Tess Of The D Urbervilles Essay
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Nov 24, 2024
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Tess Of The D Urbervilles Color Red Essay
Just as most pieces of literature, Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles uses different forms of
symbolism throughout the novel. A prominent symbol through the novel, red is used quite often.
Hardy uses it to foreshadow, warn, and hint at future events that are important to the theme and in
the progression of the novel. Other symbolic devices are used, but the color red
's myriad of
meanings has proven it to be the best way to trace Tess's journey. The symbolism color red is first
introduced in the description of the girls whom ar attending the May Day Dance. The girls,
including Tess, are wearing various shades of white. Tess, however, is wearing one piece of red; a
ribbon in her hair. The insertion of the red ribbon in Tess's attire is, in a sense, a marker. It's a red
flag, if you will, that indicates the beginning of Tess's condemnation. Another example of the color
being used to foreshadow Tess's future pain, is in the following passage; " The dialect was on her
tongue to some extent, despite the village school; the characteristic
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Alec, as previously states, will come to be the bane of her existence. He will come to be intertwined
with the color red multiple times. The first time is when he and Tess are out for a stroll. He keeps
handing her flowers, giving him the illusion of having a sweet air about him, but by using red,
Hardy is able to hint at Alec's true role in Tess's life. Hardy describes that by putting on a sweet
façade, Tess is put under a "blue narcotic haze." By doing so, Alec is able to keep Tess from thinking
that he has the potential to be the "one who stood fair to be the blood–red ray in the spectrum of her
young life." The use of red here encompasses all the horrid Alec will cause in Tess's life, specifically
those in relation to blood, such as her rape, childbirth, and other events that further sullied her
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Tess Of The D Urbervilles Double Standard Essay
Tess Durbeyfield is one of several women who have experienced the repercussions of the double
sexual standard society has placed upon the world. In Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles,
Tess is portrayed as a young maiden attempting to survive a troublesome life. Along her life journey,
she encounters numerous men, particularly Alec d'Urberville and Angel Clare. Through her
experiences with these men, this double standard, or the idea that men and women are not enabled to
act in the same way, is emphasized in the way she is treated and viewed following certain events in
the novel. Early in the novel, following the detrimental death of Prince, Tess is coaxed into traveling
from Marlott to Trantridge in order to collect extra money for her
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It explains the background for much of Tess's motives and attitudes throughout the novel. Tess is
expected to follow the directions of both Alec and Angel. Along with this, she is shamed by society
after the unwarranted sexual relations with Alec and after being left by Angel following their
marriage. However, these men did not experience the same circumstances Tess succumbed to, which
is a perfect example of the double sexual standard Hardy presents in his
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Feeling Sympathy for Tess in Tess of the D'Urbervilles
I think that throughout the novel Thomas Hardy uses many different techniques that lead his readers
to feel sympathy for Tess. Through reading Hardy's 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' I have realised that it
is invaluable that the readers of any novel sympathise with and feel compassion for the main
character. In writing 'Tess of the
D'Urbervilles' Thomas Hardy is very successful in grabbing the attention and sentiments of the
reader and then steering their emotions so that they feel empathy and understanding for the character
Tess. Hardy does this from the very first time we are introduced to
Tess.
The first time we see Tess is at the Woman's Walking Club Festival,
Hardy
...show more content...
Hardy uses this dismissive tone of speech to display to the reader the prejudice Tess is subject to
because of her low social class, this allows us to identify with Tess and consequently feel sympathy
for her.
Hardy also leads us to feel sympathy for Tess by alerting us to the fact that Tess is a very moral,
altruistic, good person, who does not deserve hardship.
One such way that Hardy shows this is by always making Tess supportive and loyal to her family.
This is shown early in the book, where some of the girls of the Woman's Walking Club are teasing
Tess about her fathers drinking habits and Tess tells them: "Look here, I wont walk another inch
with you if you say such jokes about him" (Chapter II) although she is acutely embarrassed. This
displays Tess' integrity and strong nature to the reader, and gives us (the readers) another reason to
like Tess.
Another way in which Hardy shows Tess' goodness and purity (and resultantly winning the affection
and sympathy of the readers) is by portraying Tess as 'a maiden of the land' (Chapter XXI)a woman
who is wholly at one with nature. Tess is always seen to be comfortable outdoors: 'Every contour of
the surrounding hills was as well loved and as personal as that of her
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Essay about Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Tess of the d'Urbervilles is subtitled 'A pure woman' and this is how Thomas Hardy sees and
portrays her throughout his novel. As the novel progresses the reader is introduced to many aspects
of Tess as she grows from being a child on the verge of adulthood to a mature and experienced
woman. In some parts of the book Hardy describes Tess as very passive but in other parts of the
novel she is shown as a powerful and even godly sort of woman.
The character of Tess is first shown near the beginning of the book as a proud and shy young girl.
She is very loving of her family and holds them in high regard especially her parents even though
they sometimes do feckless, irresponsible things such as when her father
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Hardy is very intent on mentioning the cruelty of 'fate' which appears especially in chapter 4 with
the discussion between Tess and her brother Abraham concerning the stars, the two children decide
that the misfortunes they suffer are all because they live on a 'blighted star' instead of the normal
Victorian belief that all misfortunes are due to God punishing someone. This shows Tess as an
intelligent and educated young woman. These ideas though technically written in the nineteenth
centaury reflect more rightly twentieth centaury views and beliefs.
The mere thought that life was random and doesn't always turn out how you want was particularly
offensive to people in the Victorian era who believed that there was a divine God that controlled
everything. The idea that Hardy thought Tess to be a "pure woman" even after she had gotten
pregnant before marriage and committed murder, was also unheard of in the Victorian era. After the
death of Prince Tess feels guilty and responsible for the event, which ironically she had no control
over, "she regarded herself in the light of a murderess" but her guilt leaves her more inclined to her
parent's wishes.
Tess's return to Marlott from Trantridge becomes the subject of gossip in the town because she had
come back in a lower social standing than before she left–pregnant and unmarried. In the dusk
"when light and darkness are so evenly balanced" she feels free and her burden and problems fall
away, she feels as if
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Tess of the D'Urbervilles by THomas Hardy Essay
Tess of the D'Urbervilles is a movie based on a novel by Thomas Hardy. The story involves a young
girl named Tess who will be the victim, the prey, and sometimes the lover of many men. She will go
through this without ever understanding what it is that those men want of her.
The first man in her life is her father, whose name is John Durbeyfield. He was a drunken farmer.
John discovers from the local parson that he is related to the noble local family of d'Urbervilles.
After finding out this information, the farmer and his wife immediately send their beautiful
daughter, Tess, off to meet and introduce the d'Urbervilles and if everything works out win a
position in their household.
Tess is almost immediately seduced by one of her
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The final scene is reflecting the harshness of the work and the desolation of Tess' life.
The spirited women idealized for her courage in the story, Tess Durbeyfield is the eldest daughter of
a poor family. In the face of near constant harmful circumstances, Tess holds onto her pure heart and
sensitive soul.
Tess's physicality is referred to so frequently in the novel that it's hard not to think of her
attractiveness as her defining characteristic. Some characters in the novel aren't able to see past her
good looks. The scene in which she first meets Alec D'Urberville points out that Alec's obsession
with Tess is purely physical, and his physical attraction to her has to do with her beauty.
Tess herself views her own physical beauty with pride, only to think that Angel is proud to have a
pretty wife. At other times, she is self–conscious and embarrassed about her good looks. When she
travels alone after Angel has left her, she goes so far as to disguise herself so that she'll be able to
avoid the unwanted remarks and unpleasant looks of men on the road. She snips off her eyebrows
and ties a bandage around her chin so she won't be looked down upon because of her looks.
She somehow sees her own physical attractiveness as a sin. It's something she cannot help, her body
features tempts men, and causes them to accuse her of deliberately tempting them. She falls for men
very easily and gets pregnant by her cousin.
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Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'urbervilles Essay
Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'urbervilles In Thomas Hardy's novel, "Tess of the D'urbervilles" the
settings and surroundings of Talbothays Dairy and Flint Comb – Ash represent both the good and
evil in Tess's life. Throughout the novel Tess is faced with absolute happiness and also total misery.
As she moves from location to location the setting of these different places reflect her different
emotions. Hardy also uses nature to help the reader identify with Tess's feelings. The natural
surroundings and the different seasons are often in keeping with the events of the novel; literacy
critics refer to this as the 'Pathetic Fallacy'. Throughout the novel as the seasons change, so does the
action, which
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She is illustrated as "a fine picturesque country girl". We are left with the impression of rustic beauty
with a hidden, or perhaps not hidden, sense of passion. Tess was born in the village of Marlott,
located in the Vale of Blackmoor. "This fertile and sheltered tract of country, in which the fields are
never brown and the springs never dry…. the hills are open, the sun blazes down upon fields so
large as to give an enclosed character to the landscape…." Tess is born innocent into a land of
possibilities. In this description of Blackmoor, Hardy gives the reader a sense of many possibilities
through the imagery of "open hills" and "unenclosed fields". Despite the fact that Tess is born into a
limitless world. Her fate proves cruel and it destroys her innocence. An event occurs one evening
after her father had had too much alcohol, making it impossible for him to deliver the beehives to
the market. So Tess sets out with her younger brother Abraham upon a route of "bad roads over a
distance between twenty and thirty miles". The journey is doomed because they will be having to
cross "bad roads" that cover a huge distance. They begin their travels on a "Starlit night". "Abraham
talked on… leant back against the hives, and with Upturned face made observations on the stars,
whose
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Tess Of The DUrbervilles Character Analysis
Tess of the d'Urbervilles is a story about a young girl who had very tragic life growing up. Her
father, John Durbeyfield, came across a major surprise that he was part of a lineage of family that is
very wealthy, the d'Urbervilles. When Tess' father and mother discover that they have a nearby
relative of the d'Urbervilles, they send Tess to go and claim their kinship. When Tess arrives, Alec
d'Urberville is immediately attracted to her and makes Tess the caretaker of his ill mother and soon
after seduces Tess and rapes her. Tess then returns home and explains to her parents what happened
and her parents are infuriated that she didn't make Alec marry her so that they could inherit the
wealth of the d'Urbervilles. Tess finds out that she is pregnant and gives birth to her son, Sorrow.
Sorrow gets ill and dies as a baby and Tess is left traumatized by this event. Soon after Sorrow's
death, Tess leaves home and takes a journey to Talbothays Dairy and becomes a milkmaid to
dairyman, Mr. Crick. While she is working for Mr. Crick, she meets a man named Angel Clare who
she ends up marrying even though he does not know Tess' past. After Tess and Angel get married,
they confess to each other about their past and Tess forgave Angel but Angel could not forgive Tess
of her past. Angel suggests that he should go away for a while and Tess should return home, and so
they do. Tess eventually leaves home again and travels to Flintcomb and picks up work there. She
makes up her
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"Life is not fair" is one of the most commonly used idioms in the world today. As recurrent as it is
now, it has also been a quite common theme for contemplation throughout history. This unfairness is
always blamed on someone or something, but often this blame is misplaced, which is unfair in itself.
In Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy depicts the injustice of life and the effects of mislaid
blame through his use of imagery and diction.
Hardy uses imagery throughout the novel in order to explicitly define the ways in which life is
unjust. This injustice is first displayed at Prince?s death, then again at his burial. Hardy chooses
specific words to enable the reader to see exactly what is happing. He describes the mail–cart
...show
more content...
However, Prince?s death was an accident, and it is unfair that Tess should be blamed, when all she is
trying to do is help. It is not long before Tess is blamed again, and again, the fault is not hers.
When Tess goes to work for the Stoke–D?Urbervilles, what happens to her there is not her fault
either, yet she must pay the consequence. Tess goes to work for them in an attempt to support her
family. Unfortunately, Tess is raped by Alec Stoke–D?Urberville, and cannot do anything about it.
The scenario is portrayed through Hardy?s choice of words. He says, ?Darkness and silence ruled
everywhere around.? This introduction into the rape scene sets the reader?s mind for peace and
innocence, when that is not at all what will come. Hardy then chooses to describe other innocent
aspects of the scene, such as the ?gentle roosting birds? and the ?hopping rabbits and hares.? Hardy
then describes Tess, portraying her as ?beautiful feminine tissue,? ?sensitive as gossamer,? and ?
blank as snow.? (Hardy 58). All of these descriptions further impress the thought that Tess is
innocent to the situation into the mind of the reader. Through the vivid images drawn by Hardy?s
words, the reader can more thoroughly comprehend Tess?s predicament.
Tess seems to be granted with a second chance as she is approaching Talbothays Dairy, the author
paints for the reader a beautiful landscape brimming with luster and renewal. Hardy?s choice of
words when describing
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Tess of the D'Urbervilles Essay
Tess of the D'Urbervilles was first published in 1891 to mixed reviews. The book is about the
character Tess and it is a haunting and tragic tale set in England in the Victorian times in around
about the mid 1800's. The book was intially turned down by publishers because the story included
seduction and illegitimate birth. In the book Hardy uses a lot of symbolism, some of which
foreshadows the events that occur later in the story. Tess's world is rural Wessex where agriculture
was the most important industry. The story contains many rustic characters which are links back to
Hardy's own life; the rustic characters are friendly and understanding and do not judge other people
as much as the aristocratic chracters.
During the 1800's England
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There is another point in the book where Tess prays at what she thinks is some sort of holy relic but
later finds out it was the grave of an evil man,'Tis a thing of ill–omen, Miss. It ws put up in wuld
times by the relations of a malefactor who was tortured there by nailing his hands to a post and
afterwards hung. the bones lie underneath. They say he sold his soul to the devil, and that he walks
at times', this foreshadows when she is hung at the end of the book.
Another use of symobolism is used late in the book where Tess and Angel are at stonehenge, 'But
Tess, really tired by this time, flung herself upon an oblong slab that lay close at hand, and was
sheltered from the wind by a pillar', some people speculate that ritualized funerary processions
where held at stonehenge which could foreshadow her coming death or this could be a reference to
sacrifice,'and the stone of sacrifice midway'. Also when Tess spends a night in the woods she is
described like she is hiding and there is also the story of the deer, this is foreshadowing to when she
becomes a wanted criminal and is hunted by the authorities,'It is no use, sir, he said. There are
sixteen of us on the plain, and the whole country is reared.'
The rustic characters in Tess of the D'Urbervilles are links to Hardy's life. They are described as
hardworking, understanding
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Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Tess of the D'Urbervilles Quotes
Tess of the D'UrbervillesbyThomas Hardy
62,218 ratings, 3.62 average rating, 3,301 reviews Tess of the D'Urbervilles Quotes (showing 1–50
of 88)
"A strong woman who recklessly throws away her strength, she is worse than a weak woman who
has never had any strength to throw away."
― Thomas Hardy
, Tess of the D'Urbervilles tags: strength, woman
"Did you say the stars were worlds, Tess?"
"Yes."
"All like ours?"
"I don't know, but I think so. They sometimes seem to be like the apples on our stubbard–tree. Most
of them splendid and sound – a few blighted."
"Which do we live on – a splendid one or a blighted one?"
"A blighted one."
― Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D'Urbervilles tags: stars
"Beauty lay not in the
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She knew that they were waiting like wolves just outside the circumscribing light, but she had long
spells of power to keep them in hungry subjection there."
― Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D'Urbervilles "...she moved about in a mental cloud of many–
coloured idealities, which eclipsed all sinister contingencies by its brightness."
― Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D'Urbervilles
"Why it was that upon this beautiful feminine tissue, sensitive as gossamer, and practically blank as
snow as yet, there should have been traced such a coarse pattern as it was doomed to receive; why
so often the coarse appropriates the finer thus, the wrong man the woman, the wrong women the
man, many years of analytical philosophy have failed to explain to our sense of order"
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Tess Of The D ' Urbervilles By Thomas Hardy
The novel, Tess of the d 'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy depicts the heroine, Tess and the tragedies
that are seemingly continuously finding their way to her. Tess's tragedy is caused by the societal
environment that she is in that finds value in gender divisions and economic growth as well as
religious beliefs. The internal strife that Tess faces along with those in Tess's life are the cause of her
downfall. Hardy shows that Tess is fated to fail throughout the novel by creating characters that
impede on her success who represent the values of era. The most prominent reason why Tess has
such a tragic ending is due to the people that have a great influence on her, these people being her
parents, Alec d'Urberville, and the man she falls in
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When Alec and Tess are riding to Tantridge in the cart, he drives it wildly, scaring Tess and forcing
her to beg him to slow down. Alec states, "If anyone can manage this horse I can..." which feeds into
the ideology that men were to be in control (39). The societal rules are what controls the actions of
the characters throughout the novel which cause Tess's downfall.
During the novel, Europe is going through industrialization. The industrialization of cities around
Tess caused a sort of deconstruction for those who were living in more rural areas of Wessex. With
the growth of industrialization came the growth of capitalism. Tess's family is poor and large living
in rural England. Since Tess was the oldest of her siblings she faced most of the work load as her
family enjoyed the thrills of life. After the death of their horse, which impeded their means of
income, Tess was forced to meet with her estranged family, the d'Urbervilles to claim kin in hopes of
being given an employment opportunity. After meeting with Alec for a short while at the
d'Urberville estate, Tess finds herself to be overwhelmed with the riches of the d'Urbervilles and
demanding demeanor of Alec and does not want to go back to the estate. The economic failures of
Tess's family are a great factor of Tess's downfall. She is unable to become the teacher she wanted to
be and finish her education because her family's poverty demanded her to provided anything of
monetary value so they
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Tess of the D'Uberville
Angela Le
A3
Book Card
Title: Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Author: Thomas Hardy
Genre (include original copyright date): Tragedy (1891)
Setting (remember setting is not just time and place): Victorian Era England, Wessex County, and
English peasantry life
Characters and Brief Description (include quotes):
Tess Durbeyfield: oldest in family, beautiful, naïve, innocent, immature, runs away from her
problems, prioritizes family first, believes anything Angel says. "Tess Durbeyfield at this time of her
life was a mere vessel of emotion untinctured by experience."
Angel Clare: handsome, intelligent, youngest of 3 sons, father is a parson, expected to follow the
rules of the church but instead rebels because he does not fully agree
...show more content...
Later in the book Mrs. Brooks, the caretaker, notices "The oblong white ceiling, with this scarlet
blot in the midst, had the appearance of a gigantic ace of hearts" which is referring to Alec's blood
staining the ceiling being Tess has killed him.
Narrative Techniques (include examples, and significance): omniscient point of view to allow reader
to understand each character equally, changing settings to match the plot and characters emotion,
irony to mock the tragedy like how going to Alec would make her rich but she comes home doomed,
motifs to foreshadow like the birds that were hunted were put to death, biblical allusions to mock
religion since Hardy doesn't believe in it.
Description and Significance of Opening Scene
Jack Durbeyfield founds out it is from a noble knighted family and uses this information to try to get
rich quick. He is very excited about this information and decides to brag about it. This shows the
significance ancient lineage plays in the setting and how it will be affected by the plot later on.
Description and Significance of Closing Scene
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Tess is executed and a black flag is raised to signify so. This shows the inevitable tragic ending that
was always following Tess. There was no escaping fate for her.
Plot Details
–Jack Durbeyfield found out he is of noble lineage.
–Tess accidently kills family horse.
–Tess feels obligated to
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Love in Tess of the D'Urbervilles Essay
Is being in love always a happy experience? With references to the main characters in Tess of the
D'Urbervilles, show the range of emotions love can bring.
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Is being in love always a happy experience? With references to the main characters in 'Tess of the
D'Urbervilles', show the range of emotions love can bring.
Thomas Hardy was born in June 1840 and was educated until he was 16 near Dorchester. By 1867
Hardy had begun to write his first unpublished novel, 'The Poor Man and the Lady'. By the time he
had married his wife in 1874 he had written four novels and was earning a living as a writer. It total
Thomas Hardy has written eleven novels, one of which is 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' set in
...show
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This makes it very hard for Tess to ignore
Alec altogether as she believes she owes something to Alec. Alec knows this and therefore takes
advantage of the situation when he seduces Tess when they are alone in some woods together. In
another version of the book, it clearly states that Alec first gives Tess a drug that makes her unaware
of what is happening. This would make the event rape not seduction. In Hardy's time this would
have been a very daring thing to write about as no other author had dared to write about anything
like it before. Now however, people would not be as shocked as there are many more books written
with much more graphic description than this novel.
Alec's feelings towards Tess not being reciprocated show that love is not always a happy experience
although he does not really love her; it is just lust and obsession. Here the emotions of Tess are that
she feels ashamed and dirty. Alec is obsessive and very determined to be with Tess.
After this event Tess decides it best to leave and return home to her family. When Tess does arrive
home she partially blames her mother for what happened with Alec whilst she was away. She asks
her
'How could I be expected to know? I was only a child when I left this house four months ago. Why
didn't you tell me there was danger?'
Due to the way she feels about Alec, Tess
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The Endless Dissonance between Humanity and Nature
The scientific and technological advancements of the early 20th century entered people's daily lives
with the intention of bringing the whole of humanity into a brighter, more modern era. However, the
darker side of such immense achievement was the increasing encroachment on the previously
untouched natural world. Many great minds grew weary of such advances and conveyed their
apprehension through the popular literature of the time. The pivotal novel Tess of the D'Urbervilles
by Thomas Hardy explores the impact that industrialists with access to technology had on the
pastoral countryside and lower classes. Conan Doyle expands on this message in his novel The
Hound of the Baskervilles
, by
...show more content...
Another example of humanity's increasing imposition on nature is the D'Urberville mansion, that
Tess describes as being, "almost new–and of the same rich red colour that formed such a contrast
with the evergreens of the lodge" (Hardy). The bright colors of the house contrast with the calm
surrounding landscape, providing emphasis to the intrusion that capitalist Alec D'Urberville has
made upon nature. This idea foreshadows Alec's rape of Tess, which is also symbolic of the new
industrialized capitalists pillaging the natural world to make a profit. Alec abandons Tess "upon the
dead leaves" in The Chase, which is "one of the few remaining woodlands in England of undoubted
primeval date" (Hardy). The fact that Alec takes advantage of Tess, who is described as "a figure
which is part of the landscape," in an ancient forest emphasizes how invasive the presence of
industry, which Alec embodies, was becoming in the 20th century (Hardy). The exploitation of Tess
parallels the abuse that modern agricultural technology was exhibiting on the longstanding
farmlands of England. Hardy portrays the Talbothays farm that Tess first works on as a, "happy
green tract of land where summer had been liberal in her gifts" (Hardy). Hardy quickly replaces this
quaint image of nature with
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The Novel ' Tess Of The D ' Urbervilles
In the novel Tess of the D 'Urbervilles, Hardy places several barriers in the way of Tess and her
quest for love. One of the barriers Tess encounters is religion, this barrier is not only associated with
Angel but with Sorrow her, illegitimate, child. Another barrier that arises in the novel is class
divisions between Tess, Angel and Alec. Tess feels she is not worthy of Angle due to his superior
intellect and his middle–class background. whereas Alec abuses his higher class status to subdue and
abuse Tess. The final barrier is the expected role of women in the Victorian times. it was a role that
dictated they should be pure and virginal girls who were seen and not heard. Hardy holds Tess as a
woman pure in heart who stands against the restricting views of the church and society. A running
theme through the novel is religion which is also shown to be a barrier to love in more than one way
and impacts on more than one relationship in Tess' life. the main relationship religion effects are
between Tess and Angel. Clare likes to see himself as an extremist in his beliefs due to his rejection
of most of the churches ideologies, but this is called into question when he learns of Tess' 'previous
experiences'. Angels immediate rejection of Tess, despite his own immoralities, is essentially down
to his inability to overcome his fundamental ideologies. these principles cause huge hypocritical
views to emerge from Angel as he is guilty of committing a similar sin 'forgiveness
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Essay Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Hardy
–1–
SAC Out come 2 – Literature
In "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" Hardy does expose the social injustices and double standards which
prevail in the late nineteenth century.
These injustices and double standards are evident throughout the whole novel, and Tess, the main
character
, is the one who suffers them.
This becomes evident from the first page when Parson Tringham meets Jack Durbeyfield and refers
to him as "Sir John". With his whimsical comment, made from the safety of a secure social position
,
the Parson begins the events which start the destruction and downfall of the whole Durbeyfield
family.
Logically the fact that Tess
's family and their "gentlefolk" relatives have the same descendents
should mean that both sides of the
...show more content...
Not only this, it was a sin of which he too was guilty – they both had a premarital affair. This leads
us to the hypocrisy in the different standards set for men and women. True, this difference was
common to the whole society, but Hardy does appear to be a pioneer in highlighting the injustice. At
the end of phase the fourth, Angel admits to plunging into "eight and fourty hours' dissipation with a
stranger" (page 225). Tess's forgiveness is immediate. She says: "Oh, Angel – I am almost glad –
because now you can forgive me!" (Page 225)
In her simplicity she believes all will be well but that is not the case. Phase the fifth is titled The
Woman Pays. Angel blames her for this very simplicity. He is not willing to live with her and bring
shame upon their future family. Angel can be forgiven with a word, but not Tess. As Hardy points
out "The woman pays".
This is not only shown between Tess and Angel or Alex but by most of the men throughout the
book, starting with her father. When Jack Durbeyfield gets drunk at The Pure Drop Tess is expected
to do his work for him. While doing this she kills
Prince, which leads to her misfortunes at Trantridge. Tess not only has to work for her father when
he is drunk, she is expected to cover for his stupidity, as is her mother. An example of this is when
Jack rides past the May dance, everyone assumes he is
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Tess of the D'Urbervilles
–1– SAC Out come 2 ± Literature In "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" Hardy does expose the social
injustices and double standards which prevail in the late nineteenth century. These injustices and
double standards are evident throughout the whole novel, and Tess, the main character, is the one
who suffers them. This becomes evident from the first page when Parson Tringham meets Jack
Durbeyfield and refers to him as "Sir John". With his whimsical comment, made from the safety of a
secure social position, the Parson begins the events which start the destruction and downfall of the
whole Durbeyfield family. Logically the fact that Tess's family and their "gentlefolk" relatives have
the same descendents should mean that both sides of
...show more content...
While doing this she kills Prince, which leads to her misfortunes at Trantridge. Tess not only has to
work for her father when he is drunk, she is expected to cover for his stupidity, as is her mother. An
example of this is when Jack rides past the May dance, everyone assumes he is drunk and Tess is
left to defend his behaviour. " ±He's tired, that all,' she said hastily, ±and he has got a lift home,'"
(p.15) When Tess says this no one believes her. As her friends say, "Bless thy simplicity, Tess" (Page
15) In Tess's society it was more acceptable for a man than a woman in authority to be cruel or
unjust. Alec is not seen as a bad man for what he has done. To an extent even Tess's parents blame
her for everything that happened at Trantridge. On hearing the whole story Tess's mother says, "
±And yet th'st not got him to marry ±ee!' "reiterated her mother. ±Any woman would have done it
but you' "Apparently Tess's pride was more of a sin than Alec's rape of her. There seems to be no
escape for Tess from the social injustice which is her fate. There is no authority that will champion a
mistreated peasant like Tess, in both the situation with Alec, and Tess being from a poor family. The
only voice of dissent is from Hardy, the novelist. Even with Angel, her husband, she has no avenue
for complaint. People assume the woman was in the wrong but on what was Angel's reaction
actually based? It could have been an immature
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Goblin Market By Thomas Hardy
During the Victorian Era (1837–1901), Victorian morality was a prominent feature of people's lives.
There were strict moral codes, but it was especially tough on women. For example, one of a
woman's vital trait was being pure. If she was tainted in any way, she would be considered a ruined
woman. In Thomas Hardy's novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles, he portrays the hypocrisy of Victorian
morality by describing the life of an innocent woman, Tess, who becomes victimized by lust,
poverty, and irony. In Christina Rossetti's poem "Goblin Market," she defies Victorian ideals of
women by illustrating two girls' encounter with goblins. In Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles
and Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market," both use nature imagery and biblical symbolism to display
society's corrupting influence and describe women's expected ideals and strengths in contrast to
men's expectations. In Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Hardy displays a clear difference between the
power of Tess and men by using natural images. During Tess's first encounter with Alec, her weak
social standing is immediately established when Alec force feeds her a strawberry; "He stood up and
held it by the stem to her mouth" (Hardy 37). Strawberries are seen as luxury goods, which
emphasizes on Alec's wealth. Compared to Tess who is a peasant facing poverty, Alec is a rich man
who is not concerned with money problems. Also, his action of feeding her takes away her will as he
brushes aside her refusals and persists until she relents under the pressure. The color red also holds
the connotation of love. However, Alec is forcing the strawberry on Tess, showing the color red as
one–sided passion; it foreshadows Alec's rape as it is one–sided. In a society where men are treated
as superior beings, there is a gender standard of men as decision makers and women as followers.
Additionally, Tess's meeting with the dying pheasants represents the consequences of being near
men with power. As Tess walks closer to the pheasants, "several pheasants lay about with their rich
plumage dabbled with blood" (Hardy 280). Like Tess, their natural beauty is marred by the actions
of others; in Tess's case, the culprit is Alec while in the pheasants' case, the culprit is the
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The author Thomas Hardy lived and wrote in a time of difficult social change, when England was
making its slow and painful transition from an old–fashioned, agricultural nation to a modern,
industrial one. Businessmen and entrepreneurs, or "new money," joined the ranks of the social elite,
as some families of the ancient aristocracy, or "old money," faded into obscurity. Hardy 's novel Tess
of the d 'Urbervilles clearly illustrates his views on the harsh social changes in his time period,
which were the exact opposite of many of his conservative and status–conscious readers. In the
novel, Hardy mocks the power of high class society and industrialization, as well as to the
importance of lineage and heritage in conjunction with social
...show more content...
"So much the worse for you. I think that parson who unearthed your pedigree would have done
better if he had held his tongue. I cannot help associating your decline as a family with this other
fact––of your want of firmness. Decrepit families imply decrepit wills, decrepit conduct. Heaven,
why did you give me a handle for despising you more by informing me of your descent! Here was I
thinking you a new–sprung child of nature; there were you, the belated seedling of an effete
aristocracy!" (Phase the Fifth, Chapter XXXV, pg 235–236) Angel, a character who normally rebels
against conventions, cannot accept the fact that Tess is not the pure woman he thought she was, and
calls her "an unapprehending peasant woman" implying that her "decrepit" family name is the
reason she can 't understand why his forgiveness for Alec 's rape isn 't enough. The hypocrisy Hardy
conveys through Angel is shown clearly in this passage; though Angel himself doesn 't want to
follow the standards of society, he holds Tess to them, if not to higher standards of purity and
perfection. His distaste for her family name and his belief that it led to her misfortune shows that he
is also similar to modern society on the brink of the 20th century in England, which finds lineage
and old money distasteful and useless (Grimsditch, 119). Through Angel and his many hypocritical
actions in the novel,
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