Philosophical pessimism is a school of thought that views the world around us as fundamentally tragic and filled with suffering. The writings of Thomas Hardy demonstrate this philosophy quite clearly. In his novels, Hardy expresses the idea that life is essentially full of misfortune and that the forces of society tend to further the suffering of the individual. One of his most famous works, Jude the Obscure, addresses this issue directly by exploring the decline of Jude and his family due to their poor position in society. Judes numerous attempts to improve his life are constantly thwarted by both external and internal restrictions on his success, leading him to conclude that the future holds no hope of escape from his wretched circumstances. Other works such as The Mayor of Casterbridge and The Return of the Native echo this sentiment and demonstrate how Hardy needed to craft characters that, regardless of their moral standing, were destined to meet a tragic end due to the indifferent, often cruel, nature of the world. Hardys pessimistic view of life, humanity and society endures throughout the course of his works, and his novels support a framework of pessimism that stands against any attempts to ignore or fight against the power of fate.