Jude the Obscure Lesson Plan

In some ways, Jude and Sue's relationship is one of contrasts and defied expectations. How does Hardy demonstrate this through their difference in behavior?

Hardy uses these chapters, which depict the start of Jude's relationship with Sue, to highlight behavior in Jude that could be considered stereotypically "feminine," and behavior in Sue that, if not "masculine," certainly unusual for a woman of her time. Be sure to emphasize that depictions of gender were far more crystallized in Hardy's time than they are now, and that these are outdated perceptions of how men and women "should" act.

In Jude's case, we see a character acting bashfully, as he constantly...