Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Jude the Obscure, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Marriage
Fate
Social Criticism
Women in Society
Religion
Summary
Analysis
Jude and Arabella’s romance progresses, and one weekend they chase a lost pig through the village together, ending up alone on a hill. Arabella tries to lure Jude into lying down next to her, but he innocently doesn’t notice her tricks. The next day Arabella tells her parents to leave for the evening, as she wants the house to herself to successfully trap Jude. That night Jude (who hasn’t studied in weeks) comes to Arabella’s house, and she lures him upstairs and seduces him.
Jude is innocent regarding anything sexual, as Arabella is the first woman he has ever even considered romantically, and it is almost comedic how he accidentally resists Arabella’s advances. Arabella’s parents clearly share her mindset, as they vacate their own house to condone their daughter’s illicit relations – as long as it leads her to “trap” a man.
Themes
Literary Devices
