English Essay on "Tess of the D'urbervilles" and " The Boarding House"

It is conceivable to say that Polly’s situation could have been avoided if her mother had been more stringent with her. A house overflowed with a wide range of men. It is not a wise choice in any situation to trust your young and inexpert daughter to be pursued. The situation was waiting to happen.

Tess had been brought up in a family with not a great deal of experience with Men because of their shortage for money and socially recognized to be the “ third class” of the society. Therefore, Tess did not have her parents support. Left on her own, at such a young age, to make important decisions in her life. Sexually inexperienced, and mentally weak, Alec took advantage of her.

From that point on, Tess’s life had taken a turn for the worse. Starting with the calamity with Alec, she was left with an unhealthy baby and a world away from where she was presuming to be. Hardy continues to leave many of the details of Tess's seduction ambiguous by allowing a certain space of time to pass between the night at The Chase and Tess' return to Marlott several weeks later. Both Tess and Alec, however, indicate that their sexual encounter was to some degree consensual. Most importantly, Tess admits that her "eyes were a little dazed" by Alec and that the event was a moment of weakness. This is the first concrete for Alec's seduction of her, rather than accusing him of treachery. Indication that Tess realizes her capability for sexuality; previously unaware of others' sexual designs for her and disdainful of the lust exhibited by others, Tess now admits that she too was capable of some degree of lust for Alec. This is significant as a development of Tess's sexual attitudes and as an indication of her inherent self-criticism. She finds herself to blame instead of accusing him of treachery.

The sentiment of guilt was felt in both situations. Polly did not realize the significance of her puerile act until rumors were flourishing and  “ The madam” had been overexposed to them. In this day and age, it is socially accepted that teenage girls or rather women in their twenties bloom out of virginity.   For authors of the past such as Hardy, it not only instigates debates to write such an unforeseen plot, but also it gave the book a new perspective. The writer would be critically acclaimed for breaking a barrier in terms of writing about socially unacceptable subjects. However, this would engage in interest from all types of people varying in age, which is exactly what writers thrive for.

Interestingly enough, the term “ madam” also purposes a new meaning; the head of a prostitute home. Perhaps this is why the “ resident young men spoke of her as” the madam.

“O Tess, forgiveness does not apply to the case, you were one person; now you are another.”  This is quoted from angel after they reveal their sins to one another. He displays his hypocrisy here.  While he committed a similar crime of having an affair, he will not forgive Tess of being raped while she wholeheartedly forgives him. Society does take a toll on Tess here. In the present, it would seem utterly inequitable that a man can show physical pleasure towards another woman whilst he is married and not be punished. In addition, Tess was mischievously forced into something she would never wish for. It was not an act of pleasure for Tess unlike Angel.

The female sex had to be very critical in the decisions they made before they were wed. “ It is all very well for the man: he can go his ways as if nothing had happened, having had his moments of pleasure”. This is from “ The boarding house” and it is implying how men could so selfishly have their moments of pleasure and leave the woman straight after as if nothing had occurred not knowing a women’s life would never be the same.

The beauty of Hardy’s style is noticed by all readers. In it’s complexity, there is a matured simplicity. He so eloquently explains a detail into detail and leaves you to ponder. Unnoticeable to most, even a plain white dress (similar to that of Tess’s) has its details cut out for it. His sentence structures are not long or very complicated, but the complexity in his work comes from the way he uses several sentences.  For example, he uses a lot of imagery and describes the scenery in great detail.  While each individual sentence may not be difficult to understand, it is the way the various sentences fit together to form a whole picture, which separates him from other authors.

The boarding house similarly is very descriptive. Both writers have written very eloquently about a certain character and it happened to be that the plot and important events taking place were all revolving around them. Similarly, controversy seemed to strike in both their lives and likewise both were the center of attention. Initially in both stories we were introduced to a young and lustful character. The tone of the book at that moment is primarily set. Polly is described as “ a slim girl of nineteen”. You notice that points of view are used in both stories. Frequently, Hardy writes as though he is retelling a tale which has been handed down from people who observed some of the events or were themselves told about them. Both writers very elegantly make use of different viewpoints to help give the story credibility.

The orchestration of how both authors used pathetic fallacy was well done and pragmatically emit strong, emphatically images. This technique can be used to acquire the reader’s attention and truly make the scene realistic. It may also be used to foresee reality e.g. it is not always cloudy or rainy when bad things occur. As I speak of orchestration, I am also implementing that the author is the omniscient. It is in his hands the true fait of the characters and to cause drama in order for the readers to potentially increase and for the book to be more appealing.  Drama plays a lead role in both tales and when evaluated, Tess’s life appears to be the aftermath of drama. As to does Polly’s life. Thus the reader is not fully detailed as to where her mistake will take her (although it is highly palpable). Personally, I would not have ever pondered on the thought of both tales taking a bathetic turn. This is a technique used by a vast number of authors not only in the past.