Hardy's revolutionary Schopenhauer

I've recently finished reading Hardy's Jude the Obscure, having begun intent on investigating the claim that Hardy 'might have been influenced by Schopenhauer'. The answer is 'most probably'. The novel demonstrates this not only in its pessimism, a rather superficial and oft-mentioned characteristic of the German's thought, but also in that the protagonist, Jude, himself holds what on all accounts seems to be a metaphysics, and ensuing ethics, taken straight from The World as Will and Representation.

In the novel, Hardy establishes a distinction between nature and convention, with both Jude and Sue (the other main character) being thwarted in their projects by the conventions of an unhealthy society. As Schopenhauer believes that an ethical life consists in removing obstacles to the striving of others, and in trying to reduce the inevitable suffering of life, we see that in Hardy, this would amount to no more or less than changing society and its conventions.

How can I live a good life? Be compassionate, and ease the struggling of others. But how do I do this? Overthrow the conventions which restrict us; destroy the societal structures which resist our volition.