Tess Of The D'Urbervilles - review

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Tess Of The D’Urbervilles Coursework                                  Kamran Ali 11.1

Tess Of The D’Urbervilles Coursework

Tess Of The D’Urbervilles was written by Thomas Hardy, in 1891. This is a tragic victorian novel, in which Thomas Hardy has shown how fate, chance, and coincidence can affect a life and how much things can change. This novel depicts the story of Tess, a young girl who just turns into a woman, living in the Victorian lower class, as she moves through her life and what happens in between. Thomas Hardy has shown how class very much so affected life in Victorian Times, and he also showed how men used to dominate women, and the injustice of existence, and we shall explore this further later on. Hardy has very negative views on life; as to how fate, chance and coincidence can twist existence, thus making things take a turn for the worse. Tess has been described as a “toy in the hands of fate”, this is because what happens to her through fate is as if fate is just toying around with her and not being serious. It’s rather like a small child holding a toy car in his hand, he will hit it against places and throw it around and be rough with it, rather as with Tess, Tess being the car and fate being the child.

On the way home to the village of Marlott, a middle aged peddler named John Durbeyfield encounters an old Parson who surprises him by calling him “Sir John”. The old parson (who was referred to as Parson Tringham) told John Durbeyfield how he had traced back the family histories and discovered that John Durbeyfield is a descendent of the noble family the D’Urbervilles, but since the old family roots go so far back they are now meaningless, but John Durbeyfield begins to feel like a very important person about this, so rather than walking home like he usually does, he sends a young boy to call a horse and carriage to take him home.

This is the main point where the story begins and takes shape, because of this chance meeting with Parson Tringham, John Durbeyfield discovers his family history, and because of this certain events happen which lead to many lives being affected and people being motivated to do things that they normally would not do. This all started from the one odd meeting John had with the parson, this is chance, as they do not usually meet like this (just twice before), hadn’t this happened then this would not have lead to Tess’s meeting with Alex or her being raped. This scene brilliantly illustrates how Hardy views life, because by chance this meeting happened, and chance is in a sense fate, so Hardy is trying to show that fate can mess up lives, and that there is no great omnicompetent, omnipresent, omnipotent deity that helps us mere mortals lives, but fate, which is an unseen, uncontrollable force which controls peoples lives; usually for the worse in Tess’s case..

Quote:

"Now, sir, begging your pardon; we met last market-day on this road about this time, and I said "Good night," and you made reply 'Good night, Sir John,' as now."

"I did," said the parson.

"And once before that--near a month ago."

"I may have."

Here John Durbeyfield just says a casual goodnight to Parson Tringham, but when Parson Tringham replies with “Sir John” John Durbeyfield inquires as to why he was addressed with the title of sir, and hence he discovers his family history. Here the status view rears its head again, as by status the people of a lower class would not speak to people of a higher class with just their name, they would add a “Sir” or a “Madam”, whereas people of a higher class would talk those of a lower class rudely, and hardly ever give them a proper salutation. So John Durbeyfield enquired as to why he was addressed with “Sir,” and not just his name. In modern society, all are equal, and a social class does not exist, hence no-one would enquire as to why they were addressed in a certain manner, i.e. “Hello Sir Nick”. This also shows Hardy’s negative view on life, he sees life where everything is controlled by fate, the Durbeyfield’s are by fate lower class, hence they have a lower class name, so no matter how nice or educated their children are/get, they will be looked down on, or even sneered upon; whereas those born in a higher class family with a higher class name would be respected all over and greeted very politely.

Now at the exact moment in time, John Durbeyfield’s daughter, Tess, was at the May dance with all the other girls dancing. Then her father went by in a carriage, and all the other girls start a mocking him before Tess steps in.

Quote:


"I've-got-a-gr't-family-vault-at-Kingsbere--and knighted-forefathers-in-lead-coffins-there!"

The clubbists tittered, except the girl called Tess-- in whom a slow heat seemed to rise at the sense that her father was making himself foolish in their eyes.

"He's tired, that's all," she said hastily, "and he has got a lift home, because our own horse has to rest today."

"Bless thy simplicity, Tess," said her companions. "He's got his market-nitch. Haw-haw!"

"Look here; I won't walk another inch with you, if you say any jokes about him!"

 

Here you can see the girls making a mockery of Tess’s father, but Tess has much pride in herself and her family, so she can not take other people disrespecting them This again shows that Tess does not like to see her family; or members of her family being laughed at, she sees that she is in a lower class family and so tries to defend them at any point. Again the class issue comes into perspective, lower class families are mocked, and higher class family would hardly ever be mocked. Tess’s father has always seen touch times as he has always been trapped in his lower class social status, and by fate he was there and will be stuck there, so he finds this incredible news that he had rich ancestors hence he starts celebrating and thinking highly of himself. This is why Tess has to defend her family as she has seen how much class can have an adverse affect on her and people around her. At this point the girls go to the village green where 3 brothers of a higher class are on a walking holiday; and they notice the girls dancing, but 2 of them wish to keep walking, but one, named Angel Clare wishes to dance with the girls.

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Quote:


"What are you going to do, Angel?" asked the eldest.

"I am inclined to go and have a fling with them. Why not all of us--just for a minute or two--it will not detain us long?"

"No--no; nonsense!" said the first. "Dancing in public with a troop of country hoydens--suppose we should be seen!”

At this point Angel wants all 3 of them to dance, but since they are in a higher class 2 of the brothers are scared that they will be seen dancing with girls in a lower class than them and that they might lose their ...

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