An Analysis Of Meliorism In Jude The Obscure In Light Of Darwinism

Influenced by the 19th-century idea of evolution in The Origin of Species, Hardy makes his works like Jude the Obscure (1895) imprinted with the idea of Darwinism. This thesis is intended to explore the issue of survival through Jude's tragedy by means of Darwinism. As Hardy's last novel, Jude the Obscure has played a great role in displaying his philosophical thinking. This novel begins with stories of the pressed whose pursuits for love, career, religion, family and social outlook are paid attention to, through which many conflicts between man and nature, man and society, man and man are displayed from different perspectives. Thus, while Jude's unfortunate life is unfolded, social malpractices of Victorian Age are also revealed and criticized.In addition, Jude the Obscure contains elements such as Victorian humanities, history, and customs, which deeply exhibit the people's living situation, especially that of the lower class in poor economic conditions. Besides the criticism on social malpractices, Hardy further reveals other social problems. However, the novel doesn't mean to come to an end by revealing social problems, instead it tries to convey the idea of Hardy's Meliorism through the tragedy of Jude's survival, which can encourage people and help them face the reality squarely.This thesis is divided into five parts. The first part briefly introduces Hardy's life experiences, background of his works, and status quo of academic research on Jude the Obscure from home and abroad. The second part is to explain the relationship between Hardy and Darwinism. The third part is to analyze the issue of survival alluded by the tragedy of the hero, Jude. Specifically, this part discusses such issues by means of contrasting Jude and other people in terms of education, belief, career and family. The fourth part not only tells the truth of the inhuman situation in which Jude struggles for survival, but also reveals Hardy's idea on social melioration based on the theory of evolution. The fifth part, a conclusion based on the general analysis, demonstrates significant meaning of Jude the Obscure and its profound realistic influence on society as well.