Is Thomas Hardy a Pessimist or Realist?

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Introduction

Pessimism, in simple terms, is one's perception that things will turn out badly and tragically. Thomas Hardy is criticized for being a pessimist by some critics but he himself denied that his literary work did not promote any sort of pessimism. Tess of the D'Urbervilles, might apparently be seen as a story, leading to pessimism but inwardly, it is a sharp criticism on Victorian morality.

 

Why Hardy was deemed as a Pessimist?

Hardy was rendered as a pessimist by most of the critics due to his gloomy outlook of life. Part of the reason can be associated with his own tragic and hard life. In one of Hardy's poems, The Poets Epitaph, (okay, enough fancy words, an epitaph is basically something written on the grave of a person) in which he terms life as a "senseless school". In another poem of his, he suggests that "Life offers only to deny". [So the answer is obvious that why critics regard him a pessimist] Because he thinks life presents the happy moments for a shorter period of time while the suffering continues to last longer and even a person's life ends in hardships. His philosophy about life seems like humans are not born to live, but to suffer and decay in the playing hands of fate and Nature.

Pessimism in Tess of the D'Urbervilles

[Well,] Tess of the D'Urberville is basically and entirely, a tragedy and a tragedy's main function is to present the gloomy side of life; which can be pessimistic or optimistic or it might hold a lesson for the readers or it might be signified as a sharp criticism or satire on the morals and customs of that period of time. Tess of the D'Urberville, apparently presents a pessimistic side of things, events and traditions [to be more specific]. Tess, a young country [not that type of country we are acquainted with but a girl from the village background], is depicted (shown) as the embodiment (example) of the suffered lady who falls a victim to the rage of society, at first, in the dirty hands of Alec D'Urberville, then the stiff hands of Angel Clare and poverty. Her virginity is lost and she "tries to regain her virginity" by murdering Alec and then she is crucified by the law just because she has violated the rules. These all set the show of pessimism in action but Hardy means is something else.

 

Hardy is a Realist, Not a Pessimist

As mentioned in the above paragraph, Tess of the D'Urberville (and all other work of his) may apparently look pessimistic, but rather paints a realistic picture of life. He presents life as "a bed of thrones" than making it sit on a sofa, made of roses. In Tess of the D'Urbervilles, we see how the Victorians treated inborn innocence to subtle knavishness. Tess is seen trying hard to guard her chastity in early chapters and making Angel reveal her history through a letter slipped under the door but faded in the carpet. She is deserted by Angel just because of her stained history in when their first night of marriage begins. To put it in the context, this injustice was in common practice in the era of Mighty Queen Victoria where women were treated as sub-ordinates of their men and they could do whatever they want to. Hardy is seen optimistic in the ending of Tess of the D'Urberville, "Justice was done and the President of the Immortals, by Aeschylean Phrase, had ended his sport with Tess". After the tragic death of Tess and Angel Clare, having known all behind the pessimistic exodos of Tess, marries her sister Lizza-Lu and their life might shift from tragic poverty to optimistic prosperity.

 

Conclusion

Hardy, himself says against the "lawsuits" of pessimism, 

My pessimism, if pessimism it be, does not involve the assumption that the world is going

to the dogs … On the contrary[,] my practical philosophy is distinctly Melioristic. [in easy words, he considers himself a reformer of humanity in "The Rebel by DJ Enright" fashion].

A critic nicely sums up the whole discussion as thus "

Hardy did not set out to give us a pessimistic philosophy … Hardy is pessimistic about the governance of the Universe, but not about human beings. " (Scott James)

 

References and Citations

1. https://neoenglish.wordpress.com/2010/12/11/the-pessimism-of-thomas-hardy/
2. http://www.cssforum.com.pk/css-optional-subjects/group-v/english-literature/10290-tess-durbervilles-hardy-pessimist.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CHardy's%20pessimism%20is%20not%20oppressive,in%20hands%20of%20mighty%20fate.