Summary
Jude stalks Sue at cathedral services, telling himself his attraction is spiritual rather than physical. He watches her from afar, finding meaning in shared hymns and convincing himself they have a religious connection. Meanwhile, Sue rebels against her restrictive religious boarding house by secretly buying classical statues of Venus and Apollo from a traveling vendor. She hides them in her room, lying to her landlady Miss Fontover by claiming they're Christian saints. That night, Sue reads about Julian the Apostate and pagan poetry while staring at her forbidden statues, unable to sleep. At the same time, Jude studies Greek scripture late into the night. This chapter reveals the tension between desire and duty that drives both characters. Jude's 'spiritual' interest in Sue masks his growing obsession, while Sue's purchase of pagan art represents her quiet rebellion against the suffocating Christian environment she's trapped in. Both are seeking something authentic in a world of religious constraint, but neither can fully admit what they really want. Hardy shows how people deceive themselves about their motivations, and how small acts of rebellion can feel revolutionary when you're living under someone else's rules.
Coming Up in Chapter 15
Jude throws himself into his stonework, carving everything from Gothic tracery to tombstone letters. His skilled hands shape stone while his mind churns with thoughts of Sue, and his dual nature as both craftsman and scholar becomes more apparent.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
But under the various deterrent influences Jude’s instinct was to approach her timidly, and the next Sunday he went to the morning service in the Cathedral church of Cardinal College to gain a further view of her, for he had found that she frequently attended there. She did not come, and he awaited her in the afternoon, which was finer. He knew that if she came at all she would approach the building along the eastern side of the great green quadrangle from which it was accessible, and he stood in a corner while the bell was going. A few minutes before the hour for service she appeared as one of the figures walking along under the college walls, and at sight of her he advanced up the side opposite, and followed her into the building, more than ever glad that he had not as yet revealed himself. To see her, and to be himself unseen and unknown, was enough for him at present. He lingered awhile in the vestibule, and the service was some way advanced when he was put into a seat. It was a louring, mournful, still afternoon, when a religion of some sort seems a necessity to ordinary practical men, and not only a luxury of the emotional and leisured classes. In the dim light and the baffling glare of the clerestory windows he could discern the opposite worshippers indistinctly only, but he saw that Sue was among them. He had not long discovered the exact seat that she occupied when the chanting of the 119th Psalm in which the choir was engaged reached its second part, _In quo corriget_, the organ changing to a pathetic Gregorian tune as the singers gave forth: Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? It was the very question that was engaging Jude’s attention at this moment. What a wicked worthless fellow he had been to give vent as he had done to an animal passion for a woman, and allow it to lead to such disastrous consequences; then to think of putting an end to himself; then to go recklessly and get drunk. The great waves of pedal music tumbled round the choir, and, nursed on the supernatural as he had been, it is not wonderful that he could hardly believe that the psalm was not specially set by some regardful Providence for this moment of his first entry into the solemn building. And yet it was the ordinary psalm for the twenty-fourth evening of the month. The girl for whom he was beginning to nourish an extraordinary tenderness was at this time ensphered by the same harmonies as those which floated into his ears; and the thought was a delight to him. She was probably a frequenter of this place, and, steeped body and soul in church sentiment as she must be by occupation and habit, had, no doubt, much in common with him. To an impressionable and lonely young man the consciousness of having at last...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Sacred Masks
We disguise our true desires with socially acceptable explanations to avoid confronting what we really want.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when we're dressing our real desires in socially acceptable clothing.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when your stated reasons for doing something feel too noble or convenient, then ask yourself what you really want underneath.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Clerestory windows
High windows in a church that let in light from above the side aisles. In Victorian churches, these created dramatic lighting effects that were meant to inspire religious awe and make worshippers feel small before God.
Modern Usage:
We still use dramatic lighting in spaces meant to impress us - think about how movie theaters, casinos, or high-end stores use lighting to create a mood.
Vestibule
The entrance hall or lobby of a church where people gather before entering the main worship space. It's a transitional space between the secular world outside and the sacred space inside.
Modern Usage:
Any waiting area that serves as a buffer between outside and inside - like hospital waiting rooms or the lobby of an important building where you gather your nerve before going in.
Julian the Apostate
A Roman emperor who tried to bring back pagan religion after Christianity had become dominant. He represents rebellion against established religious authority and the appeal of older, more sensual forms of spirituality.
Modern Usage:
Anyone who rejects the dominant belief system they were raised in to explore alternative spiritualities or philosophies - like leaving organized religion for Buddhism or New Age practices.
Venus and Apollo statues
Classical Roman gods representing love/beauty and art/music respectively. In Victorian times, these were considered scandalous because they were often nude and represented pagan sensuality rather than Christian virtue.
Modern Usage:
Any art or media that your parents or community would consider inappropriate - like having explicit music, controversial books, or art that challenges conservative values.
Stalking behavior
Following someone repeatedly without their knowledge or consent, often justified by the stalker as romantic interest or spiritual connection. Jude convinces himself his surveillance of Sue is about shared faith rather than obsession.
Modern Usage:
This is what we now recognize as stalking - following someone's social media obsessively, showing up where they go, or watching them without permission, even when you tell yourself it's innocent.
Religious boarding house
A supervised living situation for young women where strict Christian rules governed behavior, visitors, reading material, and daily activities. These were meant to protect women's virtue but often felt like prisons.
Modern Usage:
Any highly controlled living situation with strict rules about personal behavior - like some college dorms, halfway houses, or very conservative family homes.
Characters in This Chapter
Jude
Protagonist
He follows Sue to church services, telling himself his interest is spiritual rather than physical attraction. He watches her from hiding, finding meaning in shared hymns while studying Greek scripture at night, showing his self-deception about his true motivations.
Modern Equivalent:
The guy who finds excuses to be wherever his crush is, convincing himself it's coincidence
Sue
Object of desire/rebel
She secretly buys pagan statues and hides them in her room, lying to her landlady about what they represent. She reads forbidden literature about Julian the Apostate, showing her quiet rebellion against the Christian restrictions controlling her life.
Modern Equivalent:
The person living under strict rules who finds small ways to rebel and express their true self
Miss Fontover
Authority figure/guardian
Sue's landlady who runs the religious boarding house and monitors the young women's behavior. Sue lies to her about the statues, showing the oppressive atmosphere that makes even small freedoms require deception.
Modern Equivalent:
The strict supervisor or parent who monitors everything you do and makes you sneak around for basic personal freedom
The traveling vendor
Tempter/enabler
Sells Sue the classical statues that represent her forbidden desires and rebellion against Christian constraint. He provides access to the pagan art that Sue craves but cannot openly possess.
Modern Equivalent:
The person who sells you something you want but know you shouldn't have - like the friend who enables your bad habits
Key Quotes & Analysis
"To see her, and to be himself unseen and unknown, was enough for him at present."
Context: Jude watches Sue at church service while hiding from her
This reveals Jude's stalking behavior and self-deception. He's convincing himself that watching her without her knowledge is somehow noble or sufficient, when it's actually creepy and one-sided. The word 'present' suggests he plans to escalate this behavior.
In Today's Words:
Just being able to watch her without her knowing was all he needed for now.
"It was a louring, mournful, still afternoon, when a religion of some sort seems a necessity to ordinary practical men, and not only a luxury of the emotional and leisured classes."
Context: Describing the atmosphere during the church service
Hardy suggests that people turn to religion when life feels heavy and depressing, not just when they have time for spiritual luxury. This reflects how both Jude and Sue are seeking something to fill an emptiness in their constrained lives.
In Today's Words:
It was one of those gloomy days when even practical people feel like they need some kind of faith to get through it.
"They are saints, Miss Fontover."
Context: Sue lies to her landlady about the pagan statues she's bought
This lie reveals Sue's desperation for beauty and freedom in her oppressive environment. She's forced to disguise her true desires as acceptable Christian devotion, showing how the system makes people dishonest about their authentic selves.
In Today's Words:
They're religious figures, Miss Fontover.
Thematic Threads
Self-Deception
In This Chapter
Both Jude and Sue create elaborate justifications for behavior that conflicts with their stated values
Development
Introduced here as a major character flaw that will drive future conflicts
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when you find yourself explaining away choices that don't align with your stated goals.
Religious Constraint
In This Chapter
Christianity functions as a prison that forces both characters into dishonesty about their nature
Development
Building from earlier chapters where education and religion promised freedom but delivered limitation
In Your Life:
Any system that demands you deny core parts of yourself will eventually force you into rebellion or deception.
Hidden Rebellion
In This Chapter
Sue's secret purchase of pagan statues represents small acts of defiance against overwhelming control
Development
New theme showing how people maintain identity under oppressive circumstances
In Your Life:
You might see this in small ways you assert independence in controlling relationships or rigid workplaces.
Obsession
In This Chapter
Jude's 'spiritual' stalking of Sue reveals how desire can masquerade as higher purpose
Development
Evolution of his pattern from obsessing over Christminster to obsessing over Sue
In Your Life:
This appears when you convince yourself unhealthy attention or behavior serves a noble purpose.
Authenticity
In This Chapter
Both characters struggle between their true nature and social expectations, choosing performance over honesty
Development
Central conflict established that will define their relationship and individual arcs
In Your Life:
You face this choice whenever being yourself conflicts with keeping peace or meeting others' expectations.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What lies do Jude and Sue tell themselves about their real motivations in this chapter?
analysis • surface - 2
Why do both characters need to disguise their true desires rather than admitting them openly?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people today creating 'noble' reasons for choices that are really about something else entirely?
application • medium - 4
When you catch yourself justifying a decision with reasons that don't quite ring true, what's your next move?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about the cost of living according to other people's expectations instead of your own authentic desires?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
The Desire Archaeology Dig
Think of a recent decision you made where you gave one reason publicly but had deeper, more complex motivations privately. Write down your 'official' reason, then dig three layers deeper, asking 'What was I really after?' with each layer. Map the journey from surface justification to core desire.
Consider:
- •Notice how each layer feels more vulnerable or 'unacceptable' than the last
- •Consider whether the core desire itself is actually problematic, or just the way you were pursuing it
- •Look for patterns in how you typically disguise your real motivations
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when admitting your real motivation (even just to yourself) changed how you approached a situation. What happened when you stopped lying to yourself about what you actually wanted?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 15: Dangerous Desires and Fateful Meetings
In the next chapter, you'll discover proximity to someone you're attracted to can override your better judgment, and learn we rationalize our desires instead of honestly examining our motives. These insights reveal timeless patterns that resonate in our own lives and relationships.