Islamic suicide bombers are part of one of the few cultures that view suicide as an honorable and logical decision, but most people recognize suicide as a tragedy horrible. However, regardless of one's beliefs about suicide, it is undeniable how prevalent suicide is around the world. Many authors intentionally include suicide in their literary works because of how common it is, as well as because it powerfully conveys the characters' internal struggles. In his novel Jude the Obscure, author Thomas Hardy has multiple characters commit suicide; the reader soon learns that Jude's mother committed suicide, Jude and Arabella's son, Little Father Time, kills himself after killing his 2 brothers, and Jude indirectly commits suicide after losing the will to live. Hardy uses these suicides to criticize society, show the rigid social structure, and illustrate the effects of prolonged isolation. To begin with, Hardy uses suicide to criticize society. The society of Hardy's generation was filled with religiously pretentious people who claimed to be perfect and expected the same from everyone around them. They clung to the rules and were extremely critical and ruthless. This led to people being under enormous pressure to always do the right thing. This is exemplified in the novel when Jude, Sue and their out-of-wedlock children have difficulty finding a place to stay in London after being kicked out of their old town of Aldbrickham. No one is willing to take them in because of their family's scandal. In a moment of weakness, Sue talks to Little Father Time and inadvertently makes him believe that he is the reason they can't find a meeting room; “'Then if children create so many problems, why do people... middle of paper... work, because suicide is a universal topic; 16 out of 100,000 deaths are suicides, allowing many readers to relate to it on an emotional level in the novel. This emotional connection that the reader feels allows him to understand the character's internal struggles, which makes the author's intended message very effectiveWorks CitedBolch, Judith. “Jude the Obscure”. Salam Press. Main plots, fourth edition. November 2010.Wessex, England. Network. 15 Dec. 2013. Ford Nation Media Center.Edwards, Suzanne. “The Self-Aware Child.” Bloom's literature. File Web Facts, Inc.. December 15, 2013. Nation Ford Media Center. Freedgood, Elaine. “Domestic Fiction.” The Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature. Ed. David Scott Kastan. vol. 2. Oxford, UK: Oxford UP, 2006. 185. Print.Hardy, Thomas. Jude the Dark. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003. Print.