Symbolic Imagery in Four Novels by Thomas Hardy

Unlike his late-Victorian contemporaries who preferred direct methods of characterization, Thomas Hardy opted to reveal character through setting and symbol. In each of Far From the Madding Crowd, The Return of the Native, The Woodlanders and Tess of the d'Urbervilles, imagery, particularly that of nature, plays a central role in establishing character. Not only does it help to clarify whether an individual's basic allegiance is to the natural world or to civilization, but 'it also plays a significant role in suggesting his psychological states. In the following pages, I explore Hardy's peculiar use of symbolism in each of the four novels listed above, and attempt to decipher some of the images for the information they reveal about characters. Because so much of the symbolic detail provided by Hardy is derived from nature, the author's attitude to nature in each of the novels is also discussed in some detail.