Thomas Hardy's "Hap" is a poem that embraces nihilism and focuses on the idea that as an individual you have no control over your own fate, destiny or life. Hardy is relieved that his misfortune and perdition is not of his own doing, but the choosing of a godly being that is more powerful than him. This type of thinking alleviates the sense of accountability for ones actions, live and future. This is a very dangerous theory of thought that can prove to be very destructive to the individual and to the people involved in their life. In Hardy’s “Hap” he is saying that he has no control over the pain or gladness that he experiences in life which mitigates his own responsibility to take actions against pain, or to welcome happiness. With this type of thinking it leads to a very sedentary and helpless reality. In Hardy’s poem “Neutral Tones” he paints the drab picture of a 19th century break up on a bleak winter day. In both of these poems the tone is set to be dark and dismal with no real inkling of a light at the end of the tunnel. Both poems also allude to his helplessness and inability to control the situations that arise in his life.
If I were to have the same dismal outlook of life as Thomas Hardy I would certainly cary myself differently. I like to believe that I am the only person who has control of my life. Life is a game of chance, but that is what makes it worth while and interesting. My own personal philosophy to “succeeding” in life is to be open to change, be willing to adapt and most of all you have got to roll with the punches.
Good. Of course, the "punches" in Hardy's case were particularly powerful.
ReplyDeleteI think the key idea in that poem is that sometimes past happiness makes our current trouble seem more acute. To me, that's dismal, but it's also self-aware.
Keep at it!