A short while later in the novel there is a dance at Marlott where Tess and Angel exchange glances at each other. These two have never met before which results in them meeting for the first time. Angel drops out of the dance and then glances at Tess who is sitting there and both exchange glances at each other as if one of them were to expect an answer from another. However, Angel walks straight past Tess not saying a word leaving Tess a feeling of neglect. For instance the text states “As he fell out of the dance his eyes lighted on Tess D’Urbeyfield, whose own large orbs wore, to tell the truth, the faintest aspect of reproach that he had not chosen her.” This suggests another chance of fate becoming on Tess as she has no sort of luckiness in her relationships. This also suggests another point that Hardy has made of Victorian people back in Victorian times. The role of men when it comes to relationships is the male having more of a choice choosing who they wish to dance and relate with which a clear example he has used with Tess and Angel.
Joan and John D’Urbeyfield celebrate the news that they have noble ancestors by the Parson advising John D’Urbeyfield abut this. They decide to celebrate and visit a local inn. (This inn is apparently the only one they have close to them). How they get drunk is fate on Tess again resulting in her taking her drunken parents home and needing to take the beehives to market the next day due to her father being too drunk to do so. This suggests another point Hardy has made on Victorian people back in Victorian times. Social classes are seen as wild, drunken classes compared to richer classes who were better behaved. Hardy has employed that social classes are more or less stuck in their classes and cannot be moved out unless he believes an opportunity ahs been made such as a rich history heritage as the D’Urbeyfields had found out.
Tess takes the beehives to market because her parents are too drunk. However, the consequences of this results in the family’s horse Prince dying. This happens when Tess is on her way to market at an early time. Not aware that her lamp is blown out and her carriage is not visible to other nearby travellers. Another traveller crashes into Tess’s carriage resulting in the death of Prince. Tess feels she is to blame for this as she was responsible for the lamp being lit and the carriage being visible to others. For i.e. Tess states “Tis all my doing-all mine!” the girl (Tess) cried. This suggests Tess’s action is to blame for the horse’s death to come about. This also comes to a point in which Hardy is trying to stress out, the peoples behaviour in Victorian times. Has behaviour have anything to do with class? I personally think it has. Social classes back in Victorian times were to be seen as ‘clumsy’ and ‘out of control’ compared to the behaviour of upper classes who were to be seen as more sensible and well behaved. Tess’s behaviour compared to her parents are to be seen as rather similar by the actions made by both seen to be not very well mannered or sensible or even clever.
Tess’s mother sends her to the D’Urberville family at Talbothays. This comes around because of Tess’s behaviour towards the death of Prince. So she is sent to work at their wealthy relatives the D’Urbervilles who are to be seen as upper classes. For i.e. Tess states “Well, as I killed the horse mother, she said mournfully, “I suppose I ought to do something” suggests the result in Tess having no choice but to accept the fact that she has no choice but to go.
However, when she meets Alec D’Urberville he seems to have more of control in their meeting with each other. He seems to have more of a say or talk in this meeting and even has more control over Tess. This results in fate coming on Tess as she is taken advantage of. For i.e. when Alec offers to feed Tess strawberries she refuses to be fed but his forced to by Alec. For i.e. Alec states “Nonsense!” he insisted; and in a slight distress she took it in which clearly states his power over Tess and the entire meeting as a whole. Hardy here employs the sort of power men had in Victorian times over relationships, meetings and in some cases women.
When Tess has an argument with colleagues Alec comes to the rescue. He enters as he is in charge of the law by his actions on his horse and demands a know in what was going on. He offers Tess a ride home with him on horseback. She accepts it and ends up riding home with Alec. This is fate coming on Tess as she has been drawn into one of Alec’s evilness and is taken advantage of from here as the story progresses. Another trick he does into taking advantage of Tess is by buying her family a new horse and gifts for the children. She ends up in tears as she was not able to do this herself. For i.e. the text states “sudden vision of his passion for herself as a factor in this result so distressed her that, beginning with one tear, and then following with another, she wept another outright.” This clearly indicates the situation she is in drawing herself closer to the evilness of Alec who has taken advantage of her by treating her family and breaking her down more to leave her distressed about the situation. A perfect way for Alec to take advantage of Tess’s feminine beauty.
After all this, she is then given alcohol but according to her medicine or some sort to heal her. This was offered from Alec, again mentioning the power of men back in Victorian times, she is dazed and out of control, a perfect way to take advantage of her. She is then raped. For instance the text states “Why was it that upon this beautiful feminine tissue, sensitive as gossamer, and practically blank as snow yet, there should have been such a coarse pattern as it was doomed to receive…” suggests that Tess’s feminine beauty had caused fate to become of her as her beauty and innocence had been taken advantage of and ‘violated’ or ‘coarse’ behaviour was used upon this predicament.
There is no doubt that Tess is a tragic figure as we have seen in the story and a couple of examples to back up this argument. Tess is seen as a tragic figure in the hands of fate because of not only the strong forces thrown at her, but her behaviour can play an important role into her own downfall. This comes out mainly near the end of chapters 10, 11 and 12. Her beauty is taken advantage of but Tess should have been stronger than she was and firmly stand her ground. But due to the fact that men were given higher privilege than women in Victorian times this may of caused an affect in her actions for standing up for herself. Tess is also very easily persuaded into a number of ‘traps’ or rings of evilness. This is where her guardian angel comes in. Her colour is white representing peace, beauty, feminine and innocence. The rape scene is a perfect example in a question to ask where was Tess’s guardian angel? Where was her protection against such coarse acts and patterns to be drawn onto her? Her own downfall could also be due to the fact of Hardy’s views on people back in Victorian times. Men were obviously given higher privilege than women, and in some cases had the power and control of meetings and women’s behaviour. The reason men were given higher privilege than women was due to the fact that they were usually the main power of families and even society back in Victorian days. They were given the privilege to order out rules and other types of social acts. How others may have thought Tess was responsible for her own downfall is quite simple. Her actions and behaviour can count as a big encounter as we have seen as the story had progressed.