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Jude the Obscure Essay

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Jude the Obscure

There are many prominent themes that run throughout the film Jude - the themes of love and marriage and what's socially accepted are two of the most prevalent. As these themes, among others, are portrayed throughout the film, it is blatantly clear that the society in which Jude, and his cousin / "wife" Sue, are confined within, has their own set beliefs regarding what is right and what is wrong. These "social bindings" are inflicted upon Jude and Sue both individually and as "husband and wife" throughout the film. One of the very first scenes in the film shows Jude and Phillotson, his schoolmaster, walking together. Apparently, Phillotson is leaving the small town of Marygreen and is headed for …show more content…

Sue recognizes her own intelligence and potential for a satisfying career in teaching, and marries Phillotson partly out of a desire for a pleasant work environment. She attempts to resist a romantic relationship with Jude, but falls in love with him nonetheless. Yet by marrying Phillotson, Sue hopes not only to protect her reputation, but to achieve the traditional and accepted lifestyle of a married woman. She does like Phillotson, despite his age, yet is unable to become attracted to him. Phillotson tries very hard to preserve at least the external appearance of a typical marriage. As a man, he is legally permitted to force Sue to stay in his bed and even sleep with him. For this reason, he is viewed with contempt by society when he eventually permits her to leave him. However, his understanding brings him only more difficulty, as he is personally blamed for Sue's disobedience of what is considered the societal norm. Jude and Sue are both able to obtain divorces from their previous marriages - Sue to Phillotson and Jude to his wife Arabella. Therefore, they are now able to marry one another. Jude decides that he can be happy not being legally married to Sue, as long as he is with her. The couple does not tell their neighbors that they are not married, yet live as if they were. This results in the two being considered sinful by people around them - another example of society's obvious moral values at the time. Eventually, Arabella informs

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