Thomas Hardy Essay
Thomas Hardy Essay This essay is about the author Thomas Hardy's stories and how he presents "love" in them. His characters are cleverly created, each with their own personalities and different behaviours in love. Most of Hardy's stories are tragic, not necessarily to depress us, but mainly to make us think. Tragedies are usually caused by the characters themselves and also an external malign force. Examples of external malign include the law, and also diseases like Gertrude's withered arm, which caused major problems for her. The many types of love found in the stories include maternal, physical, sexual, rejected, sympathetic, committed, paternal, marital, love of being loved and more. The social and historical context in Thomas Hardy's stories is always important. The stories are set in the fictional places of Wessex and the area surrounding which are Casterbridge (Dorchester) and Budmouth (Weymouth). The characters live in a rural area, with the mention of farming, hills, grass, fields and hedges. There are no references to trains in the stories, though they must exist because they were in the era of the Industrial Revolution. Less pollution meant people had longer lives. Love relationships were mainly dominated by males, with the exception of Harriet in 'The Palmleys', who makes the decision to jilt Jack. Stricter codes and laws meant that people could be hanged or shot