Works of Thomas Hardy discussion

By Her Aunt's Grave

"Sixpence a week," says the girl to her lover,
"Aunt used to bring me, for she could confide
In me alone, she vowed. 'Twas to cover
The cost of her headstone when she died.
And that was a year ago last June;
I've not yet fixed it. But I must soon."

"And where is the money now, my dear?"
"O, snug in my purse . . . Aunt was so slow
In saving it--eighty weeks, or near." . . .
"Let's spend it," he hints. "For she won't know.
There's a dance to-night at the Load of Hay."
She passively nods. And they go that way.

Published in 1911 in "Satires of Circumstance" in the "Fortnightly Review."

The Related Quote From "The Mayor of Casterbridge" Chapter 18

Near the end of the chapter, Mrs Cuxsom recounted a conversation with Susan Henchard before Susan died:

"‘When I’m gone, and my last breath’s blowed, look in the top drawer o’ the chest in the back room. . .And there’s four ounce pennies, the heaviest I could find, a-tied up in bits of linen, for weights—two for my right eye and two for my left,’ she said. ‘And when you’ve used ’em, and my eyes don’t open no more, bury the pennies, good souls and don’t ye go spending ’em, for I shouldn’t like it. . .’”

“Well, and Martha did it, and buried the ounce pennies in the garden. But if ye’ll believe words, that man, Christopher Coney, went and dug ’em up, and spent ’em at the Three Mariners. ‘Faith,’ he said, ‘why should death rob life o’ fourpence? Death’s not of such good report that we should respect ’en to that extent,’ says he.”

“’Twas a cannibal deed!” deprecated her listeners.

“Gad, then I won’t quite ha’e it,” said Solomon Longways. “I say it to-day, and ’tis a Sunday morning, and I wouldn’t speak wrongfully for a zilver zixpence at such a time. I don’t see noo harm in it. . . Why should death rob life o’ fourpence?

Traditions and Superstitions of Placing Pennies on Eyes (or Mouth) of the Deceased

The practice of placing pennies on the eyes was used to keep the eyes closed (since the muscles relaxed). It was also thought that if the deceased could see as they were transported to the grave, their ghost might come back to haunt the living.

In the early Roman empire, a coin was placed in the mouth so the deceased could take it into the afterlife.

In Greek mythology, a coin was placed with the deceased to pay Charon, the ferryman, to bring them over the River Styx. The river divided the world of the living from the land of the dead. The soul would have to wander the banks of the River Styx for a hundred years if they were unable to pay Charon to ferry them.

Hardy's Rustic Characters

Hardy's rustic characters in the novel and his poems tend to be very grounded, practical, and unsentimental while his protagonists exhibit intense passions. The rustics are often impoverished so they might make different decisions than a middle-class person. The rustics would be less willing to use money in a non-monetary way.

The lower-class characters in a town like Casterbridge are still called rustics in the critical literature since they have the same beliefs as Hardy's characters in more rural settings. The rustics in the novel help us understand the relationships, economic standing, and human suffering of the people of Casterbridge.

The Poem

The poem is written mostly in dialogue between the niece and her lover.

There might be a range of opinions about the niece's actions as we can see from a similar situation in the novel.

Over to you!

Oh dear......I didn't like that comment from Mrs. Cuxsom in the novel and don't like the niece's actions in this poem either.

The aunt worked so hard to save this money. The headstone was important to her. Yet the niece spends it in one evening, with a boyfriend....someone potentially temporary and replaceable.

Despite my not enjoying the actions, Hardy was able to bring an action and state of mind to us, using very few words. We get a feel for the aunt and her life, as well as the niece and her outlook towards others.

Thank you Connie for the explanation for the coin superstitions and the Greek mythology (Sharon and the Styx) often alluded to in Victorian literature but also very much in The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann.

The lover's response "Let's spend it," he hints. "For she won't know."

corroborates the sad unfortunate reality in Mrs Cuxsom's in the closing lines of chapter 18:

“And all her shining keys will be took from her, and her cupboards opened; and little things a’ didn’t wish seen, anybody will see; and her wishes and ways will all be as nothing!”

Connie

This poem folds in neatly to the text. In both cases the question for me is what is the value of a wish, a request, an obligation? Are we to honour the dead and their wishes or are the living to continue to pursue their lives. What is the nature of a person’s word? How do we measure others, and ourselves?

Petra wrote: "Oh dear......I didn't like that comment from Mrs. Cuxsom in the novel and don't like the niece's actions in this poem either.

The aunt worked so hard to save this money. The headstone was importa..."

Petra, most of us would not violate the trust of a relative. But maybe we would feel differently if we were brought up with a different set of values or were impoverished.

That's a good observation of how much Hardy imparts to us in just a few lines.

Claudia wrote: "Thank you Connie for the explanation for the coin superstitions and the Greek mythology (Sharon and the Styx) often alluded to in Victorian literature but also very much in [book:The Magic Mountain..."

Claudia, that's an important point that "the dead won't know" so the niece has no one to answer to but her own conscience.

Peter wrote: "Connie

This poem folds in neatly to the text. In both cases the question for me is what is the value of a wish, a request, an obligation? Are we to honour the dead and their wishes or are the livi..."

Very important questions, Peter. The aunt trusted the niece who admitted "she could confide in me alone." The niece was probably her only relative, and the aunt certainly could not afford to hire a lawyer to carry out her wishes.

I wonder if some people take an obligation to the dead less seriously than an obligation to the living since there is no one to call them out if they fail to fulfill the obligation.

All the connections you've been making with these poems have been so interesting, Connie, but I particularly like this one.

In taking care of the business when someone dies, we often walk a fine line between what the departed wanted and "she won't know." At least I've certainly had those conversations--not about explicit instructions the person left but sometimes about the many other decisions, where those left have different opinions about what they would have wanted.

The way Susan planned everything out for her death was very vivid to me in the story. I suppose it's an effort to control what she could, but that always makes me feel a little sad, because I've often felt when it's all done, that the departed might not approve of how everything turned out.

I love the name of the publication "Satires in Circumstance." A lot of Hardy ideas would fit in there!

Kathleen wrote: "I love the name of the publication "Satires in Circumstance." A lot of Hardy ideas would fit in there!"

Kathleen, I read a few other poems from that original publication of 15 poems. (It was later made into a larger book with more poems.) I enjoyed their satirical feeling, although some were also sad in an ironic way like this poem. It is ironic that the aunt put so much effort into saving her money each week, but did not choose someone trustworthy to carry out her wishes.

It is difficult for some families to carry out a loved one's wishes, especially if dementia is involved and they've expressed different wishes to different people. People can also interpret "end of life" wishes quite differently. But the wish for a headstone in the poem seemed like a very clear decision.

I am struck by how much the headstone, something that will be intended to cause people to remember the aunt, had so much importance to her. She did without things, no doubt, so that she could have this--so that others would not forget that she once existed. It is a kind of attempt to hang on to our lives even when we are gone. But look how quickly her importance passes from her niece's thoughts and priorities. Sadly, unless we are more than ordinary people, our headstones become overgrown and lost, testimonies only to the fact that "someone" lived but not that "I" did. Most people are forgotten, beyond a name, in only a few generations at best.

Sara wrote: "I am struck by how much the headstone, something that will be intended to cause people to remember the aunt, had so much importance to her. She did without things, no doubt, so that she could have ..."

I agree Sara. Its sad but sometimes the headstones are all that is left as younger family members die, move, forget. And I am a bit guilty myself. I no longer live near where my parents are buried and in some ways I know I wouldn't often visit even if I were near. I like the memories of them that continue to live on in my heart.

Sara wrote: "I am struck by how much the headstone, something that will be intended to cause people to remember the aunt, had so much importance to her. She did without things, no doubt, so that she could have ..."

Sara, it is true that only the famous are remembered after a few generations. I wonder if the aunt wants to be remembered as part of a family. In small towns people remember a family name if the family has lived there for generations. She probably did not have living children herself, or she would have given them the task to purchase the headstone. Maybe this is her way to say to the world that she lived and her life had meaning.

Some people have no need for graveyards and tombstones, and just want the wind to blow their ashes away. It's all a matter of preference.

Pamela wrote: "I no longer live near where my parents are buried and in some ways I know I wouldn't often visit even if I were near. I like the memories of them that continue to live on in my heart."

I feel the same way, Pamela. I think about my parents often, but don't spend the day driving to the cemetery. But we do hear about people who visit the cemetery every day or every week. Perhaps they are lonely, and it's a way to share their thoughts with the deceased.