An analysis of the significance of chapter 37, to the novel as a whole;

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English Coursework

Tess of the D’Urbervilles

By Thomas Hardy

An analysis of the significance of chapter 37, to the novel as a whole;

The setting of this chapter is within the D’Urberville mansion in the Froom Valley. Hardy uses the previous chapters to introduce the atmosphere within the mansion, making it apparent that there is an ancestral past for Tess, which makes her increasingly uncomfortable and it doesn’t help that Angel keeps referring to Tess as a D’Urberville; ‘The long pointed features, narrow eye, and smirk of the one, so suggestive of merciless treachery; the bill-hook nose, large teeth, and bold eye of the other suggesting arrogance to the point of ferocity, haunt the beholder afterwards in his dreams; The image of the women is not one of beauty and it is surprising to the reader that Angel should pick up on them as having similar features to those of Tess. This hints that their honeymoon may turn sour, as previously in the novel, Angel has always commented on Tess’s beauty.

Inevitably, Tess decides to tell Angel of her sin, which he cannot accept; hence bringing the sourness hinted in an earlier chapter, (chapter 10).  Love survives on mutual trust, and since Tess has broken that trust, Angel has difficulty dealing with her.

Within chapter 33, pg264, we discover Angels’ sleep-walking habits.  A fight occurred with Angel and a passing man, who was sexually attracted towards Tess. Angel overheard words of the man and his colleague and struck the man on the chin with the full force of his fist. The man recovered himself and seemed inclined to go further, but thought better of it. He apologised, claiming he thought Tess was another woman he knew.  Further on in the chapter, Tess hears a disturbance in the attic above her, where Angel had retired. In her anxiety, Tess rushed upstairs in case Clare was ill, being confronted with a humorous tale, that Clare had been rein-acting the fight he had earlier on that day. He mentioned that he has been occasionally liable to these ‘freaks’ in his sleep, and told Tess she should not be worried and think no more of it.

When the reader reaches Chapter 37, we find that Angel has abandoned his love for Tess, after finding out about Tess’ past, and the unforgivable night, in Angel’s eyes, that has brought so much despair and ruin in Tess’ life.  

‘Midnight came and passed silently, for there was nothing to announce it in the Valley of the Froom.

Not long after one o’clock there was a slight creak in the darkened farmhouse once the mansion of the d’Urbervilles. Tess, who used the upper chamber, heard it and awoke. It had come from the corner step of the staircase, which, as usual, was loosely nailed. She saw the door of her bedroom open, and the figure of her husband crossed the stream of moonlight with a curiously careful tread. He was in his shirt and trousers only, and her first flush of joy died when she perceived that his eyes were fixed in an unnatural stare in vacancy.’

From this opening paragraph, the reader is informed of the setting, the characters within the setting and the reality of what is happening.

The setting is well described even though it is only short. It tells us what time it is, giving the reader a good feel of what the atmosphere is like; cold, opaque and even daunting. Adding to the atmosphere, Angel is sleep-walking, this is hinted at towards the end of the introductory paragraph ‘his eyes were fixed in an unnatural stare in vacancy’, which brings about a very eerie feel, and a lot of tension.

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Thomas Hardy depicts Tess’s feelings through to the reader exceptionally well, we as the reader feel connected to Tess, as her emotions are well described with every event. As Tess’s emotions are made known a lot more than any other character in the book, it is acknowledged that there is a connection between the character Tess and the narrator, (Thomas Hardy).

‘Dead! Dead! Dead!’ are the words murmured by Angel Clare in tones of indescribable sadness. Within this chapter, Angel’ emotions have been put across a great deal more than they have been throughout the book. Within ...

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