Marriage in "Jude the Obscure"

Thomas Hardy lived in a time when marriage was the expected practice for young men and women. He had a very distinct view of the institution and the implications that came along with it. He himself was married twice in his long life, both times not very happily, and had progressive views about the union of the sexes, most particularly regarding divorce. His ideas and opinions are not too carefully concealed in his literary works, though he contested that he kept his own views out of his fiction.

State how marriage is presented in the stories, “Desiree’s Baby” and “The Story of an Hour.”

The tale of forbidden love binds itself within many famous works of literature in order to provoke the human mind into situations similar to those of Adam and Eve of the Bible. The “forbidden fruit” plays an important role in the books of Ethan Frome and Jane Eyre in the form of unattainable but beloved women, where two men, Ethan Frome and Mr. Edward Rochester, share common distinguishable attributes. Their serene sensitive nature soon explodes into a passionate cause, later revealing a bare, desperate soul that longs for their beloved “forbidden fruit.”

When reading Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give You The Sun, the presence of foreshadowing allows the reader to gain a deeper insight into Jude’s life, shedding light onto the greater theme of fate. At a young age, Jude falls in love with a drawing Noah did of a man. She would do anything for that drawing, even trade the metaphorical sun. Jude’s extreme desire for the sketch is demonstrated when she replies, “‘Oh all right,’ she says, totally surprising me. ‘I’ll give you the sun.’ ‘I practically have everything now!’ I say. ‘You’re crazy!’ ‘But I have him.’ She carefully rips the naked english guy out of my sketchbook” (Nelson 74). Jude felt as if the english man was speaking to her, drawing her towards the portrait. This unexplainable connection foreshadows

listed above, but it’s right at the beginning of the book and sets the pace of the whole

Comparable to Noah and her father’s relationship, Jude and her mother are combative with one another. Jude despises the fact that their mother considers Noah to be the better artist, and that their mother fawns over his dream to get into California School of the Arts. She projects her anger into arguments and disobeys her mom out of rebellion. She wears to short of clothes out to parties and puts on heavy makeup to draw more attention to herself. In response to Jude’s desire for her mother’s love and acceptance, she seeks to fill the gap in other places. She befriends older boys, and mistakes their interest for love. “Does M. love me? No” (Nelson 80). She befriends ‘hornets’ that swarm around everyone to cause disorder. She befriends everyone except her brother, who was once her very best friend. ☺ I’ll Give You The Sun shows that love is fickle, and nothing can replace love from someone they want the most, no matter how hard one

Jane Austen’s novel, Northanger Abbey, seeks to explore the effect of wealth on society. Throughout the novel, this portrayal of wealth assumes an increasingly critical tone, and is thus used to suggest the negative impact of financial goals in a relationship. This is shown in the contrast between Catherine’s relationship with Mr. Tilney, and Isabella’s promiscuous ways. In this dynamic, Catherine remains pure, engaged to a poor clergyman, whereas her friend Isabella ensnares men in the hopes of gaining wealth and societal status. Through this dynamic, Austen provides an example of the British Romantic ideal that both love and the individual are only pure and righteous when freed from the constraints of society and affluence. Ironically, the Gothic novels that were prevalent in the later part of the British Romantic Period are frequently cited as a source of misfortune throughout the novel. Catherine, who is portrayed as good and pure, is misled into believing that the stories spun in Gothic novels are applicable to her own life. Her friend, Isabella, is also portrayed as a lover of the genre, which is Austen’s way of hinting at Isabella’s future sins. Although the Gothics influence both Catherine and Isabella, Austen portrays the characters as opposites-one the promiscuous villain and one the victim of the heroic tale. Austen continuously comments on the nature of heroism, and thus mocks the timid Catherine while ironically branding her a

?I simply can?t see you doing it. You haven?t the experience. You know why he?s marrying you don?t you? You haven?t flattered yourself he?s in love with you? He admitted?he just cannot go on living there alone?? This makes her feel even more insignificant which is portrayed through her thoughts in the novel and her speech, especially towards Maxim. The attitude of self-degrading belonging to the narrator accurately reflects the corresponding convention of the romantic genre.

She is seen as a weak and fickle woman. When her ship wrecks, “she felt the need of advice'; (49). Alatiel doesn’t know how to do things on her own. She has always had servants to help her. After Alatiel realizes all that happened to the ship and everyone on it she “weeps bitterly'; (49). At this point Alatiel’s unbelievable adventures begin. She is taken to Pericone’s house. Pericone falls in love with her and wants to sleep with her. Alatiel tells her servants that “she herself had decided never to let anyone but her husband enjoy her'; (50). Pericone gets Alatiel drunk and into bed with him. Alatiel’s values aren’t so strong because Pericone gets her to sleep with him. After she loses her virginity “she often invited herself not with words…but with actions'; to Pericone (51). When Alatiel is taken from Pericone by Marato, she weeps but is soon comforted “with the assistance of the holy Stiff-in-hand God gave to man';(52). It doesn’t take much to comfort Alatiel. In the beginning of the story she doesn’t want to sleep with a man that is not her husband. By the first man Alatiel encounters her views on sex have changed. Alatiel’s adventures do not stop after two men. When Marato loses Alatiel the prince of Morea gets her. It doesn’t take Alatiel long to get over Marato.

Jane Austen’s novel is commanded by women; Pride and Prejudice explores the expectations of women in a society that is set at the turn of the 19th century. Throughout the plot, Austen’s female characters are all influenced by their peers, pressures from their family, and their own desires. The social struggle of men and women is seen throughout the novel. Characters, like Elizabeth, are examples of females not acting as proper as women were supposed to, while other women like Mrs. Bennett allow themselves to be controlled by men and society. Mr. Collins is a representation of the struggles males deal with in a novel dominated by women. The theme of marriage is prominent during Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Marriage can be examined in

England has always had a rich history of interesting cultural traditions but arguably none as prevalent as marriage. Marriage, the union of two people with emotional ideals and expectations, are brought on by many different factors that include: for love, for money, for climbing social status, escapism, survival, etc. In Jane Austen’s novels, she focuses on the importance of marriage in her world because she wanted to emphasize how marriage is the most important life event of a woman as this would determine her place in society. Persuasion shows readers good and bad examples of marriage: the amiable Crofts and other couples such as Sir Walter & Lady Elliot and the Smiths. Jane Austen uses the Crofts to support the importance of marriage

"Araby" tells the story of an adolescent boy's initiation into adulthood. The story is narrated by a mature man reflecting upon his adolescence and the events that forced him to face the disillusioning realities of adulthood. The minor charac­ters play a pivotal role in this initiation process. The boy observes the hypocrisy of adults in the priest and Mrs. Mercer; and his vain, self-centered uncle introduces him to another disillusioning aspect of adulthood. The boy's infatuation with the girl ultimately ends in disillusion­ment, and Joyce uses the specific example of the boy's disillusionment with love as a metaphor for disillusionment with life itself. From the beginning, the boy

that she is humoured by the idea that every young an who has a large

Readers are given an invaluable source of background information and context in the first portion of the novel, which allows for readers to have a starting point to work off of in regards to understanding what obstacles destiny will throw at the characters during the rest of their mission. For instance, Marlow is described in depth and the novel illustrates his development from one perspective to another as he grapples with the vast spectrum and realities of humankind. While the journey unfolds, imagery also begins to become a key role in moving the storyline along and providing crucial

The failings of not marrying for love are again made apparent by Austen through the account of Lydia and Wickham and their shortfalls. Lydia and Wickham’s relationship was built on a mixture of youthful attraction and naivety. In the letter she sends to Harriet,