Jude the Obscure Isolation Quotes

Much of Jude's feeling of isolation throughout the book simply stems from the fact that he feels like he has no place in the world. Well, that's probably a pretty popular cause for feelings of isolation across the board—we've certainly been there.

Life in small town can be tough, and it can make you feel isolated. That's why there are so many books, movies, and Bruce Springsteen songs about trying to get out of a small town.

Hardy does a really nice job of pointing out how often Jude is by himself throughout the novel. This is especially true in the opening chapter when Jude is growing up. Jude isn't great at forming strong friendships with other people, whether it's because his ambitions are too distant from those of the other people in Marygreen or because of some preference for isolation in his character.

This "gigantic error" is Jude's first experience with Latin and Greek grammar. Suddenly, he realizes that learning these languages isn't going to be some romantic voyage—it's hard, boring work. But as always when Jude feels discouraged and unhappy, he finds himself totally alone. Nobody comes. Nobody ever comes. We are completely alone in the world. Or, at least Jude feels that way for much of the novel. How's that for uplifting?

Sure, drinking is the stereotype for the isolated folks in the world of the novel, and for a time, Jude fully embraces that stereotype. This term "worthless" is also striking—do you think the narrator is saying that these poor people who drink to make themselves feel better are actually worthless? Or is the narrator using a term that the elites of Victorian society might use to describe these people, without necessarily agreeing with its implications?

It's no longer just being alone that makes Jude feel isolated; it's the absence of Sue. He could be in a huge crowd and still feel utterly alone without her. Romantic and depressing. It's what Hardy does best.

Jude feels isolated, but he also feels like he deserves to be isolated. When the man is down, the man is down. There's not a lot of middle ground when it comes to feelings of loneliness for this guy. In a lot of ways, we see where Little Father Time gets his depressive tendencies—it runs in the family.

Man, Little Father Time needs his own novel! Who can make this happen? The boy's isolation is different from Jude's. Like his father, he too feels like he does not belong in the world. However, unlike his father, there is something almost inhuman about his endless, unrelenting sadness. It is not surprising that LFT finds himself off in his own little isolated world.

That about sums it up for Jude. He just never feels like he is a part of the society around him, and at a certain point, he gives up even trying.

Little Father Time is a little tragic figure. He truly believes that he has no place in the world, and that things would be better if he were never born. This isn't It's a Wonderful Life, so no angel is going to show him the error of his ways. LFT kills the babies and himself, because he cannot overcome his deep feelings of isolation.