Responsibility is another definition of the word purity. After Tess takes Prince to the market because her father is unable to go, on the way back they have an accident and Prince dies, ‘do you know that there is a very rich Mrs. D’Urberville…. Who must be our relation? You must go to her a claim kin and ask her for some help in our trouble’ this shows us that her mother tries to force Tess into go and ask for help from Mrs. D’Urberville. Tess really doesn’t want to go but then her mother persuades her into going which she does the very next day. ‘I don’t know…answered the girl restlessly…I killed the horse… I suppose I ought to do something to get ye a new one. But – but I don’t quite like Mr D’Urberville being there!’, this shows us that Tess is uncomfortable working while Alec is present but she’s going to work there because its her responsibility to get her parents a new horse because she killed Prince so if she was not pure she wouldn’t mind having male company.
Some may argue that Tess is not pure because of the ‘Strawberry’ scene but I do not agree. I think she is pure and the reason for her taking the strawberry with Alec’s hand is because she was forced into taking the strawberry.
‘“No, No. . . Putting her fingers between his hand and her lips, “I would rather take it in my own hand.”’ This shows us she did not want to take it with his hand and she tried to stop it.
‘“Nonsense!” He insisted.’ This shows he is not going to listen to her rejection and forces her into taking the strawberry with his hand.
Hardy’s view on the Victorians were very pessimistic he did not agree with their way of life, they thought that if you had money and you wealthy you could do whatever you want, good or bad, and get away with it, but if you were poor and you did something bad you will be punished.
Hardy’s view on church and religion were also very pessimistic he did not like or agree with their way of preaching. He thinks religion is all about acceptance and to forgive and forget, but in Tess’s situation she is treated very badly such as when she gets raped later on in the novel and when her baby dies they do not give the baby a Christian burial, at that time society were made to believe if something bad happened the would say in their Fatalistic way “It was meant to be.” We all know that Alec raped Tess, people know it was him but yet he was allowed to show people he could do something good by allowing him to go into preach hood, he had the chance to move on because of his wealth and status, but Tess did not, because her social status was low and she had no power.
Fate is a major theme in the novel. It seems Tess is destined for a sad and tragic life; this shows how Thomas Hardy believes God is cruel and shows us his pessimistic view of life.
Tess’s life was all good until her father found about their lineage this is where fate takes a turn in her life everything went from good to bad and then very bad. She first gets raped and becomes pregnant, she then meets Angel, both fall in love but he leaves her as soon as he finds out about her past.
Tess first meets Alec when her mother forces her into going to ask help from Mrs. D’Urberville after finding out their lineage. ‘Mother said she’d puttee in the way of marrying a gentleman’ this shows us that Tess’s mother is willing to give her away for money. The reason for Tess going is because she killed the horse and the only way to repay them is by working.
Alec is a very manipulative young man who seduces Tess when she goes to work for his family. Alec flirts a lot with Tess and finds her very attractive, Tess is fully developed and very pretty which puts her into a very dangerous position, Alec is only interested only in her image. Tess has got a child’s mind because that’s what she is but in an adult’s body, she is very shy and doesn’t know how to behave in front of Alec. ‘Alec looked at Tess as he spoke, in a way that made her blush a little’, he also feeds her strawberries ‘I a slight distress she pasted her lips and took it in’. Thomas Hardy uses phallic imagery to warn the readers that Tess will be exploited later on the novel. Tess feels very uncomfortable working for Alec, but she has no choice to work for him because she takes the responsibility for killing Prince and now she wants to get her parents a new one.
Some may argue that why did Tess go off with Alec on the horse when she knew he liked her and what he’s like. ‘Tess was indignant and ashamed… she no longer minded the loneliness… the lateness of the hour… her one objection was to get away from the whole crowed as soon as possible’ Tess got into an argument with Car Darch and now Car Darch wants to beat Tess up so she had the choice of getting beaten up or going with Alec. ‘at almost any other moment of her life she would have refused such… as she had refused several times before… the loneliness would not of itself have forced her to do otherwise. But coming as the invitation did at… she abandoned herself to impulse’ this is telling us she would never had gone with Alec but at this point she has no choice because she had to save her life and her instincts were telling her to go. Tess makes an easy escape but that gets her into a bigger problem. This bit shows us that Tess is a straightforward person who is very timid and placid who doesn’t like to get involved in any kind of problems so she does not argue with Car Darch.
When Tess goes off with Alec on the horse they stop at the forest because Alec say’s they are lost which we all know his lying and his up to something, Tess is very naive and she believes what he said so they both get off the horse. Tess is really tired and lies down and falls asleep, Alec sees that she’s asleep and takes advantage and he rapes her.
Even though some may argue Tess flirts with Alec, “You never willingly do that, you’ll never love me I fear.” This tells us that Alec knows that Tess does not love him but he still does not stop trying. She never willingly wants him to kiss her this shows us that she is not interested.
Tess is now pregnant and as we all know Alec is the father. “I am ready to pay the uttermost farthing. You know you need not to work in the fields or the dairies again. You know you may clothe yourself with the best …” this tells us that Alec is willing to take care of her and will see to her every needs. “I have said… take anything from you and I will not I cannot.” Tess does not want anything from Alec because if she does take anything of him she will have no dignity and self respect left, but any other girl will get anything that the can get hold of and would love to be treated as a princess, this tells us that Tess is pure and she has a lot of self respect.
Tess gives birth to a boy and names him Sorrow. She goes to church and asks for a Baptist but the vicar says ‘no’ because of what happened to her and because she is not married and she has a child. The vicar, knowing that it was not her fault, still refuses to give the child a baptism. As the fatalistic view of what society thought ‘it was meant to be’ is exactly how the vicar sees it, so Tess gives Sorrow a baptism at home by herself.
Later on in the novel we find out that Sorrow is very ill and he pasts away. Tess goes to church and asks the vicar if he could give Sorrow a Christian burial but he refuses to do so and rejects her once again. So like she gave Sorrow a baptism at home she does the same again by giving Sorrow a Christian burial by herself at home.
Tess then has enough of the bad luck she has been getting and she goes away. She then meets Angel and they fall in love, they both decide to get married. On their wedding night Tess decides to be totally honest and tell him about her past and she confess it all, but when she starts to tell him about Alec he stops her and tells her about his past, he confesses that he too was in a sexual relationship with a girl before and she became pregnant and she kept the baby but he left the other girl. After his confession Angel begs Tess for forgiveness and the person she is she forgives him, but when Tess tells Angel about her past involving Alec and the rape and Sorrow, instead of being as understanding and forgiving as Tess he does the complete opposite and says they cannot be together anymore because she is not the pure girl who he fell in love with, as far as he is concerned she is not the same person but we all know she is. Angel then migrates to Brazil leaving with a bit of money. Tess then sets of home with very little money and tells her mother that she is still with him and she came to visit and is going to stay for a couple of days, her parents think that she has got money coming in and takes money off her but now Tess is running out of money, she does not know what to say to her parents, so she goes and works in flint comb ash in winter, she then becomes ill. Tess then meets some of her friends from the dairy farm they advise her to get some help from Angel’s parents, so she
Goes but the thing she didn’t know is that Angel didn’t tell his parents about the break up and Tess who is very naïve and over caring she couldn’t tell them this is another sign of purity and goes off home.
One day she is working when she bumps into Alec who has converted into preaching in a barn. Alec is shown as a hypocrite. Alec has new found faith doesn’t last he becomes fascinated with Tess again and goes after her. He loses religion and offers to help Tess and her family for a while but Tess manages to avoid him like any pure girl or women would do. Tess’s father dies and is forced to move out of their family home and Tess begins to weaken, she doesn’t want anything to do with Alec but now has no choice.
Angel returns from Brazil and realises he was wrong and that he wants her back. He tracks Tess and Alec and their house and wants to make up with her, but seeing she is well provided for by Alec he leaves her. Tess is furious with Alec because he lied to her about Angel and murders him. She then runs after Angel and tells him what she has done and says that if anything happens to her he has to promise to look after her younger sister Liza- lu this shows us that she is very loving towards her sister and is willing to do anything for her happiness. Tess is then captured and is hanged in the last chapter.
Conclusion:
To conclude I think Tess is a pure woman. I have shown how fate has taken a major part in her life. Thomas Hardy is a person who wrote most of his novels in a pessimistic way. His view on life and in women was completely different to the rest of the society; he reckons that men and women should have an equal right. The reason why he wrote ‘A Pure Woman’ as his subtitle is because he wanted to put it out to the rest of the society and because this is a question everyone wants an answer to. This subject caused a lot of controversy at the time.
