Thomas Hardy’s short stories are simple, but with a very deep meaning. One might say that romantic stories are not twisted enough, every action main characters take is rather predictable, but the truth is that it doesn’t lessen the emotional tension while reading them. What is more, the feelings are so sincere and touching that it is rather difficult to stay indifferent and not to feel sorry for Alicia and Charles, Mademoiselle V and Monsieur B whose path crossed only to be parted (Alicia’s Diary and A Committee-Man of 'The Terror').
Alicia, the protagonist of Alicia’s Diary, is the type of a person who is generally known as a mother hen. It seems that she is always occupied with one task or another, mostly trying to help her dear family. Though she is still young and not really experienced, Alicia feels responsible for Caroline and her happiness. No wonder that the bond between them is so strong. When she learns the news about Caroline’s engagement and a coming wedding, she is at loss and sick with worry, for she is too far away to see who that mysterious man is and can’t check if his intentions are pure enough for him to be worthy of her sister’s hand.
Alicia knows that their mother doesn’t have an eye to see right through men, that she is too kind to judge critically, thus the young woman can’t find rest, she mulls over those miserable scraps of information she possesses about Caroline’s betrothed and feels helpless. The sudden illness and following death of the mother even worsens Alicia’s sense of responsibility and moral duty to protect her sister from hardships of this cruel world. She repeatedly ignores her own feelings in favor of her sister’s, pretending that her own grief is not that important.
Alicia considers herself to be stronger than both her father and Caroline and believes that she doesn’t have a right to be weak and ask for so much needed help. One might feel pity for her, but Alicia just can’t live differently, her readiness for self-sacrifice defines her. She would be happy to continue like that but fate has other plans for her. Contrary to her worst fears, Caroline’s betrothed turns out to be an outstanding young man with flawless manners, broad outlook, and the kindest heart. She falls in love with him and he reciprocates her feelings in equal measure. However, instead of feeling happy, Alicia runs away from her love, putting her sister’s wishes higher than her own.
Just like the main characters of Alicia’s Diary, Mademoiselle V and Monsieur B of A Committee Man of ‘The Terror’ prefer assuming over frankness and openness. On the one hand, Mademoiselle V, the young woman whose family died at the hands of the revolutionists, is deeply in love with Monsieur B, for he truly has an impressive personality and a rather strong will, but on the other hand she can forgive him for death of her male relatives. She is haunted by the image of their headless bodies, thrown in a pitch and destroyed with lime. Mademoiselle V is suffering, for she feels obliged to protect her family’s dignity and she knows that she can’t do it by marrying an enemy who is – though indirectly – responsible for their death. The irony is that the pair is not shy to confess love for each other, but still they are too afraid to open their hearts. Funnily enough they find the same way out the situation: escape.
Thomas Hardy’s stories prove that assuming is a rather dangerous habit. We can’t pretend that we know what other people feel or think; there should be dialogue, for a relationship can’t be build on lies and assumptions.
