novel, comes to his life, Arabella comes back and in jealousy or to make her jealous Sue becomes ready to marry Jude. But, before that she had another husband named Richard Philloston, who goes to Christminster for degree. He is aged compare to Sue and their marriage life was also not that much good. But, when Sue enters into the life of Jude, she does not marry Jude but lives with him and has children by him. So, society opposes this thing as moral anarchy. This novel also presents the moral degradation of the characters. But, so far as the female characters are concerned both of them, neither Sue nor Arabella genuinely loves Jude. It seems at the end of the novel when Jude is dead, Arabella is enjoying village occasion and Sue has taken a vow not to see Jude’s face again and she keeps living with Richard Philloston again.   

Thus, this novel exhales the idea of the novel which is urbanization and impact of industrialization. People started living free style as “free style of living” became their motto. Even women are no exception in this case which is presented by both these female characters Sue and Arabella. Their behaviour also shows their pretend able nature. At the same time, one cannot blame Arabella only for Jude’s present situation because he is having some weaknesses. He was confused about choosing Ambition or Attraction that is Arabella. One may have a question like “Is Arabella a bad woman or does she behave badly because of circumstances? Because throughout the novel she is portrayed as an ambitious and mean woman. Perhaps, this novel also shows the problem of survival in the case of women. That is why Hardy’s characters behave in particular manner only. And Sue gives voice to the right of common woman Arabella follows her own spiritual or ideal state of life.

Arabella does not care for Jude’s emotions. Their marital life is not satisfactory. Furthermore, when the children die, Sue goes away to live with her ex-husband without taking any care of Jude. They are changing their place from one to another. The reader has no one to blame in this novel but the culture itself is rigid and orthodox. The Hardy Women are perhaps free without freedom. And Hardy presents women’s reaction against the society. Whatever Hardy writes in any of his novels, his main and major point is to look at the society and to present it the way it is.     

4. Thomasin Yoebright and Eustacia Vye:

            Thomasin is Clym Yeobright’s cousin and Mrs Yeobright’s niece in hardy’s novel The Returns of the Native. She is good hearted but uses Damon Wildeve to make Eustacia jealous and marries him and have a child whom she baptized Eustacia but at the end of the novel she marries Diggory Venn and leaves Damon Wildeve.

           

Her character also presents the themes of the marriage, love and modernity. At the same time Eustaica’s character is also difficult to catch because when she comes to know about Clym Yeobright’s providence and future journey to Paris, tries to manipulate him and marries him as a result of her desire to be modern and urbanized. But, after their marriage she realizes that Clym does not want to go to Paris but want to settle in his village and thus their marriage life gets the rain of rifts. Because of their marriage Mrs Yeobright also breaks her relation with Clym, as she is very proud and class-conscious woman and a widow and ward of Thomasin Yeobright. The destruction of the female characters also takes place in this novel heavily because of their stubbornness. Eustacia was ready to go abroad, but Clym was not ready for that, this was the only reason Eustacia married him but and the novel takes different shapes after marriage.

            One major thing Hardy has presented in his novels is his insight to portray female in such a way that the readers feel that they are the founder and destroyer of man’s courage. Victorian Era also faced the problems of materialism and mechanism through the age of industrialization. It reached to its pinnacle and Hardy shares his views with the reader that women were highly attracted by this modernity. Eustacia the best example of it.

6. Bathsheba Everdene:

           

She is the protagonist of Hardy’s novel Far from the Madding Crowd. When the novel opens, she shows her vanity by using mirror and cosmetics, it shows materialist perceptive of human nature and mechanism in life. She becomes an owner of a wider farm and runs it very smoothly. She proves that even a lady can handle such a vast farm with a number of workers. She becomes rich but her character shows poorness and the journey of a girl to a woman. Life shows lots of ups and downs to her but passes through all of them and at last comes to a happy end but in between she made mistakes and mischief with William Boldwood by proposing him for marriage. Her character also illustrates woman mentality of security as Bathsheba marries Sergeant Francis (Frank) Troy who is an army man attracts her by his fencing art.

            If one wants to judge Bathsheba’s character one should undertake Fenny Robin who is the beloved and fiancée of Troy. She fails to see the place or church where they both were going to marry and he departs from him forever. She is much better than Bathsheba, because Bathsheba neglects Gabriel Oak, and runs far from reality. One more important and striking point Hardy presents in his novels is woman’s purity. As most of his novel present unmarried mother and the idea of that, which would have been the problem of his time. Tess, Arabella, Feeny for instance.

7. Susan Henchard Elizabeth-Jane Newson and Lucetta Templemen:

           

All these female characters are from Hardy’s novel The Mayor of Casterbridge represents the social condition. Michael Henchard is the protagonist of the novel who sells his wife Susan Henchard and daughter Elizabeth Jane to a sailor named Newson and she becomes his wife and Elizabeth a daughter. Thus, the theme of marriage is again portrayed by Hardy that it is a business and an outcome of security rather than love. So far as the Lucetta Templeman is concerned, she first proposes Michael Henchard and later on gets married with Donald Farfrae. Susan’s daughter was also planning to marry him but he marries another woman. Marriage makes complexity among the characters because a single character marries twice or thrice in his most of the novels.

            The characteristics of Susan match with Hester Prynne’s because even she does not reveal the name of his lover Arthur Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Susan also does not reveal when Henchard becomes a mayor. Hence, her faithfulness is portrayed in her character and at the same time the characteristics of Victorian Era.

Conclusion:

                       

Thus, Hardy, through various female characters in his novels, presents the Victorian women condition. How the women were treated and how they behaved in different condition according to the demand of their Era. The class was divided into two haves and have nots, so, various class conflicts and class- consciousness issues are also introduced in the novel. Some of his heroines present masculine power like Eustacia and very fragile like Tess and Sue. Whatever behaviour that consisted of it shows the influence of that time. Some of the characters are also similar to Hardy’s other female characters in nature. Some of the women also advocate the idea of struggle for survival like Arabella and Sue Bridehead, as they shift their husband, place one by one. Some of them also present the ideology of morality like Tess and she thinks to accept her responsibilities as her moral duty. Over all, the Victorian Era was having the mixture of all modernist and older ideologies of characters.