Hardy is known for his pessimism. Actually the factor that plays a very significant role in his novels is that of chance. The negative shades that are visible in his writings are an effect of what he had seen in his childhood. A sight of two hangings will definitely leave an imprint on the psyche of a child’s mind as it did on Hardy's mind.
The Victorian age was an age of doubt, of contradictions and conflicts. This fact too shows its impact on the writings of Hardy. People were to live by the Bible but many took it in the strict sense and followed the literal words strictly. We see in ‘Tess of the D’urbervilles’ how Tess is treated unjustly by the society, which followed the law in words and not in spirit.
In Hardy’s tragic drama of life a conflict between man and destiny is the centre of events. David Cecil remarks,”A struggle between man on one hand, and an omnipotent and indifferent fate, on the other hand goes on and that is Hardy’s interpretation of the human situation.”
Man is a mere puppet in the hands of an all powerful fate or destiny. Hardy’s novels remind us of Shakespeare’s lines from King Lear:
The Victorian age was an age of doubt, of contradictions and conflicts. This fact too shows its impact on the writings of Hardy. People were to live by the Bible but many took it in the strict sense and followed the literal words strictly. We see in ‘Tess of the D’urbervilles’ how Tess is treated unjustly by the society, which followed the law in words and not in spirit.
In Hardy’s tragic drama of life a conflict between man and destiny is the centre of events. David Cecil remarks,”A struggle between man on one hand, and an omnipotent and indifferent fate, on the other hand goes on and that is Hardy’s interpretation of the human situation.”
Man is a mere puppet in the hands of an all powerful fate or destiny. Hardy’s novels remind us of Shakespeare’s lines from King Lear:
“As flies to wanton boys, are we to the gods, —
They kill us for their sport.”
According to Hardy there is a mysterious force that is always hostile to human happiness and circumstances always conspire against him and lead him towards destruction.
“Happiness is but an occasional episode in the general drama of life”.
Hardy gives different shapes to fate and destiny. A change in the weather changes the fate of Henchard, the protagonist of ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’. It could the death of a horse changing the life of Tess or a chance meeting with Alec, the villain turned into preacher in ‘Tess of D’urbervilles’.
Nature, in Hardy novels, too takes the form of cruel fate. Nature is not a source of joy or mysticism as in the poetry of Wordsworth. It is not at all benevolent.
And in the end as in ‘Tess of D’urbervilles’ Hardy is forced to comment:
“The President of Immortals, in Aeschylean phrase, had ended his sport with Tess.”
But inspite of all this Hardy’s novels are not totally dark. For instance, ‘Tess of D’urbervilles’ ends on a note of hope. There is a new beginning, something to look forward to.
Read further about Hardy: The Cambridge Companion to Thomas Hardy (Cambridge Companions to Literature)
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