Guilt, Duty, and Unrequited Love - 2341 Words

Guilt, Duty, and Unrequited Love: Deconstructing the Love Triangles in James Joyce s The Dead and Thomas Hardy s Jude the Obscure quot;It s no problem of mine but it s a problem I fight, living a life that I can t leave behind. But there s no sense in telling me, the wisdom of the cruel words that you speak. But that s the way that it goes and nobody knows, while everyday my confusion grows.quot; --New Order, Bizarre Love Triangle, from Substance, 1987 Most people who have watched a soap opera can recognize that the love triangle is a crucial element to the plot. In fact, the original radio broadcasted soap operas seemed to consist almost entirely of love triangles. The love triangle, for plot purposes, seems†¦show more content†¦This three-cornered romantic disaster, because of Sue s return to Philotson, had already reached it s climax. If anything, Jude s death made Sue s promise never to see him again easier. But because Jude s death happens at the end of novel, the reader does not find out if this adds to or detracts from her guilt. All we are told is that she is quot;tired and miserable,quot; quot;years and years older,quot; quot;quite a staid worn woman,quot; and still absolutely repulsed by Philotson (Hardy 431). Sue s guilt originates from societal pressures, and then surfaces after the death of the children. She knows that shacking up with Jude after her divorce from Philotson is frowned upon, yet she does no t share the same morals and values as the society in which she lived, thus, does not expect any sort of punishment. She takes the horrifying death of her children as a sign of divine admonishment. quot;I see marriage differently now!Â…My babies have been taken from me to show me this!quot;(Hardy 369). Therefore, so that their death s would not have been in vain, Sue becomes religious and returns to Philotson, adding more complexity to the triangle. Sue s last words to Jude before he dies are: quot;Don t follow meÂâ€"don t look at me. Leave me, for pity s sake!quot;(Hardy 412). This bizarre love triangle may not be broken even after Jude s death, for it is he whom she really loves. For Philotson, Sue onlyShow MoreRelatedEssay on Guilt, Duty, And Unrequited Love2223 Words   |  9 Pages Guilt, Duty, and Unrequited Love: Deconstructing the Love Triangles in James Joyce’s The Dead and Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure amp;quot;It’s no problem of mine but it’s a problem I fight, living a life that I can’t leave behind. But there’s no sense in telling me, the wisdom of the cruel words that you speak. But that’s the way that it goes and nobody knows, while everyday my confusion grows.amp;quot; --New Order, Bizarre Love Triangle, from Substance, 1987 Most people who have watchedRead MoreRomantic, Realist, And Modernist Period1031 Words   |  5 PagesLove, since the beginning of time, has had a place in every literature no matter the time period. The world that we live in is complex and often times, love and reason do not exist interconnect, however, literature acts as the glue in bringing these two elements together. Authors sometimes use the concept of love as a subject for their work, rationally, and carefully using it as a tool in their writing. 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