In part one, chapter two of Thomas Hardy's novel Jude the Obscure, the author depends on external narration by freely switching to external omniscient narration to provide sufficient information about the village where the main character, Jude, lives. The setting, Marygreen, is located in the agricultural region of Wessex in the south-west of England. At the beginning of this chapter the point of view shifts from that of the main character, Jude, to the point of view of his aunt, Mrs. Fawley. This shifting narrative builds the atmosphere of Marygreen. The first part of this essay describes the oppressive nature of the place where Jude resides. The external narrator describes Marygreen as oppressive by interjecting the dialogue between the dominant characters, Jude's aunt, and the villagers. The second part discusses the landscape setting and the events narrated from both Jude's point of view and the external omniscient one, which produce a representation of how the boy feels. The third part examines the narrator's use of external omniscience as an authoritative voice to reveal the setting of Marygreen and also establish the reader's perception of the boy's place within this environment. The shifting point of view constructs Marygreen, in part, as an oppressive place that can be read as an analogy to Jude's unfortunate life. The narrator describes the oppressive nature of Marygreen by interjecting the dialogue between Mrs. Fawley and the villagers. The aunt, in her private residence, entertains her friends in the village by talking about her nephew Jude. He constantly pities and undermines the boy. His attitude towards Jude is exemplified in his statement; “It would have been a blessing if God-mighty… middle of paper…vers had not turned his head to look at them by the next harvest” (9). The omniscient narrator implies that Jude, who is naive and inexperienced, may be trapped in the cycle of giving himself for the comfort of being loved. The reader later learns that Jude's ambition is foreshadowed by Arabella, a cunning girl who seduces him into marriage. In conclusion, the narrator, by moving into the minds of different characters and with an omniscient external narration, manages to bring the reader the closest attributes of Jude's character. It seems that no matter how determined Jude is with his vision and attempts to fit in, he is incapable of attracting misunderstanding. Jude is perceived as the child of misfortune, continuing faith in the deeds of his ancestors. Works Cited Hardy, T. (ed.). (1993). Jude the Dark. Hertfordshire, England: Wordsworth Edition Limited.