Thomas Hardy Religion Analysis

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AP Lit.
Thomas Hardy and Religion Famous author and poet, Thomas Hardy, was born June 2nd in the year of 1840 into a small town called Higher Bockhampton in Stinsford Parish. He lived in a lower class family, aware and content with their position. Hardy’s father was a master mason while his mother stayed at home and encouraged Hardy’s education. His mother taught him to read, and continued educating him through his years until the age of 16. At this point, a friend of Hardy’s father, John Hicks, took Hardy in as his pupil. Next door to Hicks’ office was a school run by a well-known poet that ended up cultivating Hardy’s literary potential. The poet, William Barnes, and Thomas Hardy formed a friendship that led to Hardy pursuing the
One could see Hardy’s belief to be a median drawn between Schopenhaur’s theory and Darwinism (Morgan, 185). Some studies lead to believe, though it is still in question, that Schopenhaur’s theory was in some way responsible for influencing Hardy’s conclusion in his beliefs. This is because Hardy’s belief is, in part, a distorted look at Shopenhaurism directly. Schopenhaurism is a philosophy in which all as viewed in part of a huge universe. As humans, people have come to know consciousness through what could be natural selection, or some form of evolution. Our “will”, as referred to in the philosophy, is relatable to our “representation” in the vast universe. Our actions are purely interpretation and perception. In theory, there is no religion because there is no god, and life has no true purpose. This is where Hardy and Schopenhaurism meet very strongly; they agree that the overall picture is that life just is. Hardy only varies from Schopenhaurism in that he sees people doing things and living for purpose, just not any specific one. That one’s purpose is a deliberate, personal affair that is what you will it to be. The two different theories are so similar that they seem like two pages of the same book, yet they manage to fray from one another just enough for scientists to label them as
Raised in southern England, where Catholicism prospered, Hardy saw much of religion and its’ followers. Hardy produced his own philosophy from his own will and knowledge, which was an unusual, partly brave act for his time. Some thought it wrong that someone would do such a thing, but Hardy did not falter. Hardy moved to London and pursued his career in literature, subtly sharing his obscene views with all who followed his works. It was because of the messages within his stories that many of them were banned throughout areas popular with the church. Yet Hardy continued to write, marking his place with the top poets and writers of history, while also leaving his unique mark upon philosophers of the ages.

Works Cited

Rollyson, Carl E. Critical survey of long fiction. Pasadena, Calif: Salem Press, 2010. Print.
Pite, Ralph. Thomas Hardy : the guarded life. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007. Print.
Morgan, Rosemarie. The Ashgate research companion to Thomas Hardy. Farnham, Surrey, UK Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2010. Print
King James Version popular award Bible. London: HarperCollins, 2001. Print.
Marsden, Kenneth. The poems of Thomas Hardy: a critical introduction. London: Athlone P, 1969. Print.
Hardy, Thomas. Jude the obscure. Belle Fourche: NuVision Publications, 2004. Print.