Friday, August 16, 2019
In Tess of the DUrbervilles, how does Hardy present Tess Essay
In Hardyââ¬â¢s tragic novel, nothing is as clear as it seems. Although Alec Dââ¬â¢Urberville was the ostensible instigator of the protagonist Tess Durbeyfieldââ¬â¢s downfall, it must be argued that Angel Clare plays just as a significant role in her destruction. Initial contemporary readings saw Tess and Angelââ¬â¢s relationship as doomed by Tessââ¬â¢ past, while more modern interpretations point to Angelââ¬â¢s decision to leave for the failure of the marriage. Throughout the novel, Hardy makes great use of foreshadowing in order to emphasise how the numerous tragedies in his protagonistââ¬â¢s life cumulate in disaster. This has never been more apparent than with Tess and Angel: as a keystone of the novel, their relationship is haunted by the spectre of the past all the way through. By introducing Angel almost as soon as he establishes Tessââ¬â¢ character, Hardy makes it clear from the outset that this relationship will be more significant than any other.. It is evident that Angel and Tess will fall in love, but what is even more arresting is Angelââ¬â¢s initial and lasting impression that Tess is the epitome of purity and maidenhood. Hardy starkly emphasises Tessââ¬â¢ virginal aspects through compound nominal phrases such as ââ¬Å"white shapeâ⬠and ââ¬Å"pretty maidenâ⬠, creating the lasting image of her as a perfect woman. However, when Angel leaves and ââ¬Å"dismisses the subject from his mindâ⬠, Hardy at once shows Angelââ¬â¢s objectification of Tess and how easily he can put aside her hurt, hinting at their relationship to come. Even once Angel knows who Tess is, his initial impression of her as a ââ¬Å"fresh and virginal daughter of Natureâ⬠does not change but only becomes deeper embedded in his and the readerââ¬â¢s subconscious, painting a cruel contrast between his expectations and the real knowledge of Tessââ¬â¢ past. As soon as Angel and Tess meet again at the idyllic Talbothayââ¬â¢s Dairy, Hardy introduces the severe contrast between Tessââ¬â¢ simple nature and Angelââ¬â¢s intellectual presence, foreshadowing more than ever that once Tessââ¬â¢ past comes to light, the relationship is doomed. When Angel first notices Tess at the breakfast table, Hardy subtly hints about his idiosyncratic tendency to see what he wants to see to the reader, saying that he ââ¬Å"was ever in the habit of neglecting the particulars of an outward scene for the general impressionâ⬠. This may seem to be incongruous with Angelââ¬â¢s introspective and thoughtful character, but when considered alongside his behaviour towards Tess, it fits perfectly. The use of the adverb ââ¬Å"everâ⬠suggests that Angel is fixed and unswerving in his beliefs and principles. In particular, Hardy is setting the scene for Angelââ¬â¢s refusal to take into account the mitigating circumstances of Tessââ¬â¢ rape, as he only sees the gross magnitude of the sin that has been committed. He refuses to entertain the notion that her past is similar to his, gasping ââ¬Å"My God- how can forgiveness meet such a grotesque- prestigidation as that! â⬠Hardyââ¬â¢s use of the adjective ââ¬Å"grotesqueâ⬠indicates how Angel simply cannot equate such a brutal act as rape with the innocent Tess, and it is anger at this, rather than at Tess herself, which causes his outburst. Additionally, Angel is idealistic in his morals, ââ¬Å"imaginative to impracticabilityâ⬠as Hardy later scorns him, and this early quotation shows how Angel refuses to compromise his high ideals for anything, even his love for Tess. He takes advantage of her unshakeable belief in his views and asks her to ââ¬Å"Think of years to comeâ⬠¦ and this past matter getting known- for it must be knownâ⬠, striking fear into her honest heart and preventing her from using her feminine charms as a tool of persuasion. Tess genuinely believes him and does not think to suggest emigrating: her loyalty to him is such that she does not question his decision. Early on in Angel and Tessââ¬â¢ relationship, Hardy describes Tessââ¬â¢ unhappiness at her apparent want of intellectual capability compared to Angel, whom she sees as ââ¬Å"an intelligence rather than a manâ⬠. Straightaway, Tessââ¬â¢ assumed inferiority is introduced, highlighting the insurmountable gap in the backgrounds of the two characters. Hardy even points out that during Angelââ¬â¢s initial reaction to Tessââ¬â¢ history, he still felt enough of a ââ¬Å"back current of sympathy through which a woman of the world might have conquered himâ⬠, but she takes his emotional confusion as a final judgement, simply because she continues to see him as so superior to her. With the phrase ââ¬Å"woman of the worldâ⬠, Hardy brings attention to Tessââ¬â¢ pitiful lack of experience concerning men and relationships: he highlights how submissive Tess is that she will not attempt to change Angelââ¬â¢s mind, but also how pure and innocent she remains, that she will not use ââ¬Å"her exceptional physical natureâ⬠in order to convince him to stay. However, through the use of the abstract noun ââ¬Å"currentâ⬠, the novelist implies that Angelââ¬â¢s emotions are transient and ever-shifting, portraying him as unreliable and untrustworthy. Angelââ¬â¢s idealism continues to be an important factor of the developing romance, creating the impression that the whole relationship is a fai ade. During the idyllic early morning meetings, Hardy illustrates a hazy new transitional world ââ¬Å"in that strange and solemn interval, the twilight of the morningâ⬠to mirror Angelââ¬â¢s rose-tinted and not entirely clear vision of Tess. The author continually uses a semantic field of religious references to illustrate the significance of certain moments. For instance, Hardy describes ââ¬Å"a feeling of isolation, as if they were Adam and Eveâ⬠, which not only confers heroic status on them, but creates an ominous sense that Tessââ¬â¢ past will eventually catch up with them and drive them from the lush, fertile Eden that is not only Talbothayââ¬â¢s Dairy, but the bubble of idealism in which the lovers are living. While Angel may be raised to ââ¬Å"godlikeâ⬠status while Tess is referred to as ââ¬Å"the Magdalenâ⬠, supporting Tessââ¬â¢ idolatry of him, they cannot escape the third presence in their relationship. In one of Hardyââ¬â¢s most sensual descriptions of Tess, he describes ââ¬Å"the red interior of her mouthâ⬠and compares it to a snakeââ¬â¢s. The sensuality of the colour red and the snake both reference Alec Dââ¬â¢Urberville, who is consistently given Satanic attributes such as ââ¬Å"animalismâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Paganismâ⬠as well as possessing ââ¬Å"black angularitiesâ⬠in both appearance and personality, here symbolising the temptation that drove both Adam and Eve from Eden. Hardy cleverly employs the religious lexis: owing to his contempt of traditional, ââ¬Å"quaint and curiousâ⬠religion (which is divested in Angel and Tessââ¬â¢ rebellious views), his use of instantly recognisable Biblical features makes the point that Angel and Tessââ¬â¢ doomed relationship is simply a sad story that has been played out many times at some level over the centuries. Due to his portrayal of Tess as pure and guiltless, Hardy uses religion to emphasise how women like Tess have been in similar predicaments ever since Eve. It also gives a greater gravity to Tess and Angelââ¬â¢s romance, as the reader knows that it is finite. Hardy continues to expose faults in Angelââ¬â¢s character, namely his hypocrisy and ability to change his mind easily, showing how the relationship only leads to disaster. During their courtship he staunchly argues that her low position as a milkmaid does not and will not deter him- on the contrary, Angel insists he needs a wife ââ¬Å"who knows all about the management of farmsâ⬠and Tess, therefore, is better suited to him than the Mercy Chant. However, during the passionate argument when Tess follows Angel out of the house after her confession, Angel states firmly that he and Tess belong to ââ¬Å"different societiesâ⬠and compares her to ââ¬Å"an unapprehending peasant womanâ⬠who has never experienced any form of society. This example is not unique: Hardy portrays Angel as eager to seize on an idea and find any evidence to fit it, regardless of previous beliefs: for instance, his ever-changing opinion of ââ¬Å"old familiesâ⬠which only depends on his attitude to Tess at the time. One of the most obvious events that foreshadows the ending of the novel is Angelââ¬â¢s somnambulation. Hardy wrote this scene to symbolise all of Angelââ¬â¢s conflicting emotion and Tessââ¬â¢ self-destructive nature. The outpouring of Angelââ¬â¢s love for his ââ¬Å"dearest, darling Tess! So sweet, so good, so true! ââ¬Å", which he kept so carefully hidden during the day, hints at yet another change of mind on his part later on in the novel, while his exclamation ââ¬Å"ââ¬Ëdead, dead! ââ¬Ëâ⬠signifies not only how Tess is morally dead to him, but how he feels his actions have killed the spirit and love within his ââ¬Å"ââ¬Ëpoor, poor Tess'â⬠. Even though Tess suspects multiple times that Angelââ¬â¢s actions could lead to her death, either intentionally or accidentally, ââ¬Å"self-solicitude was near extinction in herâ⬠, linking to how she remains placid and uncomplaining even throughout temptation and harsh conditions at Flintcombe-Ash. When Angel ââ¬Å"carefully laidâ⬠her in the open coffin, Hardy is symbolising that due to Tessââ¬â¢ devotion to Angel, she will allow herself to be led to her death, arguably the greatest moment of symbolism in the novel. In Tess of the Dââ¬â¢Urbervilles, Hardy as the omniscient narrator remains firmly on the side of his protagonist: she is the vehicle for him to express his contempt of the traditionally misogynistic values so strongly upheld by Victorian society. Although Angel professes to reject these conventions, he ultimately submits to them, thus creating an even greater divide between the two lovers. In her final hours, Tess herself states that her happiness with Angel ââ¬Å"could not have lastedâ⬠and that it was better that she would be gone, fulfilling Hardyââ¬â¢s portrayal of a love that was sincere, almost ethereal, but lavished on a fallible, human man, and therefore inevitably doomed to fail.
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