He embodied the degenerating rural society and economy. 他代表退化的農村社會和經濟。
After this novel, Hardy was involved into deeper consideration for the fate and the future of the peasantry in Wessex society. 在這部小說之後,哈代轉而進入到深沉的哲學思考中,探索隨著威塞克斯農村社會的毀滅而破產的農民階級的出路和命運問題。