Hardy as the Dark Knight: Pessimism in The Return of the Native

Abstract

Thomas Hardy’s fiction are all set against the bleak and forbidding Wessex landscape, whose physical harshness echoes that of an indifferent, if not malevolent, universe, where men and women are merely the slaves of their fates and are at the mercy of some indifferent forces that shape their destiny. The aim of this study is to examine and determine how the narrative reflects the mood that Hardy creates in his novel. The study is centred around an extensive study of one of his most famous novels The Return of the Native. Hardy’s extensive depiction of the setting allows readers to better understand and interpret the actions, emotions and moods of the characters. The distinctive portrayal of the characters, the use of mythological allusions, diction and the implications of various symbolism customary of Hardy, make readers delve deeper into the abyss of utter despair from where there is no return.