Like The Moon and Sixpence, this novella features the tribulations of an artist, but instead of the artist leaving it all behind, this artist resolutely reaffirms the staid world of merry old England, in all its ignorance, vitality, and simplicity. The question is, How can we lead to a new world, an avant-garde interrogation of the world, while we look back towards a nostalgic view? In “Hardy’s” marriage to a rustic, we see a Jude-like marriage to the village flirt, except this time, he seems to be quite happy. In this capacity, it seems to throw a critique over Of Human Bondage and The Razors’ Edge, which present the bohemian world of risque poverty and/or the modern chic world of experimenting spoiled rich kids as something to be desired, explored, and represented.