Abstract

The purpose of this study is to discuss the disgust of the two leading characters of Hardy’s Jude the Obscure in a context which shows their sense of alienation in the society. They view marriage as a hindrance to their happiness and, instead, prefer a love affair which, however, ends in their disgrace and misery. Hardy in fact tries to point his criticism to the Victorian society where the excessive attention to matrimonial conventions acts as an obstacle to a couple, who have the fear of losing each other under the contract of marriage. Another point is that Jude as a representative of the poor class sees his dreams crushed under the dominion of the upper class. He helplessly struggles to enjoy a formal education, an opportunity not dedicated to his class. This study attempts to indicate that the aroma of deliverance from the clash of tradition and modernism does not seem to be felt when the quagmire of hatred and hostility between the two notions is refueled every now and then. Genuinely, the hostility will go on as the chief cause of public manipulation through which people, as powerless victims, is enchained through this rivalry. This rivalry creates the sense of enmity between the apparently different holders of two seemingly incompatible beliefs which are surprisingly complementary. This study gives it sole attention to the religious and social conventions of the novel in a Victorian England context, which is viewed by Hardy as both suppressive and narrow-minded.

Key words: Tradition, modernism, suppression, alienation, Hardy, Victorian England.