As I began reading this novel so many things seemed familiar to me: the characters, situations, plot points, etc. And then I realized that I had seen the film based on the book, but it is simply titled Jude. As I read further, I continually encountered the word "obscure." So, like Kelly, I looked up the word in the OED. I already knew the common definition, but I discovered others that seemed more appropriate in explaining Jude as "obscure." One that seems befitting is "of a person: ... not illustrious or famous; humble." I think this definition aptly describes Jude. What is ironic is that he strives to be illustrious and famous rather than a humble stonecutter. However, other definitions seem as, if not more, accurate in relation to Jude: 1. "Dark, dim, gloomy, dismal." Knowing what I know (and I'm not going to give anything away) this definition is quite revealing of the character and the story itself. If one considers other works by Hardy or knows his outlook on life, this definition seems very relatively typical. Although we haven't read but one third of the book, many points already allude to the character and the story as "dark, dim, gloomy, dismal": Jude's corrupt marriage to Arabella, his struggle over his feelings for Sue, his anger at the Christminster masters, his disappointment with Mr. Phillotson,the dissension among his family. Even small moments possess and air of melancholy and despondency, such as the slaying of the pig (which also seemed rather eerie to me). Jude, as he "serpentined among the shadows" (79) of the college at night as a bell tolled 101 times gave me the heebie-jeebies. 2. "Unenlightened, benighted" and "Of, relating to, or frequenting the darkness." Ok, so I looked up "unenlightened" and "benighted." The darkness referred to in the pursuant definition could be one of intellectual or moral darkness or it could refer to Jude as "not mentally illuminated." In either case, an argument can be made for both interpretations. Mentally and morally, Jude is in the dark. Mentally, he lacks an understanding of the world in which he lives and the consequences of his actions. Therefore, he constantly languishes under the pressures of his own circumstances. However learned and well-read he may be, his mental capacity does not allow him to survive in a societal setting. Morally, Jude is "frequents the darkness." While he thinks he is acting honorably, he nonetheless behaves somewhat unethically. He pursues Arabella, for whom he does not hold great affection. Eventually marrying her because he believes it to be righteous, he does not view her as "worth a great deal as a specimen of womankind" (57). The marriage is a result of a "transitory instinct" and "weakness" (62). Later, after falling in love with his own cousin, he finds himself despairing over the idea of her and the schoolmaster. Regardless of his efforts and struggles toward an honorable life, I think we'll soon recognize that Jude lives in "moral darkness."