Jude is a poorly educated country boy trying to get into a university. He attends Oxford and Christianity has a profound effect on his life and education.

Since Arabella has left him, Jude is free to pursue his ambitions to go to Christminster. He only has to wait until he has served his apprenticeship as a stonemason.

Rejected by the Dean of Cardinal College, Jude has left Christminster in despair. He now works as a jobbing mason but still retains his scholastic ambitions.