onorable nature to marry her when she tells him that she is pregnant, a lie only to capture him. This forced marriage is similar to Henchard’s and Susan’s forced marriage once she finds him in Casterbridge and lies to him about Elizabeth Jane being his child. Each relationship built off a lie.Throughout Jude’s childhood he is much like Elizabeth Jane when she was feeling unwanted by Henchard. Jude feels this through the mistreatment of his aunt in which she calls him useless and worthless. Jude is also like Elizabeth Jane in a positive quality with his drive to learn. Like Elizabeth Jane he takes his learning into his own hands and searches out texts and books to read. He learns Latin and Greek on his own with out any help, quite a feat for anyone of his upbringing.As Jude grows older he decides to move to Christminster and to look for his cousin Sue. This searching scene reminds me of Susan searching for Henchard in Casterbridge. Both Susan and Jude once they find their family members watch them before they contact them. Then when they do finally have contact it is through notes in both circumstances. Neither meet each other in person the first time but rather set up a physical meeting at symbolic places for both circumstances. In the Mayor of Casterbridge the meeting place is a large coliseum, where no one goes anymore, a quiet dark place. Where Jude and Sue meet it is near a cross where heretics and people who have unorthodox views were burned at the stake. This overshadows their relationship with a bad omen with the fact that Sue doesn’t believe in God as she should.Once Jude finally is with Sue they live a life not unlike Susan and Henchard’s life in the beginning of the novel. Each couple wanders from here to there finding work. The difference is that Susan and Hencard were married whereas Jude and Sue were not even though they had three children. Also Jude and Sue are often turned down because of th...
