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1、The tragedy of TessIntroduction of the novel and its influenceTess of the DUrbervilles, published in 1891,was Thomas Hardys last and most significant work. In this novel, Hardy reached the height of his achievement as a novelist. Readers are attracted not only by the innate beauty, but the tragic fa
2、te of Tess, the heroine. Tess of the Durbervills, is about the tragedy of Tess Durbeyfield, who was born in a poor peasant family. When their horse was killed by an accident, the family lost the only means to make a living. As Tesss father got a piece of news from a parson that he was the lineal rep
3、resentative of the ancient and knightly family of the dUrbervilles, Tesss mother persuaded her to visit the dUrbervilles clan at Tranreidge. Tess worked there and was seduced by Alec dUberville. Tess gave birth to a child, but it was unlucky, it died very soon. A long time later, Tess worked at the
4、dairy farm at Talbothays, where she met Angel Clare again, he was a pastors son, and wanted to study farming. After a short time, they loved each other. On their wedding night Angel told Tess about an evening of debauchery in his won past. Tess forgiven him and told her affair with Alec, thinking th
5、at he would forgive her as she did for him. But Clare disappointed Tess and did not forgive her when she told him her past story with Alec. Clare left her for Brazil. With the great poverty of her family, Tess had to work under the hardest condition at Flintcomb-ash. Then her father died and the fam
6、ily was expelled from their cottage. In order to support her family, Tess was driven to go back to Alec dUrberville. One year later, Angel Clare returned from Brazil, being chastened and repented of his cruel treatment of Tess, but the relationship of Tess and Alec, Angel cannot live with Tess. She
7、hated Alec and killed him. After a short happy life with Angel, Tess was arrested at dawn.She was a woman of integrity, and pure in heart, yet she was driven to the hell by the society. Tess lost her virginity, which was caused by Alec. At that time, she only was a 17- year old- girl. So the main re
8、sponsibility should be blamed on Alec. At the second time, Tess had to live with Alec, this was caused by her parents and Angel. At last, she killed Alec, this was the weaklings resistance. From the character of Tess, I can see the hardship of her life. In her heart, she was a pure girl. At the end
9、of the novel, Thomas Hardy described it full of meaning that “Justice” was done, and President of the Immortals in Aeschy lean phrase, had ended his sport with Tess (Thomas Hardy 2004). From this part, I understand that was Hardys strong accusing of British social system.Analysis of the cause of Tes
10、ss tragedyThe social environment made Tesss tragedy inevitable. At the end of 19th century, capitalism prevailed in the whole England that made broad masses of peasant went bankrupt and then they had to live in poverty and grave situation. The destruction of English peasant caused by capitalism. It
11、was the decisive force that had driven “Tess” to tragedy doom. In the novel, there are many descriptions of Tess working in the field. Though, she was exhausted with manual labor, she could hardly support her family. The self-supporting peasants were displaced and impoverished. Both Alec and Angel v
12、iolated and made fun of Tess. Tesss physically was injured by Alec dUrberville, and mentally was affected by Angel Clare. Alec and Angel by different way made Tesss tragedy from bad to worse. Alec was a lecher, also was a man to do wrong to others to benefit for himself. From this point, it both ref
13、lected the landlord classs nature characteristics in countryside, and emerging capitalists feature. But Angels circumstance was more complex and volatile. On one hand, he was capitalist with a freedom of mind. He look down upon the material distinction of rank and wealth, and scorned the classs prej
14、udice and with other concepts. He disliked the life of busy section of the city, and went to the countryside to study the agricultural skills. In the nature life, he got acquainted with Tess who was pure as the nature .I can say it affirmatively that Angel loved Tess at first, because he gave up his
15、 parents arrangement to marry Mercy Chat, even that was a marriage between the families that were of equal social rank. On other hand, Angel had an idea of egoism, even though, himself was not a pure man, and he could not to accept Tess who was not a really pure bride. He considered her as a “fallen
16、 woman”. He still judged “purity” with the conventional value and moral standard that were implanted in him when he was a boy. He was the slave to the custom and conventionality. Obviously, what he loved was not Tess, but another in her shape (Thomas Hardy 2004). He abandoned his wife for Brazil, wh
17、ich was a deathblow to innocent woman Tess.Tesss father only was a ped-lar, but he with full of vanity and ignorant, he also was a drinker. After Tesss father Jack Durbeyfild learned that he was descended from the famous dUrberville family, He felt very proud, and from then on, there might add “sir”
18、 before his name, it was glory for him. And then he became indolent and sluggish. He had never done more work than was necessary to keep his family supplied with meager food and himself with beer but from that day on he ceased doing even that small amount of work. Durbeyfild wont be able to take the
19、 journey with the beehives in the early morning, but somebody must go. In his family, no other fit for the job only himself. Tess was obliged to do the difficult job. There happened an accident, and killed their poor horse Prince. The death of the horse destroyed the familys livelihood and finished
20、the familys hauling business. From then on, Tess thought that she had dragged her parents into quagmire.Tessss mother Joan Durbeyfield was an unenlightened happy woman, as her husband full of vanity. She had a beautiful and lovely daughter, and felt that was glorious for her family. She tried Tesss
21、fate in the Fortune-teller, and it brought out that every thing, and Tesss skin was as sleek as a duchesss, so she was sure that Tess likely enough to marry a noble gentleman (Thomas Hardy 2004). The unrealistic thought led she to persuade her oldest daughter, Tess, to visit the Stoke-d”Urbervilles
22、which was the claim kin .The first time of Tess left home for work at Alecs family, as a mother, she did not tell her anything about a man maybe danger for a woman, at that time she only was 17 years old girl, but her full of vanity mind did not think over it much, her only hope was that Tess would
23、make a good impression on the rich dUbervilles and perhaps a good marriage with one of the son.Tesss tragedy was not only caused by external reason, but also the internal reason. Tess herself was pure in heart and had a kind heart, and without experience. It just unlucky that Tess met Alec, who was
24、a man of easy virtue, so she could not escape from entice into unlawful sexual intercourse of Alec. After the dishonorable thing, Tess left Alec. During the following times, Tess met Angel Clare at the dairy farm. He loved Tess and treated Tess “equally”, which made Tess trust him and fell in love w
25、ith him. Tess loved Angel deeply, with the result that she acted on impulse. And besides, she was affected deeply by the society and belonged to conservative, so she was thinking about it all the time that she was not a virgin girl. So that she didnt want to marry Angel and refused many times of the
26、 offer of marriage by Angel. But she was unable to bear the enticement of emotion and agreed to marry him at last. Because of his “noble virtue”, Tess opened her mind to him and told him all her past story with Alec on their wedding night, thinking that Angel would forgive her as she did for him. Fr
27、om then on a series of graver tragedy took place in her future life.Tesss tragedy was the tragedy of character. On one side, struggled bravely against her destiny and the conventional morality. She desired for happiness and true love. On the other side, she could not completely get rid of social con
28、ventions and moral standards of the day, which made her believe that she had to pay for what she had sinned. In chapter 37of Tess of the DUrberilles, Hardy described that Angel occasionally walk in his sleep:Angel had instinctively manifested a fondness for her of which his common-sense did not appr
29、ove, Angel might have a faint recollection of his tender vagary, and was disinclined to allude to it from a conviction that she would take amatory advantage of opportunity it gave her of appealing to him anew not to go (Thomas Hardy 2004).From this point, I think that Tess was very obstinate. She yi
30、elded to the arrangement of the fate .The later was the weak point in her character. Summarize the process of the tragedy.Tess Durbeyfeilds misfortune started from the sudden death of the only horse. At that time, Tesss father learned that his family belonged to the ancient and knightly family of th
31、e dUrberilles. Also there had a rich family of Stoke dUrbervilles. In fact, Alec was the son of a rich merchant who added the name of dUrberille to his own name, stoke, because it had historical association and the dUrbervilles were supposed to be extinct. So Tess was sent to visit the claim kin of
32、Alec dUberville.At the end of chapter 5, Alec said: “well, Im damned! What a funny thing! Ha-ha-ha! And what a crumby girl!”(Thomas Hardy2004). From this point, I learned that Alec was a lecher. Of course Tess could not lead a very easy life at Alecs family. Alec was shrewd and crafty wrote a letter
33、 by his mothers tone asked Tess to look after a litter fowl-farm, which was her hobby. It just was a trap for Tess. Even though, Tesss mother knew it just an artful way of getting Tess went to there, but she didnt know it just Alecs wish.On the way to Alecs family, Alec began to take liberties with
34、Tess, and kissed her. Tess worked there for four months and was seduced by Alec. Then Tess gave birth a child, but it died very soon.At the dairy farm Tess was liked and well treated, at that time, that was Tesss happy life in her experience. At the dairy farm Tess met Angel. At first Tess seemed to
35、 regard Angel Clare as an intelligencer rather than as a man. By this way, Tess fell in love with Angel, but she cannot get rid of her sense of guilt. Her love for him acted to blot out the memories of the past, but she was always aware that her forgetfulness was only temporary, that the doubts, fea
36、rs, and sham were only waiting like wolves just outside the light. Although Tess was in love with Angel by this time, the memory of her night with Alec caused her to refuse Angel again and again. At last she could not bear any more, and agreed to marry him. On the night before the wedding, Tess wrot
37、e a letter to Angel for telling everything about herself and Alee, She shipped the letter under his door, but Angel did not discover the letter, because she had put the letter under the carpet. When she realized that Angel had not found the letter. She attempted to tell him about her past. But Angel
38、 did not discover the letter, because she had put the letter the carpet. When she realized that Angel had not found the letter. She attempted to tell him about her past. But Angel did not think it was important, thinking that such a pure girl could have no black sins in her history.On their wedding
39、night, Tess made a final decision to tell him all her past, but it was easy, Angel said at first that he wanted to make a confession to her. It was easy for her to forgive him, so she began to tell him all her past. It was difficult for Angel to forgive Tess, he could not accept this fact. Form then
40、 on Tesss tragedy form bad to worse. For several days later, Angel left Tess for Brazil. Angel had left Tess some money and some jewels, but her family went hungry once more, for her father still thought himself too high-born to work for a living. After her father died, her family was expelled from
41、their cottage, and her familys homelessness made Tess found no was out, Tess had to again go from farm to farm. At that time, Tesss tragedy reached the climax.While Tess was working in the field, She met Alec again. Alec began to pursue her once more. Frightened, Tess wrote to Angel told him that sh
42、e loved him and needed him, and begged him to forgive her and to return to her. For long time she did not receive an answer from Angel. In order to support the family, Tess had no other means to choose, only to accept Alecs “help” for the second time. Angel was late just for a few days, although he
43、should have reunited with Tess a few days earlier. These series of chance happening seems to decide Tesss tragedy, and each of them put Tess further into the mysterious entrapment until her. Throughout the whole story, Tess was constantly involved in the mysterious fate, which led to the tragedy ste
44、p by step.ConclusionHardy created Tess as an attractive and warm-hearted pure woman who has the quality of endurance and self-sacrifice. Thus result Tess has become the victim of her family and the society in which she exists. Through the above analysis and the summarization of Tesss tragedy, it is
45、obvious that the poverty, Alecs wickedness, Angels conventional ideas, Tesss character as well as Hardys fatalism are the direct causes of Tesss tragedy. But the direct causes are deeply rooted in the cruel social environment: the impoverished peasant, the unjust law and cruel convention. Therefore, we can draw a conclusion that the society is the real and deeply rooted cause of Tesss tragedy.
