ral tendencies as “not exactly [like] a tomboy, you know; but she could do things that only boys do, as a rule” (Hardy 133). Hardwick writes that experience, to both Sue and Arabella, is not what it is to us, the compounded events of our lives, but “it is the response of their differing consciousness to love, want, greed, or renunciation” (67).Arabella is able to satisfy herself and live spontaneously while conforming to society’s set standards (Draper 252-253). At the end of the novel, Arabella “critically gauges his [Jude’s] ebbing life” (407). This critical gauging reminds the reader of the heartless pig slaughter that had earlier foreshadowed Jude’s misery in life and death (Weinstein 236-237; Hardwick 70). Arabella is coarse, unloving, deceitful, and sullen (Hardwick 69). Hardwick calls Arabella “blackness in action” (71). Draper backs this statement by writing that Arabella is “untrammeled by conscience or guilt when dealing with opposition” (252). She uses Jude’s sensitivity against him with no remorse; thus, he is putty in her hands (Draper 252).Contrary to Arabella, Sue is “all charm and sympathy” (Hardwick 72). Her feelings are reflective, whereas Arabella’s source of feeling is indistinct and immediate (Hardwick 67). Love and respect make her the only bringer of happiness in Jude (Hardwick 67). Hardwick writes that Sue redeems Jude’s miserable life, teaching him to love and be loved (67). She is mostly self-educated and learns just to learn, unlike Jude who wants an education in hopes of finding a profession (Hardwick 68).Each woman expresses herself differently to Jude in conversation (Weinstein 232-234). Hardwick notes that Jude isn’t in control of his life (67). His situation is always dominated but what Sue or Arabella give to or withhold from him (Hardwick 67). When incomprehensible things happ...
