Modern Poet And A Victorian Novelist: Thomas Hardy

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Thomas Hardy is considered Modern poet and a Victorian novelist whose work revolved around several themes such as God, time, nature, love, mortality, and war. The work of Hardy has been described by Paul Fussell in his study known as ‘’The Great War and Modern Memory’’ which explains that Hardy’s pessimism as seen in his literature anticipates the destructive mood of WWI. Therefore, the assignment focuses on possible sources of Hardy’s negativity about the future which proves that he is pessimistic.
The first source of Hardy’s pessimism is seen in the theme of love as reflected in his poems. The poet describes the suffering and disappointment that he experienced out of marriage. Specifically, the poet states in the poem ‘’I Look into My Glass’’ that ‘’Over tedious riddles solved years ago.’’ The statement describes a broken love affair between the poet and his wife. Moreover, he described a disappointment that he experienced by wasting his time with the women who ultimately divorced him, thereby, killing all his dreams of having a good family like other people. He states in the same poem that ‘’And view may wasting skin’’ to prove that he was ageing. Therefore, the theme describes Hardy’s source of pessimism as seen in the suffering and disappointment that he experienced from his marriage.
The second source of pessimism is seen in the theme of time as reflected in his poem ‘’The Darkling Thrush.’’ The theme of time is seen in Hardy’s opinion on how the future will be worse than the present situation. He explains that the future life by using images of deaths and endings. The writer is aware that political and civilization arrangements come, pass, and are replaced. Specifically, he knows that youth and childhood stages make ways for a different future to a person. He states that ‘’Ah, no; the years, the years’’ to mean that time is moving faster and is associated with changes. Hardy suggests that individuals do not learn from the past and he constantly glorifies the past to stress on its passing and contrast the same with the future.
Another theme is nature that is seen in the poem ‘’The Darkling Thrush.’’ The poem starts with a view of an isolated winter landscape. Hardy uses the term ‘’ spectre-grey’’ to describe a haunted landscape which was the barren winter landscape with frosts covering everything that could be seen in the area. Therefore, every joyful sounds and colors are overwhelmed with intangible films of bleakness. Additionally, the writer uses the word “winter’s dregs” to show a feeling of gloominess that is brought by the weakening light of the day. Hence, Hardy shows pessimism by describing a nature that is fool of gloominess and no joyful life as seen by the calmness of at the landscape.
Also, the theme of mortality is seen in his work from the way he uses symbolism to show endings and death. Clearly, Hardy states in his poem ‘’The Darkling Thrush’’ that ‘’the wind sings his death-lament’&...