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Thomas Hardys poem, Neutral Tones, immerses itself in subtle hints of neutrality, from descriptions of nature to usage of color, when describing the end of a relationship. The relationship appears to have been inevitable through the exhaustion of time and has ended amicably. However, that neutrality does not necessarily evoke impartial or even distant emotions with regard to the break-up. The break-up instead causes the main character of the poem to hold strong, lasting bitterness towards love. The poem, therefore, suggests that neutrality is considered by some to be a favored solution. Neutrality, while separating one from problems, lacks feeling, explanation, and reason, and in attempting to accept that, more pain is felt rather than not. This implies that in a relationship, neutrality is capable of causing just as much pain as actual inflicted physical and emotional pain because one must accept the neutrality with ease and without answers.
The first stanza of the poem serves as context for the rest of the poem. Through the use of naturalism, the winter day described in the first stanza becomes a reflection of the relationship itself. Because the setting is on a winter day, it is implied that there is a dreariness to their relationship (line 1). Had the scene taken place on a spring day, the season of love, there would be more hope for the relationship. Whereas spring represents vibrancy and life, winter represents the end of the year, and the death of the living things that spring has cultivated. The relationship described has clearly reached its own winter day, and their love is dying. A white sun looks upon this winter day, and it is described as being chidden of God (line ). Chidden means to be reprimanded or punished, and therefore, it is as though God is punishing the sun to shine is very brightest an intense, glaring white light. This contrasts with the dreariness associated with winter. Since the sun is being forced to come out from its seasonal hibernation, it is as though aspects of the relationship need to be brought to light and examined. The final image of the stanza is of an ash tree. It is interesting to note than an ash tree is used instead of a pine tree or a weeping willow. The word ash itself brings about the imagery of the remains of a fire. Associating fire with passion, the tree seems to be the remains of the relationship after the passion has passed. What remains of the relationship is still loosing its leaves to the starving sod (line ). Lasting relationships endure even after the passion and lust is gone, but this falls apart. Through use of words like gray and starving, a very bleak and exhausted picture arises. The relationship seems to have run its course, as many relationships do, and the narrator seems to look upon it as a black and white photo, with a neutral stance.
Stanza two delves into details about the narrators relationship, from where it stood in the past to its condition in the moments prior to the break up. Apparently, the relationship was filled with tedious riddles . . . years ago (line 6). Describing their problems as tedious riddles displays that the relationship had once been filled with complicated, unanswerable questions. Those riddles, through the passage of time, seemed to have been forgotten. Now, the narrator describes the other persons eyes as being the same eyes that rove over riddles long ago (line 5). Their relationship has returned to its former uncertain state. The narrator claims that words are played between the two (line 6). This word usage makes the exchange seem more lighthearted than it really is because of the use of the word played. It is as though the narrator is attempting to give the relationship a neutral stance because when one is playing, there is less at stake than, say, when one is competing. By taking describing the exchange as nothing more than word play, the narrator is avoiding actually ever dealing with what is said. It seems as though what is said in the exchange is not as important as the fact that the exchange itself takes place. This exchange is a sign that their love or relationship is fading, and for the narrator, that is enough to more or less lose their love..
Serving to seal the break-up, stanza three uses images and symbols of death, as seen below (lines -1.
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The smile on your mouth was the deadest thin.
Alive enough to have strength to die.
And a grin of bitterness swept thereb.
Like an ominous bird a-wing . . . .The narrator focuses on the other person through his/her eyes in stanza , and now his/her smile. These are the parts of a person that are often the most expressive. Through the description of the mouth, it is further reiterated that the relationship has run its course, although reasons are not revealed and blame is not placed on either party. The narrator simply describes the other persons smile as alive enough to have strength to die (line 10). It does not take strength to die, therefore, the smile is not alive at all. The relationship has finally been exhausted of all its emotion and motivation after the several years that it has lasted. Suddenly, the smile turns into bitterness . . . like an ominous bird a-wing (lines 11-1). This is reminiscent of a vulture, a bird that is a symbol for death, circling overhead. However, it is a grin of bitterness, which foreshadows what the narrator is about to feel. Up until this point, neutrality has been maintained when it comes to the narrators feelings about the relationship. It seems as though the narrator wants as peaceful of a break-up as possible simply because the relationship has run its course. Few telling words are exchanged, and feelings are not expressed, except for a grin of bitterness, which foreshadows the narrators feelings in the future.
The final stanza differs from the other three stanzas in that it is no longer the narrator reflecting upon the relationship. Instead, the narrator uses the following lines to express his/her feelings years later (lines 1-16.
Since then, keen lessons that love deceives.
And wrings with wrong, have shaped to m.
Your face, and the God-curst sun, and a tree,.
And a pond edged with grayish leaves.The narrator comes away from what he/she attempted to make a peaceful break-up feeling anything but neutral. Instead, he/she feels that love itself has deceived him/her and is ultimately wrong. The relationship had lasted for years and ended simply because it had faded. It seems as though the narrator wanted the relationship to work, and now cannot fathom why it eventually failed. The images of the last stanza reflect the images of the end of love in the first stanza, except for a minor difference. Instead of a sun chidden of God, the sun is now God-curst, an image that is far longer lasting (line 15). Curses are more permanent that reprimands or punishment. In the narrators eyes, the sun was cursed by God to shine down on the narrator and affect all of his/her views on relationships in general. Relationships themselves have lost their luster for the narrator because if even the most neutral of relationships failed to work, how can others.
Hardy criticizes the use of neutrality to distance ones self from feeling and dealing with problems, and in this poem, that problem was that of a break-up. The narrator attempted to end the break-up in a peaceful manner and even tried to look back upon it with the same manner. However, it is apparent in the final stanza that the narrator came away from the relationship scarred and never quite heals. Also, the fact that the break-up itself was neutral and inevitable makes it more painful for the narrator. Had the relationship ended for specific, mentioned reasons, the narrator would not have such a skewed view on love. The narrator would not feel that love deceives because the narrator would know why love couldnt last, why it had to end. It seems as though neutrality is a feeling not to be favored due to the fact that it leads to a lack of answers. Neutrality creates an end without reason which thereby never becomes an end at all, but a continuous path that one must travel on in search of impossible answers..
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