In his work, Jude the Obscure, Jones Hardy tells the tale of two people hopelessly in love, fighting against both external and internal conflicts to pursue that love and also have some semblance of a normal life together. Set in Britain in the late 19th century, this story is around Jude and Sues struggle to overcome the harsh pressures of societys tight class structure in order to live their lives together. In the day they meet, Jude and Sue experience many setbacks that prevent these people from obtaining happiness. Even though their bond is very solid and it appears that they are intended for each other, the pair struggles to remain together. Interestingly enough, many of the unfortunate occurances that hit this ill-fated couple as well as the predicaments which they are required to deal happen to be ironic. Robust strategically uses irony in a subtle approach throughout Jude the Unknown to develop the books total marriage theme.
The first method by which Hardy uses irony in correlation with the marriage idea is throughout the two primary characters personal experiences with marriage. Jude Fawley was slyly tricked into getting married to Arabella at a very young age after the girl told him that the lady was pregnant with his kid and had no place else to show. This relationship quickly fell apart after Jude discovered that there is no child on the way and he noticed that a lifestyle with Arabella would be an unsatisfied, confined lifestyle in which he wanted no part. In a similar condition, Sue Bridehead was wed to Judes childhood schoolmaster, Richard Phillotson, also at a young age group. This relationship was based more on convenience for Sue than it was about love, to get Phillotson promised a sound financial foreseeable future for his new better half. Sue entered into this union because the lady saw simply no other practical candidate pertaining to marriage. Eventually, the responsibilities that Jude and Sue made to Arabella and Phillotson served because enormous boundaries standing in the pattern of their lives together, causing both psychological heart ache and social furor. The irony through this situation is quite profound. Neither Jude neither Sue really wanted to always be married with their mates, but rather wanted to follow their hearts and get married to each other. That they both hitched out of necessity and, ironically, it absolutely was these incredibly marriages that resulted in them from starting a genuine family with each other. Hardy, employing this clever unit, hints to his audience about implications of relationship and the impact it has in peoples lives.
In an effort to further develop the marriage theme throughout the book, Hardy uses irony once again regarding the kids of Jude and Prosecute. The initially child that comes into all their lives can be Little Jude, also known as Tiny Father Period or just Time. This child, ironically, is not even Commun. He is the side product of Judes dysfunctional marriage to Arabella, his incredibly existence unknowingly to Jude until the times immediately just before his introduction. Little Jude, therefore , stands as a continuous reminder to Sue from the illegitimate characteristics of her relationship with Jude, like she would not have enough great doubt that relationship beforehand. The child circumstance is further complicated following your birth of two more children, both mothered by File suit this time. This does not appear to be a problem until Small Jude, operating in what this individual believes to become noble method, kills his two siblings and him self in an effort to fix the problems facing Jude and Sue. Throughout the horror with this catastrophe, however, what is strange of the situation is still clear. The child of Judes initially marriage is in charge of the fatality of Sues only children. Not only did Little Judes actions take the lives of Judes two children, but they also induced the demise of his quasi-marriage to Sue. These types of events, just like a message through the heavens, function as constant pointers to the two Jude and Sue that they cannot be married to two persons, stressing wedding theme more.
Finally, to help develop his total theme, Hardy uses paradox in the very nature of Judes marriage with Prosecute. After a long, arduous romance that at some point fails, Jude finds normally the one person with whom this individual wants to your time rest of his life. File suit feels not much different from the way about Jude. But when they both discover their soul-mates, by a few ironic distort of destiny, they become completely wrong for every other, doomed from the start. Their first issue is the very mother nature of their connection: they are first cousins. Your idea of having anything more than a platonic marriage with a relative was seriously frowned upon by strict, practically prude Victorian society of the time. Sue admits, It depends for the sort of appreciate, and yours-ours-is wrong (Hardy, 345). This kind of resulted in both equally Jude and Sue becoming practically detested by society, which made finding function and accommodations quite difficult. To add to the irony of the situation, Jude and Sue are also from a family that is certainly said to be cursed when it comes to marriage. So , doomed by both fate and society, both lovers can no longer stay with each other, but required to live out the others of their miserable lives with people they do not like.
In Jude the Obscure, there is certainly one continuous theme that rises especially the rest in significance. That theme is definitely marriage. Through this story, marriage can be an issue that receives constant attention, playing a huge part in each one of the main characters lives. Robust, in an attempt to develop this total theme through, uses paradox in several key situations the characters deal with. By using paradox subtly during these situations, Robust is able to not only develop his theme, nevertheless he is as well able to make a point about lifestyle in general. The reality is that a lot more not always reasonable. As you sees again and again with Jude and File suit, things usually do not always end happily. Some things are not meant to be, like Jude and Sue. Regardless of all their efforts, both the are unable to generate their romantic relationship work. As Sue puts it, All the historic wrath from the Power has become vented upon us and that we must post (Hardy, 342).
