By considering the extent to which individuals and their
actions are determined and limited by the rules and
conventions of Victorian society, discuss the views conveye d
to the reader by Hardy and Fowles.
John Fowles and Thomas Hardy both write on very similar subjects; their stories
circulate around very strong, rebellious women who are fighting the social
conformities set down by their male oppressors. These male writ ers use their novels
to convey their social and political views by placing their characters in situations in
which they usually have two courses of action; that is, either to conform or rebel. The
outcomes of these choices work to highlight the opinions of the writers, and the
hardship of characters in both novels communicates the overwhelming pressures of
society.
However, the two writers were writing in completely different time periods, and this
gives the messages of each novelist very different meanin gs. Hardy was writing in the
mid 1800s, when his views would have been considered outrageous. Writing about
events occurring around him would have put his reputation at great risk, and his views
were seen as blasphemy. The first of his kind, Hardy took a g reat risk in releasing this
work to the public, however, in doing so, he was able to draw attention to the very
controversial subject of women’s rights, a subject, that was, in his time, taboo.
Fowles, on the other hand, took no such risk. Writing in the post-feminist 1960s, he
was able to look in retrospect to many years of women’s liberation, and know that he
was conforming to popular opinion. Although he shares views very similar to Hardy,
and possibly was influenced by them, there is nothing ground br eaking about them,
and he only works to reinforce the words of Hardy. However, both writers do make
very valid comments on the involvement of society and its conventions in the lives of
individuals, and constantly asks the question, ‘How can we strive for individualism in a
society which, necessarily, needs rules and conventions to protect its citizens from
chaos’, and in the case of each novel, the reader is left questioning their own
conformity.
In Hardy’s work, his characters Jude and Sue are both cons idered to be of inferior
social groups; Jude because of his class, and Sue for her gender. Because of the
frustrations that they encounter, they fundamentally understand the other’s
struggle, and through this they share a common bond and this becomes the b asis of
their relationship.
Likewise, Charles and Sarah from Fowles’ ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’ have a
bond born of rejection from society. However, in this case their circumstances are far
more complicated. Fowles’ Charles rebels against his societ y so that he would be able
to join Sarah in her exile, believing that she too has acted in a dishonourable way.
However, we discover that Sarah did not give away her chastity to the ‘French
Lieutenant’, and that her exile has been of her own choosing. Alth ough publicly her
reputation has been tarnished, she is safe in the knowledge that she had acted
honourably, something that Charles tragically failed to understand.
As Diane Saunder says, ‘[Sarah] prefers to be a visible social pariah rather than one
who attempts to reform and assimilate into society’, and this is one of Sue’s
characteristic traits throughout the novel. Although she favours her social disapproval
because she is able to live a ‘free’ life, she also acts as a Martyr in order to be a
represe ntation ‘of the woman who was coming into notice in her thousands every
year’, the woman who was forced to undergo the same treatment, but who decide
not to speak out about it. The fact that Sarah has in fact not broken any of the rules
of society goes to show how important a person’s social image really was, as she was
stigmatised for pure rumour.
But Sarah was free in her new life; with this social disapproval she was able to live as
she wished, no longer needing the approval of society in order to deci de upon her
path.
Charles, on the other hand, for much of the novel, does not understand how free
Sarah really is. He is attracted to her wildness, and he wishes to marry her, which is
going against all that she stands for. However, the reader, like Charle s, does not
begin to understand Sarah until late in the novel, and it is not until the reader
discovers what she has voluntarily sacrificed that we realise how much her freedom
means to her.
Part of the freedom of both Sarah and Sue was the fact that they were taking control
of their lives, and were independent in their thinking. With these two, the authors
were making reference to a character trait that was appearing in the Victorian novel,
that of the ‘New Woman’. Cedric Watts describes the ‘fictional Ne w Woman’ as
someone who is: ‘intelligent, lively, articulately forthright, capable of pursuing her
own career, sexually daring … and resistant to the conventional claims of marriage’
and so, he has described the characteristics of both Sue and Sarah. Bo th of these
women are educated to an extent so that they are no longer considered to be
‘simple women’ and can engage and challenge their male partners. With these two is
created a sense of the unknown, and it is often made obvious of how uncommon
their be haviour is, and so to emphasise this, they are juxtaposed against women of
very contrasting characteristics with Sue set against Arabella, and Sarah against
Ernestina. With these two, the stereotypical Victorian woman is shown, as they are
content with ful filling the set down ‘wife -and- mother’ role. This juxtaposition also
works to show the favourable traits of the ‘New Woman’. However, neither novelist
shows this way of life as an easy one, and so, as with the other rebellious characters,
they are shown se vere persecution, such as was felt by the ‘New Women’ which
was appearing in the ‘real’ world.
However, the novels were not only written to highlight new ideas, they worked to
show the social reactions to these ideas. Through Charles in ‘The French Lieut enant’s
Woman’ we are given an insight into the consequences social defiance, we follow him
from being a loving fiancé, through to becoming outlawed from his social circles.
Although we follow the same journey with Hardy’s characters, Fowles’ retrospective ,
omniscient perspective means that all aspects of his characters’ being ostracised can
be given in great detail.
Hardy was not a member of the gentry class, and so had not had experience of a
person’s social rejection from that perspective, and this shows in his novel. Although
we see that Jude and Sue’s treatment is a result of society’s reaction to how they are
living their lives, we do not see the action actions and opinions of members of the
higher classes, and so, in this way, we are only able to see the consequences of
society’s actions, not the actions themselves. In Fowles’ case, however, we see how Mr
Freeman forces Charles to sign a declaration of guilt, and a number of other cases
where the workings and reactions of society are actually shown. Th e two novels work
together to create a fuller picture of how the actions of social constraints affect
individual people.
Although Hardy’s limited perspective could possibly have been a disadvantage to the
novel’s content, it works so that the reader is left with the same naïve perspective of
Jude, and so gives a greater insight into his motivations. Jude does not see the
corruption of society (represented by the University of Christminster), and so he is left
with romanticized notions which prevent him r ealising the prejudices held against
him, as Diane Sauder says, ‘Christminster is seen by Jude as spiritual, in opposition to
ugly utilitarian Marygreen’.
Along with this romanticised view of events, Hardy’s characters are very passionate
about their choices and the way that they live their lives. By using this trait, Hardy is
able to pose arguments about society by having his characters defend their ways.
Although ‘Jude the Obscure’ was written partly to be an entertaining story, large
portions of the te xt, more so than is conventional in a novel, are dedicated to
communicating the voice of its author. At several points, such as when Jude is
addressing the crowds upon his return to Christminster, where he poses a question
discussing whether a young man sh ould ‘follow uncritically the track he finds himself
in, without considering his aptness for it’, the reader is removed from the story so that
they can be addressed directly. Although the discussion following Jude’s argument is
very engaging, it seems comp letely out of place in the narrative, the novel forgets the
story, and the characters’ involvement becomes inconsequential. At these times the
novel becomes more a written argument against the constraints of society than a work
of fiction. However, this se ems like a criticism, and the way that Hardy has placed his
views throughout the novel like this is not entirely surprising. As I have already said,
this novel was met with severe disapproval; however, Hardy was able to pose his
opinions in a far subtler w ay by adding them into a story rather than announcing them
publicly. He was probably able to reach a far greater audience using this method.
Fowles uses his novel in much the same way, but instead of hiding his views behind a
story, he actively removes the narrator and poses arguments straight. This method
allows the reader to actually consider the opinions of the author, rather than just
accepting the subliminal suggestions of Hardy. However, comparing the two like this
suggests that Fowles has been far more open with his audience, and awards him
some form of ‘courage’, and this is not the case. Looking at the social context of the
novels shows that Hardy had no other way to deliver his arguments than in this way.
As his novel progresses it frequently takes on the form of a piece of persuasive
writing, and many of the arguments posed are structured in almost essay form.
Ironically, it was social constraints that he was fighting against which forced him to
write in this oblique way.
Although Hardy and Fowles do have differing styles, their messages are almost exactly
the same. They have both written moralistic stories which communicate their views by
showing how the pressures of society have caused the degradation of key characters,
and although the character’s failure is inevitable, the reader knows that they ‘should’
succeed. If this destruction did not occur, the fundamental evil of society would not
have so clearly been illustrated.
It is the hope of success that is the main driving force of each novel , and the reader is
compelled to have faith in the naive dreams of the characters. The novelists do pose
very desirable visions of the future where people can live as they like and where their
choices are not governed by the overbearing opinions of others, a future not too
dissimilar from our own present. The problem with these visions is that they invariably
conflict with the social systems in place, and so they are fundamentally doomed.
When we first meet Jude he is a young man with aspirations of acade mia, his
innocent view of the world means that he is unaware of the hard truth, that he is
having ‘ideas above his station’. With the many people around him telling him that he
cannot succeed, his ambitions are only given further strength. It is with this pure
ambition that he is able to educate himself, gain some knowledge and become
extremely close to his final goal of university acceptance. However, it is then that he
must rely on the help of others, others of a higher class, and we are reminded of socie
ty’s role in the novel. And this is how Hardy has structured his whole story, by giving
his characters drive he allows them to succeed, up to a point, and from then on he
demonstrates the crushing effect that society has upon a person’s life. By allowing t
hem to have some hope of success, their downfall is far more dramatic.
Charles, on the other hand, for a long time fails to understand, as his ‘cultured’
upbringing prevents him from doing so, that is until he is forced to undergo the same
treatment upon breaking his engagement. Shunned by his town’s popular society, he
is pressured into the ‘outside world’ that Sarah has worked hard to become part of.
Although it is a difficult process, Charles begins to realise how free the world is away
from society’s ‘ sharp eyes’. He soon adapts to his new life, and thrives in the new
land of America. This is what makes Charles such an interesting character. Throughout
the novel, Fowles is makes references to Darwin’s “The Origin of Species”. Charles is
a strong Darwinist, and believes heartedly in a theory call ‘Survival of the fittest’.
Darwin said, that in order for a species to adapt, it must have the ability to change
and adapt to its environment. Fowles intended the reader to connect these theories
with Charles’ be haviour. By moving to America we are seeing him adapt to his
situation, and within this environment he is able to thrive in a community that is
young and fresh. Both he and Sarah have adapted to their lives and situations, and so
they will survive they considered being ‘fit’ examples of the species.
Although looking at this situation from a modern perspective, it might seem as if
Charles’ views on evolution are far more logical and intelligent than the strict religious
practices of his time, his peers would not have held the same view. The theories of
Darwin were highly controversial in his time, and he did not actually did not release
them for many years because he feared their rejection. It is difficult to understand why
a sophisticated society would disapprove so dramatically to a theory that we now hold
as fact, however there mere suggestion that intelligent human beings had evolved
from simple monkey’s was highly offensive, and totally contradicted the teachings of
the Christian bible; they were considered by some to be blasphemous. And so, in this
subtle way, Charles is rebelling against the social norm from the very beginning of the
novel, and this is a suggestion of his open-mindedness to a way of life different to that
set down for him, possibly a l ife with Sarah.
Whereas Fowles is able to create a world away from what his characters have been
rebelling against, a world in which they will be able to adapt, represented by the
‘new’ country of America, Hardy’s characters are forced to endure the h ardships of a
world that they cannot escape. Trapped by their class and the lack of money which
goes with that, we see Jude and Sue unable to adapt to a new environment, and so
we see them instead trying to adapt their environment to suit them. Although th ey
are outsiders in their claustrophobic society, they do not have the chance to become
fully become detached from it, and so cannot enjoy the freedom of Fowles’
characters. When we first meet Sue, she has already been cast as an outsider, her
religious vi ews marking her as different from the norm. However, unlike Sarah she
has not found a partner who strives for the same exile. While Jude’s thinking is
different to what is socially acceptable, the life that he wishes to lead is solely reliant
on gaining pl ace within society; he dreams of becoming a scholar, marrying Sue, and
raising a family with her. Dreams not shared by the independently minded Sue who,
as we are frequently reminded, wishes for a platonic life with her love, Jude. While
the differences be tween the two are subtle, and they still share many aspirations,
they are finally driven apart by the social pressures that Sue so desperately wanted to
escape, and Jude forced upon her.
By allowing Sue to express her objections to marriage in this way, Hardy is able to
voice his opinions of the marriage institution. Both authors share the idea that this
ceremony is a product of society and so is connected with its many hypocrisies and
corruptions. Jude and Sue each endure unhappy marriages, and it is onl y when they
are living in their platonic relationship that they are able to distance themselves from
this social contract that Sue believes will be the death of their love. In this, she is
correct, because as soon as the couple begin to behave as an ‘ortho dox’ family unit
with Jude and Sue playing the roles of man and wife the strains of society really begin
to take their toll. Before then they were aware they cannot be part of society, and do
not try to be; they are happy in their exile. Trying to integrate themselves into
acceptable society proves to be impossible, and so they are finally cast out, their love
destroyed as Sue had predicted.
Fowles’ Sarah also sees marriage as a reason for rebellion, as in one of his two endings
we see Fowles’ character d eciding to live as part of a mixed gender commune. This way
of life, which is seen as completely unacceptable by society, is the one way that she will
be safe from the prying opinions of others, and she is once again able to live her life as
she wishes. However, her lover, Charles, does not share her wish for complete
detachment from the world that he has come to depend upon. Although he is
vehement in his wanting to join her in her rebellion, he cannot comprehend her
distaste for marriage, and it is only when he discovers that he is father to her child that
the reader can see any future for the couple.
And so, like Jude, Charles is not totally free of his ties to social acceptance and is unable
to fully let himself become detached. These two share many ch aracteristics, one being
that they do not share the steadfast, rebellious spirit of the women that they are
following, and so they clash because of a difference in objectives. Without these
clashes it is possible that they would have been able to live out their lives in the way
that they had wished. Perhaps it is the oppression that the female characters of the
novels have suffered which has caused them to rebel to such extremes. Although Jude
and Charles feel the need to defy some of the social rules set d own, Sarah and Sue
have become completely disenchanted with what society has to offer them, and so
they are prepared to lose all contact with that way of life, even if that means suffering
persecution for their choices.
However, what leads to the tragic end of Sue is the fact that by the latter stages of the
novel, she no longer has any anyone to share the problems of her life with. Jude
becomes enveloped in his idea of attaining a scholarship (if not for himself, then for his
son) and so she is forced to face the burdens of society alone. It turns out that
although she is becoming a ‘new woman’, she is not yet fully self -reliant, her spirit is
crushed by the fact that she believes that she has committed a sin. Her conscience
forces her to return to her safe but unhappy life with Phillotson. This ending is so
frustrating because the reader knows how close she and Jude were in succeeding in
their goal of freedom, Sue, however, is a representation of thousands of women who
strived for the same goals. Her fail ure is symbolic of theirs. Without the hardships
endured by all characters across the two novels, the authors would not have been
able to fully illustrate the crushing effects of society, and so we are shown that
suffering is fundamentally part of an indep endent life.
However, With Sarah, Fowles is able to show how someone with motivation can thrive
given the right circumstances. By finding like -minded people, in the form of her
commune, she is able to construct her own form of society with its own rules, orders
and constraints.
Within this microcosm she can thrive in an environment away from that which does
not understand her; in a sense, within her own world she is ‘free’.
Bibliography
1. Cedric Watts, ‘Hardy’s Sue Bridehead and the ‘New Woman’’, in Critical
Survey, volume 5, number 2, 1993, p.152, p.154
2. Diane Sauder, PinkMonkey Literature Notes on …The French Lieutenant’s
Woman, (PinkMonkey.com Inc. 1999) p.46, p.52
3. Author Unknown, ‘On Liberty’, in Introductory, volume number and year
unknown, p.64