A Study On Jude’s Illusions In Jude The Obscure

Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) is acknowledged as one of the most distinguished realistic novelists and poets. He was a prolific writer, and Jude the Obscure, his last novel, was his most controversial. Since its publication in 1895, Jude the Obscure has aroused a storm of violent denouncement. Yet it is still regarded as the best work of Hardy by many critics. Although many scholars pay attention to the protagonist’s tragic life, few of them attribute Jude’s tragedy to his illusory way of perceiving the world, which is an important factor that contributes to his failure. This thesis analyses Jude’s illusions under psychoanalytic perspectives. It also argues that Jude employs illusions as his defense against the predicament in life. However, illusions can only provide him with temporary consolation, while bring potentially disastrous consequences.In order to shield against the pain and anxiety generated by the predicament in real life, Jude creates illusions for himself. In this novel, illusion serves as a defense mechanism to protect Jude from the harsh reality. Forms of illusion include daydreaming, fantasy, self-deception, false belief and disguise. Through his illusion, Jude intentionally reconstructs real existence to coincide with his desires. Though he can take refuge in the imaginative world temporarily, he is meant to be defeated by reality. The conflict between illusion and reality gradually leads to disillusionment. Every time a dream is shattered by reality, Jude replaces it with another that is more difficult to attain. What is worse, the escape from reality of Jude keeps bringing destructive consequences, continually worsening his tragedy.Jude’s illusions are mainly reflected in three aspects:his unrealistic educational dream, ideal perception of love and impractical quest for higher social status. Owing to the frustrations caused by educational institutions, martial conventions and social disparity in real life, Jude retreats to an idealized paradise for consolation. Although Jude is temporarily sheltered by his illusions, his escape is futile, while the conflict between illusion and reality brings disillusionment. Such illusions induce Jude onto a wrong life path, in which nothing is accomplished. Jude is unable to withstand the blow of disillusionment and dies in loneliness.However, the illusion and the disillusionment are not merely personal experience of Jude. Broadly speaking, they are the epitomes of struggles of the poor at that specific time. With the great transformation of the society at the end of 19th century, industrial civilization intruded into the countryside and the traditional agricultural life deteriorated. As an adverse outcome, a great number of peasants were forced to become vagrants. No matter how deeply they aspired to change their fate, it seemed impossible as they were at the bottom of the pyramid. All they could do was to retreat into an illusory world to make life endurable. The study of Jude’s illusions offers us with a new perspective to understand the causes for peasants’tragedy of that historic period.