Thomas Hardy and His Evil God

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This is a study of how the nihilistic pessimism of Thomas Hardy finds its expression in his novels through truths and insights transmitted by means of images. Hardy's pessimism, which is based on his loss of belief in God, led him to suppose that there might be some evil, ommipotent being in the universe, who is responsible for the sad situation confronted by all living things, especially human beings. The imagery in the Wessex novels is excellently used for the visualization of the frustration, despair, and agony of Hardy's ill-characters.
To Hardy, God is the essential image of cosmic cruelty. In Wessex he is a sporting God playing with the fates of human beings, repeating the flux and reflux of life, frustrating the desire of each life, and showing no sympathy for its suffering. Time, chance, and the cruel law of nature are images of God at work, all of which represent an evil force.
Hardy's images present most vividly the unfortunate characters striving for the fulfillment of their desires like orphans deserted by God.
The message of Hardy's pessimism is that we should accept the condition of human existence, whatever it may be, and synpathize with the sufferings of human beings, and all living things in the world.