OnCausesofTess’Tragedy.doc

On Causes of Tess Tragedy郭海涛 辉县市高级中学摘要：该论文集中分析了德伯家的苔丝一书中造成苔丝悲剧的主要原因,苔丝生活在世纪之交，她深受传统观念的影响又受到新的生活方式的影响，在这种情况下，她既摆脱不了传统观念的束缚，又不敢突破自己去寻找自己的幸福，使她最终走上了毁灭的道路。造成这样结果的原因可以分成三大类:社会原因,家庭原因以及苔丝自身原因。 为了更好地支撑这一主题,该论文分成五大部分:第一部分对作者和小说做一简介;第二部分集中分析社会原因;第三部分着力分析家庭原因;第四部分对小说中苔丝自身原因加以分析;第五部分为结论,重申主题。关键词: 苔丝；悲剧；社会原因；家庭原因; 自身原因English abstract：This present paper concentrates on an analysis of the main causes of Tess Tragedy in the novel Tess of the dUrbervilles. Living at the turn of the century, she is influenced by the past traditional ideas and the modern life. In this case, she can not break away from the old social moral and find her happiness. At the end, Tess has to kill her own will and passion and return to her former destructive way of life. The cause can be devided into three groups: social cause, family cause and the cause of Tess herself. To support the thesis, the paper is divided into five parts. The first part gives an introduction to both the author and the novel. The second part makes an analysis of the social cause in the novel. The third part makes an analysis of the family cause. The fourth part makes an analysis of the cause of Tess herself. The fifth part is the conclusion, restating the thesis of the paper. Key words: Tess; tragedy; society cause; family cause; herself cause. Introduction1.1 A brief introduction to the authorThomas Hardy was born in the southwest of England on 2 June 1840 and it was where he spent most of his life apart from a short time in London and Weymouth in Dorset, the area that later became the famous “Wessex” in many of his novels. His father was a master builder who inherited the cottage from his father. Jemina, Hardys mother, was a domestic servant but whose love of books and the countryside influenced young Thomas. From his parents, Hardy gained all the interests that would appear in his novels and his own life. Thomas was a sensitive and intelligent child; he received education at local schools until he was 15 years old. At the age of 16, he was apprenticed to a local architect. Six years later he was apprenticed to a famous architect in London. During his spare time, he studied widely: language, literature, history, philosophy and art, and he even won two prizes for essays on architectural subjects. But architecture was never his desired profession. Soon he was writing poetry; when that failed, he began to write novels.Then under the influence of an editor of publishing company he met by chance, Thomas Hardy began to write novels. He wrote a total of twenty long novels, eight volumes (total 918 poems) and a lot of short novels named “Wessex”. In 1895, Hardy didnt write novel any more, but he had a good reputation all over the world. When he died, he had already become a great man in English history, and was regarded as the last great litterateur. His works especially were famous for tragic spirit and destiny sense. He was also thought as a great critical realistic and naturalistic writer.Protagonist Tess possessed many excellent qualities in the book, however Hardy chose the word “pure” to describe her, which is an essential way to write Tess of the Durbervilles. This challenges the traditional chastity idea, and negates the trimly-hold chastity idea that man is the center, exposing its unfairness and harm.1.2 A brief introduction to the novelTess of the DUrbervilles, known as “novel of character and environment”, was the most outstanding and most famous works by Thomas Hardy, and in it the author uttered his sharpest social criticism. He truthfully depicted the impoverishment and decay of small farmers. They were mercilessly exploited by the rich landlords.This novel told us a beautiful but tragic story. Tess was a beautiful and kind-hearted rural girl. The poverty of the family forced her to claim kinship with the sham but rich dUrbervilles. Tess was seduced and impregnated by Alec, the young master of the dUrbervilles, a dandy that she did not and would never fall in love with. Tess returned home disgraced and later gave birth to a baby, who died soon. Peoples opinion forced Tess to leave her hometown and worked as a milkmaid at a dairy-house, where she met with the second man in her life-Mr. Angel Clare, son of a clergyman. Naturally, the two fell in love with each other. On their wedding night, Angel made a confession about his past dissipation and was readily forgiven by Tess, but when Tess told her own past to her lover, expecting his understanding and forgiveness, Angel could not accept the disgrace in any case and deserted her to go abroad alone. Helpless and hopeless, Tess had to wander from place to place, doing the hardest work and bearing the harshest insult. Then DUrbervilles who met Tess again by chance, broke into her life again. Receiving no answer from her lover after two letters, and suffering from poverty and illness of the family, Tess, although not willing, agreed to marry Alec. Before long, the repentant Angel returned from abroad. Tess was led into a mess. Tess, putting all the blames of her unhappiness on Alec, killed him and fled with Angel. However, she didnt break away from the punishment of the laws, and at last was caught by the police and hanged. As a matter of fact, the book Tess of the Durbervilles presents a tale that how the society forced a clean, honest, simple, upright, hardworking, clever and beautiful girl to a hopeless situation even to kill people at last. This is a tragedy. As the protagonist, Tess is unfortunate in the novel. An analysis of the social cause in the novelThe early years of the Victorian England was a time of rapid economic development as well as serious social problem. Towards the mid-century, England had reached its highest point of development as a world power. And yet beneath the great prosperity and richness, there existed widespread poverty and wretchedness among the working class. But the last three decades of the century witnessed the decline of the country and the decay of the Victorian values. At the social background, the working class was becoming poorer. The middle-class industrialists greed drove to exploiting workers to the utmost and brought greater suffering and poverty to the working mass.Thomas Hardy experienced fundamental social changes. Tess as a tragedy heroine, abounded in this period. Under Hardys pen, the heroine Tess was created as an attractive and warm-hearted pure woman, who had the quality of endurance and self-sacrifice. Tess had long been regarded as the most exceptional woman character in literary history. The life of this pure woman was tragic. She was firstly seduced, then abandoned and finally driven to murder for she was hanged. What was responsible for her tragic fate? What was the reason for a pure woman to become a murderer? We couldnt help thinking over these questions again and again. From the tragic story of Tess short life, we could see in a deeper sense that it was the capitalist society of the time that had ruined her. Living in a society overwhelmed by capitalist Law, religion, morality and state apparatus, Tess, a poor peasant, inevitably led a tragic life and finally went to her collapse. 2.1 Unfair laws and systems of bourgeois societyFirstly, in capitalist society, the direct purpose of setting laws and systems was to protect the interests of bourgeois, not for the interests of common people. Alec was a hypocritical rogue, but he went far and near with a false kindness. As a pure girl, Tess， brought up with the traditional ideas of womanly virtues, was abused and destroyed by Alec, agents of the destructive force of the society. Because Tess was a very beautiful and attractive country girl, Alec, a frivolous young man, only wanted to get her for her beauty. In fact, he didnt fall in love with Tess really at all. We could see all evils on Alecs misbehavior. However, he could escape laws, was protected and lived freely. After outraging Tess, he only felt a little regret, not to take the responsibility for Tess. What about Tess? At last she was caught by police and hanged. Although Tess crime was more serious than Alecs, the result was too different. Why did this result come? From the social rank, Alec represented the ruling class and was a symbol of the evil element of the society. He could do everything that violated the laws, regardless of other peoples feelings and social responsibility. However, Tess belonged to lower class, so when she did the wrong thing, she must take the responsibility upon herself. From the whole novel, the author-Thomas Hardy arranged this contrast with the purpose of attacking the unfair social laws and system. Tess was a victim of bourgeois society. From all of the above, we can see at that time laws and systems didnt maintain society safety, but to serve the bourgeois.2.2 Hypocritical religionSecondly, Tess destiny had close relations with hypocritical religion. For a hypocritical and immoral man, Alec became a bourgeoisie and new-rich by doing business. Then when Tess was forced to visit DUrbervilles family, she met Alec for the first time. When she worked in DUrbervilles, he tried to seduce and impregnate Tess by fair means or foul and made her no more maiden, but quoting the Bible, he thought that all the responsibility was attributed to Tess, and he didnt have any crime. Then Tess met Alec again by chance, and she found that Alec, who once did harm to her, became a wandering preacher and had been converted to Christianity by Angels father, the converted Clare. Both Alec and Tess were shocked by their encounter, and Alec appallingly begged Tess never to tempt him again. Soon after, however, he was again begging Tess to marry him, having turned his back on his religious ways.Alec-a rapist could be forgiven by God and allowed to do everything once more, but Tess- an innocent girl wasnt forgiven. It showed the real essence of hypocritical religion. To every readers surprise, when Alec turned up once again, he became a parson. Alec- a flunky could put on religionary clothes and went to do missionary work. He had become a converted man then, who was sorry for his past behavior. And in order to make up for his fault, he decided to marry Tess. Suffering from the poverty of the family and illness, Tess, although not willing, agreed to marry Alec. At the beginning of the novel, Alec turned up as a hypocritical rogue, at last became a parson. There was a great contrast between goodness and evil. The real essence of religion was more and more clear. These absurd matters directly revealed hypocritical character of religion. From these facts, people can see that Holy religion was not holy, only a tool for cheating the common people. Because of poverty, Tess had no opportunity for studying and lacked of scientific knowledge. Although Tess, a peasant girl, felt suspicious about Alecs missionary work, they had to accept these fatuous ideas and consented to live with Alec. In the final analysis, poverty decided Tess fate. People poverty was created by society, so Tess fate had close relation with society at the times.2.3 Traditional social moralityOn their wedding, Angel and Tess both confessed error, Angel told Tess about an affair he had with an older woman in London, and Tess told Angel about her history with Alec. Tess forgave Angel, but Angel couldnt forgive Tess; he gave her some money and boarded a ship bound for Brazil. Tess didnt want to be seduced by man and she had no power to defend herself so that she lost her innocence and thats all! Angel also did the wrong thing and it was even more serious than Tesss crime but he was not blamed for it. Why is it always the woman who pays? In the past, there was a culture, which didnt think of women as human beings. If you asked one if he was the oldest in his family, he would probably answer “the oldest one” even if he had some elder sisters. If you asked why then he would say, “Ha, they are not included!” People gave birth to many girls in order to have only one boy to keep the family name going. They thought girls had no use for the family. They would be married and go to live with their husbands home and be their wives some day sooner or later. So they were extremely hard on girls. Traditionally, people think: Girls should be hard working, faithful, loyal, intelligent, and virtuous and the most important thing was she must be a maiden! If her husband was the first man who touched her then she was a good girl, a good wife no matter how she thought. If she wasnt, then she would gain a very bad reputation and nobody would dare to go near her. What about men? People did not care whether he was an experienced man or not, nor did they care about his character. They thought man was equal to power and power was equal to rights. So Angel was deeply influenced by traditional conventions. So the intellectual and free-thinking Angel was the slave to custom and conventionality and the relatively ignorant Tess was the true humanist.Angel had mixed two things in his dull brain, theology and morals, which in the primitive days of mankind had been quite distinct. In the end, his intentions were good, yet it was too late. Traditional morality deeply hurt Tess and also damaged their happiness. Hypocritical moral standard of bourgeois society could be regarded as one cause of Tesss destruction. Two lovers unwillingly left each other because of conventional prejudice deep-rooted in capitalism society. In todays society, which is more free and liberal, we should do away with those decaying values and ideas, and do our best to respect ourselves and others, and cherish our lives. An analysis of the family cause in the novel The Victorian England was a time of rapid economic development as well as serious social problem. The middle-class life of the time was characterized by prosperity, respectability and material progress. And yet beneath the great prosperity and richness, there existed widespread poverty and wretchedness among the working class. Because of capitalist invasion, in the towns and cities where new factories and mines bloomed, population grew at a high rate. Workers and their families crowed in the dirty and insanitary slums. The working conditions of workers were unimaginably brutal, especially in textile factories and coal mines where women and children were widely employed. The worsening living and working conditions made the mass unemployed. Tess was born in a peasant family and could not break away from this disaster.3.1 Family backgroundOn the one hand, all family background decided that Tess tragedy would happen. Tess was born in a poor family. Her family belonged to unwelcome and between the beetle and the block family. As the eldest child of the family (6 younger brothers and sisters, from 3 to 11 years old), the burden of poverty rested on Tess at any moment. At the same time Tess deeply loved her brothers and sisters at all times. He couldnt put up with their poor life and wanted to make her family happy and lively. She had to help the parents to support the whole family. She was responsible and did her best for the family. In order to make money, Tess had to drive for the haggling business instead of her father. Unluckily, on the road the horse “Prince” died in a traffic accident. An innocent and kind girl-Tess convinced she had murdered Prince, felt responsible for her familys subsequent lack of livelihood and therefore complied with Joans wish that she went in search of their rich relations. She would sacrifice herself for the sake of the whole family. Although she had taken all the responsibility upon herself, but all family background decided that the tragedy would happen sooner or later, just the form was different.On the other hand it was her pregnancy by Alec. Tesss family is very poor, so she lost many chances to study and knew little. She didnt know how to protect herself, because she had no chance to study in school and the people around herself didnt help her . From the fact we can know the finally cause is poverty. Poverty decided her fate. However the poverty of her family was created by society and reflected capitalism outlook. So capitalist society should be responsible for the tragic life of Tess.This novel has for its setting the agricultural region of the southern countries of England. The writer truthfully depicts the impoverishment and decay of small farmers who became hired field hands and roamed the country in search of seasonal job. These laborers are mercilessly exploited by the rich landowners. In this novel, we can see clearly that one of the real reasons that led to her extermination is her impoverishment. 3.2 Parents influence on TessTess Durbeyfield suffered a great deal of tribulation in her tragic life. Although her life was filled with misfortune, she should not take all responsibilities for her tragic events. Her parents also had many responsibilities. Tess parents - Mr. and Mrs. Durbyfield ideas clung to their obsolete idea of the family in total ignorance of the reality had a great effect on Tess in mind. At Tess age, Tess was completely independent in life and worked hard in order to make better life for all her family. Under her parents influence, Tess had to do something that she didnt like.One of the first tragedies in Tess life that seemed to lead to all the others, was when she was taking a load of bees to the market she fell asleep and accidentally killed the horse. This was not Tess fault. In the first place, it wasnt her responsibility to take the bees to the market. It was the responsibility of her drunken father. If anyone was to blame for being irresponsible, it was Tess parents. Tess was always doing work her parents should be doing because her parents were too lazy and Tess felt responsible for supporting the family. The ni