Michael Henchard, Superstar! (Michael Henchard is not a Christ figure or a superstar I just wanted to make that reference)
If you've been keeping up with my comments (which I really doubt you have), or even with my posts, you'll have sensed a certain yearning within me to discuss a certain element of Thomas Hardy's writing. In the comments on this post, I said, "I've been thinking a lot about the way religion is tied to redemption, forgiveness, etc. in literature of this era. So far, god has not played a big part in this book (the only time I can think of is when Henchard swears off alcohol). If Hardy does decide to redeem Henchard during his life, it will be interesting to see if religion is involved or not." In the comments on this post, a week later, I said, "I am still fascinated by the way Hardy employs religious themes and ideas without much religion at all. . . According to some quick research, Hardy was raised a Christian but as he got older tended toward agnosticism. I guess this makes sense, considering the way religion is used in this novel: Hardy uses it