Cormac McCarthy, the author of No Country for Old Men, said of the purpose of human existence: “The fact is that it is of no use. » This nihilistic view of life became common well before McCarthy's time. The highly industrial and scientifically revolutionary 19th century marked a radical departure from the optimistic and spiritually centered ideas of the Romantics a century before. In literature, humanistic and flawed protagonists have replaced the traditional heroes of old, with authors no longer afraid to question the veracity of God and the purpose of life. One of the first works to reflect these new and controversial ideas was Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge. Detailing the rise and fall of one man in the late 19th century, the novel became known for Hardy's accurate portrait of rural life and his unique perspective on how industrialization affected British society to this time. It is significant that Casterbridge is one of the earliest manifestations of the nihilist movement due to its innovative, individualistic, anti-heroic and cynical themes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayAccording to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, nihilism is the belief that all values ​​are baseless and that human beings do not can never truly know or communicate anything. . The nihilistic belief system is an extreme form of pessimism often associated with radical contrarian movements (e.g. anarchy). It is based on the writings of German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who argued that life has no order or objective structure except what people give it, and once humans realize this, they will discover that the rejection of moral and religious institutions would endanger humanity. on the right course (IEP.edu). The nihilist movement has inspired many modern novels and films, and philosophers today consider it the most vital school of thought born after the Industrial Revolution. In addition to understanding the concepts associated with nihilism, it is also essential that the reader become familiar with the major characters of Casterbridge (the town in which the story takes place) in order to fully contextualize Hardy's novel. The first and most dominant character, Michael Henchard, is a prosperous middle-aged corn merchant and town mayor who sold his wife, Susan, and daughter to a sailor because he was angry eighteen years before the end of the novel. place. The character Donald Farfrae is a young Scottish businessman who wins the admiration of the townspeople with his liberal and free market ideas, and ultimately becomes Henchard's power-obsessed rival throughout the novel. Finally, there is Elizabeth-Jane, Henchard's supposedly class-obsessed, long-lost daughter, who endures the hardships of being caught in the middle of Henchard and Farfrae's business competitions. These three characters are central to the novel's nihilistic message, as each realizes that life has, on the whole, no meaning. In Casterbridge, the lopsided struggle between progressive ideas and tradition reflects Hardy's nihilistic belief that individual conventions are meaningless and only serve to prevent society from reaching its full potential, even if the Human beings will never stop their efforts to continually progress. Without a doubt, the 19th century was a time of immense scientific and technological progress. Light bulbs, dynamite, machine guns and automobiles are only a fractionof the multitude of innovations developed during this period. However, while these inventions were certainly revolutionary, many of them went against the traditions that people were accustomed to. In fact, it is likely that many people feared industrialization, due to the common belief that machines would soon take over tasks previously reserved for humans. Regardless, technology has eventually overcame these uncertainties and society has continued to progress mechanically or ideologically since the industrial revolution. The struggle between innovation and tradition is at the heart of Casterbridge, as Hardy clearly represents through the opposing business ideologies of Henchard and Farfrae. Henchard is traditionalist, impulsive and closed-minded towards modern ideas. In fact, at one point in the novel he goes so far as to insult Farfrae by calling him a "jackanape" for introducing a horse drill into the community in the hopes of further advancing the corn trade. However, it is Henchard's ignorance that ultimately leads to his character's downfall. The town eventually denounced him for his unwillingness to change, and as a result the community continued to support Farfrae in his efforts. On the contrary, Hardy presents Farfrae as industrial, economical and lenient towards the revolution. As the novel progresses, Farfrae's tolerance wins out over Henchard's traditionalism, and eventually Henchard dies without ever being able to fully utilize his abilities. If Henchard had simply accepted Farfrae's radical business ideas, the duo could have merged to create a very successful corn business, but Henchard would not stray from his strict adherence to customs. Thus, Hardy makes it clear that although humans tend to carry traditions throughout their lives, in reality, these beliefs are insignificant burdens that only serve to prevent society from progressing effectively. Another conflict Hardy presents in Casterbridge is that between individuality and community. It is likely that he included this paradox for a similar purpose as the anti-traditional elements. The nihilistic belief is that although morality and concern for others are human-defined responsibilities that people attempt to uphold, these practices are futile once life is over. The idea of ​​individualism became popular during the Romantic period, and by the end of the 19th century it had evolved into a philosophy in its own right. Irish author and poet Oscar Wilde sums up the ideology concisely and effectively in his essay The Soul of Man Under Socialism: “It is not selfish for a man to think for himself. A man who does not think for himself does not think at all” (107). However, just like industrialization, the public also feared individualism because it went against the established norms of society. Nevertheless, concepts of individual freedom survived these insecurities and eventually became the basis of popular belief around the world (e.g. in the United States). In the context of Casterbridge, Hardy illustrates this dilemma through the competition between Henchard and Farfrae. Although Hardy portrays Henchard as a stern and harsh boss, he also describes him as caring and personally involved with his staff. For example, Hardy mentions that before the events of the novel, Henchard financially took care of the mother of Able Whittle (one of his employees) for an entire winter. However, at the same time, it is Henchard's collective approach to leadership that ultimately results in another of his weaknesses: he becomes overly involved in the community he leads. Although hisAlthough his intentions are rooted in good, his overbearing concern for everyone ultimately pushes him beyond his limits and ends up turning the town of Casterbridge against him. This becomes extremely obvious when Henchard drags Whittle out of bed in his underwear for being late for work. Although this action is only an attempt by Henchard to improve Whittle's character, it only serves to embarrass Whittle (he contemplates suicide after the event) and to instill fear in the other employees. In contrast, Hardy describes Farfrae as taking a laissez-faire approach to business and, once he replaced Henchard as mayor, he allowed his employees to work without getting too involved in their daily tasks . For the most part, townspeople praise Farfrae for this practice. In fact, Whittle states that although the workers are paid less and work more under Farfrae's leadership, they are happier than they were under Henchard's leadership, because they no longer fear the wrath of their former boss. . Again, Henchard's good intentions ultimately prevented his company from reaching its full potential, as the fear he instilled in his workers turned them against him. This further reinforces the idea that Henchard dies without being able to fully utilize his entrepreneurial skills, and that morality and character are relative, man-defined ideas that mean absolutely nothing once life is over. As well as showing the insignificance of the two traditions. and communal morality, Hardy also emphasizes that all humans die the same death, regardless of their heroism. Late 19th-century literature marked a radical departure from the classical and Byronic heroes of the Romantic period. Authors stopped emphasizing the supernatural abilities of their characters and instead focused on human flaws, emotions, and limited power. Additionally, writers abandoned the common archetypes of protagonist and antagonist in exchange for characters exhibiting traits of both. In Casterbridge, heroism is almost non-existent, as each character possesses both positive and negative qualities that reflect their true human nature. Henchard is caring but moody, Farfrae is understanding but power-hungry, and the entire town of Casterbridge is both supportive but also obsessed with gossip. If anything, Henchard's raw strength is the closest Hardy comes to portraying the iconic romantic hero. Henchard, whom Hardy describes as incredibly strong and tall, displays astonishing physical abilities throughout the novel. His exploits include felling a bull with his bear hands to save Elizabeth-Jane as well as defeating Farfrae in a duel with one hand tied behind his back. However, almost mockingly, Henchard dies with nothing at the end of the novel. His achievements in protecting Elizabeth-Jane and defeating Farfrae end up being unnecessary, as the couple ends up marrying at the end of the story and Farfrae takes over Henchard's old business completely. Essentially, regardless of his heroic efforts and supernatural abilities, Henchard experiences the same suffering as non-heroic humans and dies an ordinary death. It is clear, then, that Casterbridge is a cynical novel, and it is this overwhelming pessimism that makes the story a distinct reflection of the nihilistic movement. Given the aforementioned transition from heroism to humanism, typical of the late 19th century, it would be logical if authors of this period also accepted the philosophical possibility that life could be completely worthless and, therefore ,.