# Father Time — Jude the Obscure character guide

> Father Time in Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Time, Father, little Time, Little Father

**First appearance:** 0001-jude-the-obscure

## Who they are

Jude and Arabella's strange, solemn son, Father Time arrives from Australia carrying the weight of his parents' failures on small shoulders.

## Relationships

### [Jude Fawley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se/characters/jude_fawley)

_family_

Tragic father-son bond, with Jude trying to love the melancholic boy who ultimately destroys their family.

### [Arabella Donn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se/characters/arabella_donn)

_family_

Neglectful mother-son relationship, with Arabella abandoning the boy and later using him for her own ends.

### [Sue Bridehead](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se/characters/sue_bridehead)

_family_

Unstable stepmother-stepson relationship, with Sue trying to love the troubled boy who ultimately kills her children.

### [Jude Fawley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se/characters/jude_fawley)

_family_

Tragic father-son bond, with Jude trying to love the melancholic boy who ultimately destroys their family.

### [Arabella Donn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se/characters/arabella_donn)

_family_

Neglectful mother-son relationship, with Arabella abandoning the boy and later using him for her own ends.

### [Sue Bridehead](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se/characters/sue_bridehead)

_family_

Unstable stepmother-stepson relationship, with Sue trying to love the troubled boy who ultimately kills her children.

### [Jude Fawley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se/characters/jude_fawley)

_family_

Tragic father-son bond, with Jude trying to love the melancholic boy who ultimately destroys their family.

### [Sue Bridehead](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se/characters/sue_bridehead)

_family_

Unstable stepmother-stepson relationship, with Sue trying to love the troubled boy who ultimately kills her children.

## In the story

### [Part V: At Aldbrickham and Elsewhere](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se/chapters/part-v-at-aldbrickham-and-elsewhere)

Arrives to live with Jude and Sue, adding complexity to their household.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se/chapters/iii)

The boy arrives by train, described as a pale, serious child with a key around his neck, embodying premature age.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se/chapters/iv)

Present at the fireside conversation, he speaks a single line advising against the marriage.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se/chapters/v)

Accompanies Jude and Sue; unable to enjoy the flowers due to thoughts of their withering.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se/chapters/vi)

Taunted by schoolboys about his parentage; becomes a source of concern for Sue and Jude.

### [Chapter VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se/chapters/vii)

Assists Sue at the cake stall; does not know Arabella is his mother; speaks in Wessex dialect.

### [Part VI: At Christminster Again](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se/chapters/part-vi-at-christminster-again)

Present in the household, his melancholic nature foreshadows the impending tragedy.

### [At Christminster Again](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se/chapters/i)

Present with Jude and Sue, expresses dislike for Christminster, asks if the colleges are gaols.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se/chapters/ii)

Father Time is deeply affected by their homelessness and the news of another child. He expresses a desire never to have been born and later hangs himself and the two younger children.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se/characters/father_time
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jude_the_obscure_se/characters