Jude the Obscure

Sue Bridehead is a complex character in Jude the Obscure. While her exact age when she first meets Jude is never specified, hints suggest she is in her 20s. With her “pretty girlish face,” and appearance as a “tantalizing phantom—hardly flesh at all,” Sue appears to meet Victorian standards of beauty while defying norms with her intellect and independence (65, 70, 200). Although physically delicate and prone to fainting, Sue is well-educated, agnostic, and a working woman.

Sue’s unconventional upbringing contributes to her worldview. She previously lived platonically with a Christminster undergraduate and later marries Richard Phillotson, a man much older than her, only to reject physical intimacy and eventually leave him. After divorcing Phillotson, Sue lives with Jude, bears him two children, and raises his child with Arabella, Little Father Time. Following the tragedy of the children’s deaths, she remarries Phillotson and engages in physical intimacy with him as a form of penance.

Richard Phillotson begins the story as Marygreen’s schoolteacher, about to pursue an academic and ecclesiastical career in Christminster. However, he eventually abandons this dream and returns to teaching. Described as “thin,” “careworn,” and “homely,” Phillotson appears visibly disappointed and chastened upon reconnecting with Jude, indicating disillusionment with his life choices (86). Despite marrying Sue, who is significantly younger, Phillotson grapples with her aversion to sexual intimacy. Drusilla states that Phillotson is “a very civil, honourable liver […] but— there be certain men here and there that no woman of any niceness can stomach. I should have said he was one” (157). Indeed, for all his kindness and learning, Phillotson does not entirely present a compelling figure.

However, his decision to let Sue go, despite the hardships it brings, reflects his deep love and respect for her autonomy—in this, at least, he is a man ahead of his time. In many ways, Phillotson serves as a foil to Jude, as he embodies acceptance and resignation to his circumstances, in contrast to Jude’s relentless pursuit of his aspirations.

While Jude is driven by ambition and struggles to deviate from his predetermined path, Phillotson finds contentment in embracing the realities of his life, however challenging they may be. Despite facing criticism and personal setbacks, Phillotson remains steadfast in his moral convictions, ultimately prioritizing Sue’s well-being over his own desires. Through Phillotson’s character, Hardy explores themes of sacrifice, resilience, and the complexities of love.

If Richard Phillotson is a foil to Jude, then Arabella is a foil to Sue. While Sue epitomizes romantic but asexual love, Arabella embodies aromantic but sexual love. Described as “a fine dark-eyed girl” with physical attributes that signify fertility and sensuality, Arabella is depicted as a “complete and substantial female animal,” contrasting sharply with Sue’s ethereal and intangible presence (34). The contrast is clear from the beginning: Arabella attracts Jude’s attention by throwing a pig’s penis in his direction.

Where Sue is elusive and almost otherworldly, Arabella is depicted as determined and grounded, albeit to the point of being selfish and manipulative. Her actions are driven solely by self-preservation, as seen in her deception of Jude into marriage and her subsequent departure to Australia with her family when the marriage falters. Despite the moral ambiguity of her actions, Arabella remains resolute in her pursuit of personal comfort and public respectability.

Unlike Jude, who meets a tragic end, and Sue, who undergoes profound transformation, Arabella emerges relatively unscathed from life’s adversities. While she is not portrayed sympathetically, her resilience and unwavering sense of self-preservation enable her to navigate the challenges she encounters with relative ease. In essence, Arabella starkly contrasts Sue, highlighting the different paths individuals may take in their pursuit of fulfillment and survival.

Little Father Time, the son of Arabella and Jude, enters Sue and Jude’s life at the age of eight, bringing with him a haunting sense of desolation. Despite his tender age, he carries the weight of profound despair and disillusionment, a stark reflection of the destructive influence of societal and familial pressures. With his pale complexion and fearful eyes, Little Father Time embodies an eerie blend of age and youth, earning him the nickname that serves as a grim foreshadowing of his tragic fate.

Despite the family’s attempts to uplift him, Little Father Time remains in a relentless cycle of melancholy and hopelessness. His existence becomes intertwined with thoughts of death as an escape from his overwhelming suffering, a notion fueled by his perception of himself as a burden to those around him, particularly Jude and Sue.

Ultimately, Little Father Time’s decision to end his own life, along with those of his younger siblings, stands as a haunting indictment of the societal and familial forces that suffocate and dehumanize vulnerable individuals. His tragic demise serves as a poignant reminder of the profound impact of societal expectations and familial dysfunction on the fragile psyche of a young, impressionable child, underscoring the urgent need for compassion and understanding in navigating the complexities of human existence.