Pain's Pervasive Presence: Exploring The Return Of The Native by Thomas Hardy

Abstract

Thomas Hardy, a renowned novelist, demonstrates a penchant for drawing upon classical dramatic traditions, Christian tragic elements, and Shakespearean tragedy in constructing his tragic narrative framework. Hardy delves deep into the realms of silent sorrow enduring sufferings within his esteemed body of work, particularly evident in his major tragedies. Across his narratives, female protagonists emerge as star-crossed souls engaged in a relentless struggle against formidable cosmic forces. The current study has explored the novel The Return of the Native Using Antconc to discover how Hardy’s female characters come out to be star-crossed souls. Antconc has been used to generate collocation patterns and cluster patterns fabricated by the author to characterise his heroines. The results have been interpreted according to the Mahlberg model (2013). The results shows that female characters invariably meet their denouement in tragedy or despair, with fleeting moments of happiness serving merely as transient respites amidst a pervasive atmosphere of anguish. The narrative trajectory often unveils how misguided choices and inherent temperamental disparities contribute to the tragic unravelling of relationships and marriages. Additionally, chance, fate, or coincidence elements assume significant roles in precipitating these tragedies. For Hardy, life unfolds as an unyielding contest between individuals and impersonal forces, wherein human endeavour is perceived as ultimately futile. The study guides the literature students in exploring various underlying themes in literary works. This thematic preoccupation with tragedy, regarded as a central aspect of his literary works, constitutes a focal point of investigation and critical exploration for future studies.