The Letter Killeth: Epigraphs, Desire, and Existential Questions in Jude the Obscure
This blog is a part of a Thinking Activity given by Barad Sir on Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure. The purpose of this task is not only to study the novel as a literary text but also to reflect on the deeper ideas that Hardy presents through his use of epigraphs, myths, and philosophical questions. By writing this blog, I am trying to connect the novel with larger issues such as social institutions, desire, and existential struggles. It is a way to practice critical thinking and to express my own understanding in a reflective, blog-style form.
Introduction
Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure (1895) is one of the boldest novels of the Victorian era, known for its deep social criticism and tragic vision. It tells the story of Jude Fawley, a poor village boy who dreams of higher education and a better life, but who is constantly defeated by rigid institutions such as the church, marriage, and the university system. Through Jude’s struggles, Hardy raises important questions about freedom, desire, and human suffering, making the novel not just a critique of Victorian society but also a timeless exploration of life’s meaning.
Activity 1: The Epigraph — “The Letter Killeth”
At the very start of Jude the Obscure, Hardy quotes the Bible: “The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” This line is like a key to the whole story. To me, the “letter” represents rules, laws, and rigid social systems, while the “spirit” is human freedom, desire, and love. Hardy shows how Victorian society favors the cold, controlling “letter” and often destroys the warmth of the human “spirit.”
Jude’s life is a clear example of this. He dreams of studying at Christminster, chasing knowledge with all his heart. But the university, tied up in rules about class and status, shuts its doors on him. His love for Sue is another “spirit” that society cannot accept, because marriage laws and social expectations turn natural affection into scandal. Even religion, which should guide people, becomes another rigid “letter” that judges and punishes.
The most heartbreaking proof comes at the end, with the death of Jude and Sue’s children. Little Father Time’s note “Done because we are too menny” is a tiny, tragic “letter” written by a child who has already learned society’s cruelty. It shows how the rules and judgments of adults can literally destroy innocent lives.
Through this epigraph, Hardy is warning us: following rules blindly can kill what makes life meaningful. The real danger is not desire, love, or dreams themselves, but a society that lets the “letter” dominate the “spirit.” For me, this makes the epigraph not just an opening line, but the heart of the whole novel.
Activity 2: The Epigraph of Esdras and the Myth of Bhasmasur
Hardy’s second epigraph, from Esdras, shifts the focus from society to the human heart:
“Yea, many there be that have run out of their wits for women, and become servants for their sakes… O ye men, how can it be but women should be strong, seeing they do thus?”
At first glance, it sounds like a warning against women, but in the novel, Hardy uses it more ironically. He shows that men like Jude are often undone not just by social rules, but by their own intense desires.
Jude’s life reminds me of the Hindu myth of Bhasmasur. In the story, Bhasmasur gets a divine power that can turn anyone to ashes, but his desire blinds him, and he ends up destroying himself. Similarly, Jude’s passion for his love for Arabella and later for Sue is both his gift and his curse. His desire for Arabella pulls him into a disastrous marriage, ruining his spiritual and intellectual dreams. With Sue, his love becomes almost like worship, an obsession that leaves no room for compromise and brings both social and emotional ruin. Like Bhasmasur, Jude is burned by the very thing that defines him.
Hardy does not blame women or desire alone. Sue is not a villain; she is intelligent, independent, and just as trapped by society as Jude. The real tragedy comes from a world that treats natural desire as dangerous. Society’s rigid rules of the “letter” turn human passion into guilt and destruction. Jude’s downfall is a combination of his own Bhasmasur-like passions and a world unwilling to accommodate them. Hardy’s irony is clear: it is not desire that kills, but a society that punishes it.
Activity 3: Hardy — Pessimist or Proto-Existentialist ?
When Jude the Obscure was first published, many people called it “immoral” and “pessimistic.” It’s true that Hardy does not shy away from showing the harshness of Victorian society. But reading it today, I feel the novel is more than just a critique of its time. It seems to anticipate questions that existentialist thinkers like Kierkegaard, Camus, and Sartre would later explore: What is the meaning of life? Can we belong in a world that doesn’t care about us?
Jude’s suffering goes beyond social rules. The universe itself feels indifferent. His prayers are unanswered, and the death of his children is not caused by a law or a contract; it is pure, meaningless tragedy. In that moment, life seems absurd, just as Camus describes in The Myth of Sisyphus. Jude keeps striving for knowledge at Christminster, for faith in the Church, and for love with Sue but every hope is crushed. His struggle feels endless and futile, like pushing a boulder uphill only to watch it roll back down.
For me, this is what makes the novel timeless. Hardy uses the failures of Victorian institutions as a stage, but the real story is the human struggle against an uncaring universe. Jude’s longing to live fully, love deeply, and find meaning in life is universal, and his failure is tragically relatable. In this sense, Jude the Obscure is not just a social critique—it is a proto-existential novel, exploring questions of identity, freedom, and the silence of the world that would resonate with readers long after Hardy’s time.
Reflection
Writing this blog has made me see Jude the Obscure in a much deeper way. At first, I thought it was just a sad story about a man crushed by society, but now I understand that Hardy is exploring something much bigger: the struggle between human desire and rigid rules, and even the challenge of finding meaning in a world that can feel indifferent. I felt a strong connection to Jude’s dreams and frustrations, and I realized how timeless these questions are. Even today, we face pressures from society, expectations, and our own desires, and we have to navigate the “letter” and the “spirit” in our own lives. Hardy’s novel reminded me that while life can be harsh and unfair, it is our spirit, our passions, dreams, and love that gives it meaning.
🎥 Click below to watch and experience Hardy’s tragedy in a whole new way!
References
Primary Source:
Hardy, Thomas. Jude the Obscure. 1895.
Bible References (for Epigraphs):
2 Corinthians 3:6. The Holy Bible.
Esdras. The Holy Bible.
Myth Reference:
Hindu Myth of Bhasmasur. (Retold in various sources; see traditional Puranas, e.g., Shiva Purana).
Optional Secondary Sources for Context (if needed):
Millgate, Michael. Thomas Hardy: A Biography Revisited. Oxford University Press, 2004.
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