How does Hardy show social injustice in the 19th Century in England? :: Free Essay Writer

How does Hardy show social injustice in the 19th Century in England? Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 and died in 1928 at the age of 88. Thomas Hardy’s father was a stonemason and his mother a servant to a vicar. Hardy could not afford to continue his education as he wished and was apprenticed to John Hicks, a local church architect from 1862 to 1867. He served as assistant to Arthur Bloomfield, a London architect. Hardy hated London and returned to Dorset and worked for Hicks until 1874. Despite his employment Hardy was writing continually during this period of life. Over the next 22 years Hardy wrote 15 novels, more than 1000 poems and 4 volumes of short stories. Hardy wrote in these short stories about the law, class difference, women’s position in the society and city versus the countryside. Most of his stories are set in the Wessex, a fictional name that he gave to his stories. His stories are set 50 years back in the past and show the hardships, sufferings, trials and tribulations experienced by the working class. This book is from the collection of the stories The Withered Arm and other Wessex Tales. When Hardy became an architect he went to work in London. However, he missed the Dorset countryside so much that he returned there in 1867 and began writing novels and poetry. This was the first of many of his novels describing characters and scenes from country life. Hardy’s views about the countryside versus the city were about the injustice of the loss of the old way of life. Hardy went to work in London in 1862. He took a return ticket with him in case he repented his decision to work there. His aversion for London is apparent in his comments where he describes London as, â€Å"the monster with four million heads and eight million eyes.† Hardy describes the city in The Son’s Veto, as Sophie is looking through the window at â€Å"a fragment of lawn,† which shows the lack of greenery and space in London. He describes the air as, â€Å"hazy air,† which shows the huge amount of pollution in London unlike the pleasant and fresh air of the countryside. Hardy portrays all the houses in London as, â€Å"drab house facades,† which shows the ugly and depressing houses in London. The, â€Å"ever flowing traffic,† and other quotes just shows the repulsive and the disheartening city of London. Hardy approves of smuggling in The Distracted Preacher. Legally smugglers are to be penalized but every one ignores the law in The Distracted Preacher. Lizzy says, â€Å"it has been their practice for