The thematic role of tradition in “Jude the Obscure” Essay Example for Free

The thematic role of tradition in â€Å"Jude the Obscure† Essay Hardy as a purely Victorian writer (Carpenter, 1964) felt, however, a degree of cognitive dissonance and inner inconsistence with the existing realities, in particular, with the social pressure and the dissolution of individuality in the countless traditions and rituals. The novel â€Å"Jude the Obscure† demonstrates the Victorian mores from a peculiar viewpoint, in terms of the opposition between the spiritual nature of the personality, their aspirations, ambitions and longings, and the clutches of tradition that encumber the characters in their self-actualization. In the present novel, the role of tradition is demonstration through the lens of family, cross-gender relationships and social class. Traditionalism seems to blossom in the realm of cross-gender relationships, as they are strongly regulated by the society. In order to illustrate this assumption, it is necessary to analyze the situation Jude encounters after having dated with Arabella for certain time. Due to the fact that their relationships implied no mutual responsibility, Jude decides to leave the girl after his infatuation decays: â€Å" â€Å" I am going away†, he said to her. â€Å"I think I ought to go. I think it will be better for you and for me. I wish some things had never begun! I was much so blame, I know. But it is never too late to mend† â€Å" (Hardy, Part 1, Ch. 9, 1994, at http://www. gutenberg. org). The young woman, in her turn, from the very beginning of their affair, dreams about the marriage to him, because of the persistent social tradition, which prescribes the only model of livelihood for women, which is marriage. Moreover, single women are always criticized and treated as â€Å"peculiar†, the Victorian tradition even attributes mental disorders to such individuals only for their marital status; due to the fact that the stereotypes associated with spinsters are very unattractive, Arabella is eager to observe the social tradition and create her family as early as possible. Women by the tradition are supposed to be more interested in marriage therefore. In terms of cross-gender relationships, it is also important to outline the development of the affection between Jude and Sue, his cousin. Jude gets attracted to the girl after seeing her portrait, but, being aware of his marital status, he doesn’t allows himself to approach the girl: â€Å"The first reason was that he was married, and it would be wrong. The second was that they were cousins. It was not well for cousins to fall in love even when circumstances seemed to favour the passion. The third, even were he free, in a family like his own where marriage usually meant a tragic sadness, marriage with a blood-relations would duplicate the adverse conditions† (Hardy, Part 2, Ch. 2, 1994 at http://www. gutenberg. org). As one can see, the most important reasons are close-knit to the socially imposed perspectives of cross-gender relationships: in order to avoid blaming rumors and gossips, Jude at first deliberately creates a barrier even to the friendship with Sue. The dominance of traditions, regulating and controlling family, are to great extent similar to the previous group, as any relationship between a man and a woman (except the cases of close kinship) are considered a potential family. The family should be officially registered and approved by both secular and clerical institutions – only in this case the children, born in this partnership, are legitimate. In this sense, even though Jude is unwilling to marry Arabella, he gives his complete consent after learning that his girlfriend is pregnant. Moreover, the family-oriented tradition of the epoch harshly discriminates these children, so that they bear the burden of their parents’ â€Å"social disobedience†. Consequently, the young woman’s pregnancy appears false, but Arabella’s manipulations seem partially justified by the society, as they are directed to the creation of family, a structural unit, which is easier to control in the macro- and mezzosocial levels. Arabella’s friend, Anne, even demonstrates childlike glee after learning about the method the young wife has lassoed Jude: â€Å"Mistaken! Well, that’s clever – it’s real stroke of genius! It is a thing I never thought o’ wi’ all my experience! † (Hardy, Part 1, Ch. 9, 1994). Another vital point of the depiction of the societal regulation in terms of family can be found in the beginning of Sue and Jude’s cohabitation and the subsequent scandal. It begins with the response of Mr. Gillingham, Phillotson’s friend, with who the man shares information that sue, his wife, intends to live with another man. Gillingham seems to speak in the name of the whole society, in the present dialogue he embodies the pressure of social tradition: â€Å" But- you see, there’s the question of neighbours and society – what will happen if everybody – [†¦] I am quite amazed, to tell the truth, that such a sedate, plodding fellow as you should have entertained such a craze for a moment, You said when I called that she was puzzling and peculiar: I think you are! † (Hardy, Part 4, Ch. 4, 1994). The responsibility for the wife’s adultery is traditionally placed to great extent upon her spouse; both this quotation and the fact that Phillotson is threatened with termination of his employment because of Sue’s behavior points to the idea that woman is not merely inferior, she is also viewed by society as an infantile create, who should be â€Å"reared† and â€Å"brought up† by her spouse. After Sue and Jude begin to live together, they become severely ostracized by the society. First of all, Jude becomes a stonemason, as no other work is available to him, whereas Sue works as a street seller. Learning that the couple are not married, all lodging owners refuse the take sue and Jude, even though they travel with young children and thus need an accommodation as soon as possible. Therefore, the scorn for the couple living without official registration of their partnership is even stronger than the pity for the infants, as the children ,born in such an affair, can not be equated to legitimate children; and the social tradition which normally prescribes that society take care about minors, ignores their needs. The tragic ending of the novel can also be interpreted as the victory of social tradition. In fact, Sue and Jude’s children are murdered by Jude and Arabella’s son; â€Å"He looked in bewilderment round the room. At the back of the door were fixed two hooks for hanging garments, and from these the form of the two youngest children were suspended, by a piece of box-cord round each of their necks†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hardy, Part 6, Ch. 2). Importantly, Little Father Time was born in the wedlock, i. e. he symbolically has more rights, freedoms and entitlements in the family, comparing to other children. His name also points to the fact that he represents the interests of the epoch as well as its social tradition. Thus, the deaths of the children are a symbolic punishment, imposed by the social tradition for committing adultery and not creating a full-fledged family. In terms of social class, tradition is represented, first and foremost, in the point of Jude’s efforts towards getting access to education. Due to the fact that his only caregiver, his aunt, is a baker, she would wish him to remain within the working class, and when young Jude asks her about Christminster and education, she responds that his future livelihood could not be combined with education, moreover, that their family has nothing in common with the intellectual circles form the city. The woman therefore refers to the Victorian tradition, which strictly determines interclass boundaries, stratifies individuals, and creates obstructions to their penetration to the higher class. To sum up, as depicted in the novel, social traditions regulate the most important areas of human life, including the relationships between genders, marriage and family as well as career and class behavior. As one can see from the novel, social traditions is extremely critical to any cross-gender relationships that do not imply official marriage, in which the man and woman, however, have disproportionate interest. Uniting into families is viewed as the most appropriate and traditionally approved way of social interaction, whereas individuals, living in an unregistered partnership, are marginalized. As for the social class, the tradition seeks to retain individual within their strata through regulating the access to education, training and employment. Due to the fact that the major plotline in â€Å"Jude the Obscure† is built upon the combination of these three representations, the role of social tradition is strong in the writing, moreover, with respect to the aforementioned obstructions and judgments the society develops in response to the characters’ actions, one can understand that Hardy addresses it in the negative, rather then positive or supportive tones. Works cited Carpenter, R. Thomas Hardy. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1964. Hardy, T. Jude the Obscure. 23 September 1994, http://www. gutenberg. org/files/153/153-8. txt

American Homefront During World War II Essay -- American History

The American home front during World War II is recalled warmly in popular memory and cultural myth as a time of unprecedented national unity, years in which Americans stuck together in common cause. World War II brought many new ideas and changes to American life. Even though World War II brought no physical destruction to the United States mainland, it did affect American society. Every aspect of American life was altered by U.S. involvement in the war including demographics, the labor force, economics and cultural trends. During the Great Depression, the American birth rate had fallen to an all-time low due to delayed marriages and parenthood. In the 1940's, there was a population growth of 19 million, which doubled the rise of the 1930's. However, in 1957, America experienced a "baby boom", and by 1957 the population increased by 29 million. "The rising birthrate was the dominant factor affecting population growth" (text, 847). Along with the escalated birth rate was an upsurge of divorces due to problems with separation and infidelity. "In 1945, more than half a million marriages were dissolved" (Bailey, 147). The death rate was on the decline and life expectancy rose during this period. New medical developments were made with the federal funding of medical research in which penicillin and streptomycin were developed. These advancements in medicine cured many bacterial infections and severe illnesses. Later, in 1952, Jonas Salk introduced a polio vaccine. There was a vast migratory pattern of many Americans during this time period. During the 1940's, millions of African-Americans moved from the South to the North in search of industrial opportunities. As a result of this migration, a third of all black Amer... ...ing legend of the Good War" (Adams, 2). While the war changed the lives of every American, the most notable changes were that in demographics, the labor force, economic prosperity and cultural trends. Adams, Michael C.C. "The Best War Ever America and World War II" Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD 1994 Bailey, Ronald H. The Home Front, U.S.A. Time-Life Publishing, Chicago, IL. 1978 Bard, Mitchell G. The Complete Idiot's Guide to world War II, Macmillan Publishing, New York, New York, 1999 Duis, Perry 0 The War in American Culture, The University of Chicago Press, 1994 Schultz, Stanley K. American History 102 Civil War to the Present Copyright 1999 Board of regents of the University of Wisconsin http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture21.html

The Crucible Critical Lens

Dolly Parton once said †¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain. † In other words you have to go through struggle to see success. I agree with this quote because in my opinion nothing in life is handed to you easily, you have to work through it and overcome many obstacles in order to get pleasing results . This idea is clearly established in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. It is shown through the main characters; John Proctor, Abigail Williams and Reverend Hale.The Crucible by Arthur Miller was based on the Salem witch trials that occurred between 1692 and 1693. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were executed. Eventually the colony admitted the trials were a mistake and compensated the families of those who were convicted. Ever since, the story of the trials has become a symbol of injustice and continues to influence more than 300 years later. In the play John Proctor is a married man who pre viously had an affair with Abigail Williams while she was working at his house as a maid.Eventually John’s wife, Elizabeth Proctor, becomes conscious of what was happening and she immediately dismissed Abigail. When the girls started accusing people of witchcraft, Abigail Williams accused Elizabeth Proctor because she wanted John to herself. Little did she know that John would begin defending his wife. He also pointed out his disbelief in the girls, fingers where then pointed at him as well. John Proctor then started challenging the court because of its lack of evidence this led to a petition signed by 32 neighbors in his favor.He was tried and found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. Proctor was executed on mid-august of 1692. As he stood on the scaffold he recited the Lord ’s Prayer. This shows how John’s actions support the quote because although It didn’t end happily he tried proving he was right and succeed because him praying made a drastic i mpression on the villagers as those convicted of witchcraft were not supposed to be able to perform such act. In The Crucible Abigail Williams is Samuel Parris, the minister’s niece.Her and her cousin Betty where the first two accusers. Williams was 11 years old at the time. Everything started when all the girls were at the woods and Abigail was trying to put a spell on Elizabeth Proctor, since her health was already delicate. Her purpose was to keep John Proctor to herself. She had become obsessed with him after their affair and couldn’t seem to get over him. While doing witchcraft in the woods they get caught. After that they started faking being bewitched. They all start accusing people saying they’ve seen them with the devil.Because of Abigail and Betty’s claims to be possessed, false accusations would soon be made resulting in the death of 20 people and 3 women were arrested, including Tituba, Parris’s slave and two other women who one was han ged and the other died in prison. This demonstrates how Abigail’s cruelty knew no boundaries. She didn’t mind innocent people being killed just to hide the fact that she was the one attempting witchcraft in the woods. Abigail went through all that to keep her reputation and be seen as the victim, and she excelled.Reverend Hale is a young minister who has studied witchcraft in the hope of being able to destroy it in the name of God. Salem’s minister, Samuel Parris, had requested his presence so that he could examine Betty Parris. Reverend Hale is the one in charge of discovering who has marks of the devil for the witch trial. After seeing the horrors of the witch trial and watching the loss of both human and the justice rights he speaks out against them telling Judge Danforth that they are morally wrong. Reverend Hale then leaves the court after hearing Mary Warren accuse John Proctor of witchcraft.

The European Union And Foreign Policy - 2253 Words

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