Jude the Obscure · Chapter
VII explained
Jude Fawley, torn between his scholarly ambitions and his new infatuation with Arabella Donn, abandons his plan to read the Greek New Testament to meet her.
What happens
Jude Fawley, torn between his scholarly ambitions and his new infatuation with Arabella Donn, abandons his plan to read the Greek New Testament to meet her. Their walk leads to intimacy and public assumption of courtship, leaving Jude conflicted and his academic goals neglected.
Themes in this chapter
Ambition and Frustration
Jude's desire to read the Greek Testament is thwarted by his impulsive attraction to Arabella, highlighting the conflict between his scholarly goals and earthly desires.
Flesh vs. Spirit
Jude's physical longing for Arabella overpowers his spiritual and intellectual aspirations, symbolized by the abandoned New Testament.
Characters to notice
- Jude Fawley
Struggles with his conscience as he prioritizes Arabella over his Greek Testament studies, feeling both exhilaration and guilt.
- Arabella Donn
Manipulatively pursues Jude, confiding to friends her determination to marry him and using physical intimacy to secure his attachment.
- Anny
One of Arabella's companions who advises her on how to ensnare Jude as a husband.
- Aunt Drusilla
Mentioned as having gone to bed when Jude returns home late, symbolizing his neglect of familial expectations.
Key passages
“He felt as a snake must feel who has sloughed off its winter skin, and cannot understand the brightness and sensitiveness of its new one.”
Jude felt disoriented and exposed after his encounter with Arabella, as if he had shed his old self and was now vulnerable to new sensations.
Illustrates Jude's psychological transformation after meeting Arabella.
“Η ΚΑΙΝΗ ΔΙΑΘΗΚΗ was no more heeded, and the predestinate Jude sprang up and across the room.”
Jude abandoned his Greek New Testament reading and rushed out to meet Arabella, as if driven by fate.
Highlights the theme of fate versus free will and Jude's surrender to passion.