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Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman
Tess of the DЎЇUrbervilles is HardyЎЇs saddest story of rural troubles. Tess is the daughter of the poor John Durbeyfield who learns that his family is related to ancient nobility, being the last of the family the DЎЇUrbervilles. In trying to make use of this connection, Tess is sent to pursue the son of the local family of Mrs DЎЇUrberville. Then Tess becomes involved with her son Alec who takes advantage of her and seduces her. The second stage of the novel concerns Angel. At the Dairy, Tess meets a man named Angel Clare with whom she falls in love. But she is troubled by pangs of conscience and feels she should tell Angel about her past. She tries to write him a confessional note but unfortunately Angel never sees it. After their wedding, Angel and Tess both confess indiscretions: Angel tells Tess about an affair he had with an older woman in London, and Tess tells Angel about her history with Alec. Tess forgives Angel, but Angel cannot. When Tess is in trouble, AlecЎЇs second attempt to ensnare Tess, which leads to murder, escape and superficial impurity on the part of Tess who is finally brought to "Justice".
What an exceptionally bleak novel! what persistent cruelty of fate against Tess, a pure and chaste woman! she is seduced due to her unawareness of the sexuality, but she knows clearly that she doesn't love Alec so she returns home to give birth to Alec's child. Therefore, of course, she moves from the upper to the lower classes. In the second stage, she rejects Angel's affection for her because of her imperfect past. She is in dilemma that she cannot tell Angel about her past because he would reject her in turn, while she cannot keep it as a secret for she doesnЎЇt want to deceive Angel whom she loves so much. At last, Tess kills Alce. It is the Alec DЎЇUrberville that makes her impurity and imperfect. Tess, the poor woman, the victimized woman, strikes out against a rapacious D'Urberville for her love, her purity, her chastity and her perfection.
TessЎЇs tragedy is partially due to two complicated man: Alec DЎЇUrberville and Angle Clare.
Alec just takes advantage of her as a sexual conquest. His reprimand of Tess as "rather sensitive for a cottage girl" serves to shatter the idea that Tess may marry a gentleman. As Alec notes, no matter her distant family connections, Tess is of such lowly birth that she may consent to be the mistress of a gentleman but not his wife.
Angel is a symbol of purity. He represents a significant sense of idealism and purity. Angel idealizes Tess as a "fresh and virginal daughter of nature" a characterization that obviously clashes with her imperfect past. Angel committs that he can not forgive Tess. He cannot comprehend his own self-delusion toward Tess, for he cannot conceive of Tess as anything less than the perfect person. Perhaps rather than the actual person of Tess, Angel loves the theoretical conception of Tess. [next page]