An Analysis of Tess’s Tragedy in Tess of the D’Urbervilles.docx

An Analysis of Tesss Tragedy in Tess of the DUrbervillesA ThesisSubmitted toCollege of Foreign LanguageXingtan CollegeQufu Normal UniversityIn Partial Fulfillment of the RequirementsFor the Degree of Bachelor of ArtsBy Duan LitingUnder the Supervision of Sun Huaxiang ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My study at the College of International Studies will soon come to an end and, at the completion of my graduation thesis, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to all those who have offered me invaluable help during the four years of my undergraduate study here at Xingtan College, Qufu Normal University. Firstly, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Sun Huaxiang, for his constant encouragement and guidance. He has walked me through all the stages of the writing of this thesis. Without his consistent and illuminating instruction, this thesis could not have reached its present form. Secondly, I should give my hearty thanks to all the other faculty members of the Department of English for their patient instructions in various courses and their precious suggestions for my study here. Lastly, my thanks would go to my beloved family for their loving considerations and great confidence in me all through these years. I also owe my sincere gratitude to my friends and my fellow classmates who gave me their help and time in listening to me and helping me work out my problems during the difficult course of the thesis.摘 要 德伯家的苔丝是英国著名作家托马斯。哈代的代表作。它讲述了美丽纯洁的农村女孩苔丝的悲惨生活。本文将对小说进一步分析来解读女主角悲剧命运的成因。首先分析客观原因包括社会环境，错误道德观和当时不公平、虚伪的法律。苔丝作为维多利亚时期社会地位低下的贫穷女人，其悲剧命运是无法避免的。接下来造成悲剧的主观原因包括妥协，无知和其反抗精神。苔丝的无知和单纯使她走上了不归路。最后造成其悲剧的关键人物，她的无知、不负责任的父母，安利克斯和克莱尔都是苔丝悲剧的成因。苔丝奋力与命运抗争，但她单薄的力量无法改变任何事情。最后成为了社会的牺牲品。关键词：德伯家的苔丝；苔丝；悲剧命运；原因ABSTRACTTess of the DUrbervilles is the representative work of the famous British writer -Thomas Hardy. It tells the miserable life of a beautiful pure country girl named Tess. This article is going to make a detailed analysis on the novel to show the various causes of heroines tragedy from different aspects. First it describes the objective reasons which includes the social environment, false moral rules, and the unjust, hypocritical law at that time. Tess cannot avoid the tragic fate as a poor woman with low social status in the Victorian era. Next, the subjective reasons which includes compromise, ignorance and her resistance. Her purity of morals and innocence make her on the point of no return. At last, key characters leading to her tragedy. Tesss ignorant and irresponsible parents made Tesss life tragic. Alec and Clare, both of them destroy Tess and caused her tragedy. Tess tried to struggle with the destiny, but her power was too weak to change anything. In the end, she turned out to be the sacrificial victim of society.Key words：Tess of the DUrbervilles, Tess, tragic fate, reason. CONTENTS1.Introduction.11.1 Thomas Hardy.11.2.Background of the novel.21.3 Tess of the DUrbervilles.32.The reasons of Tesss tragic fate.42.1 The objective reasons.4 2.1.1 Social environment.4 2.1.2 False moral rules.5 2.1.3 The unjust, hypocritical law.62.2 The subjective reasons.7 2.2.1 Compromise.7 2.2.2 Ignorance.8 2.2.3 Resistance.92.3 Key characters leading to Tesss tragedy.10 2.3.1 Her parents.10 2.3.2 Two men in her life113.Conclusion.12Works Cited141. IntroductionAs we all know, the British famous writer Thomas Hardy was one of the excellent novelists of the Victorian Age. He is a famous English poet and novelist of realism. His works reflected his stoical pessimism and the sense of tragedy in human life, especially exposed womens tragic life and hypocrisy of bourgeoisie morals, legal and religious. Tess of the DUrbervilles is considered as his masterpiece. Literature is the mirror of real life. A literature work always show a countrys economy, politics, culture, religion from the views of the literature. The author reflected the real life of the Victorian Age. Hardy succeeded in describing the image of heroine Tess and revealing the hypocritical ethics and morals of bourgeois society. What led to the tragic fate and the misfortune of a poor peasant girl Tess? This article will analyze her tragic fate through three different parts. First it describes the objective reasons which includes the social environment and the religion factors at that time, and then begins to analysis the characters personality. At last, we can see other causes including her family, and two men in her life. Tess tried to struggle with the destiny, but her power was too weak to change anything. In the end, she turned out to be the sacrificial victim of society.1.1 Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy, (1840-1928), English poet and novelist of realism at the turn of the 19th century, famous for his depictions of imaginary country “Wessex”. Hardys works reflected the sense of tragedy in human life and his stoical pessimism. He is good at depicting character and environment, especially the tragic fate of females, to expose the damages brought to females by the society.Hardy was born at Higher Bockhampton, where his father worked as a stonemason and local builder. His mother enjoyed reading and legends of religion. Though he was not able to attend school at a young age, his parents paid attention to Hardys education. He received education at local schools until he was 15 years old. These early years had a profound influence on Hardy and his later novels. At the age of 22, he went to Landon and became a famous architect. His literature career began with poetry, during that time, he wrote many poems, but failed to get any published. So he changed the matter for novel creation. His first long novel was published in 1871, from then on, he devoted to the novel creation. He was soon successful and left architecture for writing. His first wife, a woman of high social status named Emma Gifford . His second wife, Florence Emily Dugdale who is his nurse, companion and fan.His novels can be divided into three parts which are novels of character and environment, romance and fantasies, novels of ingenuity. In Hardys life there were early 20 long novels, the most famous novels are Tess of the DUrbervilles (1891), Jude the Obscure (1895), The Mayor of Cascetbridge (1901). He described the tragic plots vividly and truthfully in his works. He was considered as “Shakespeare of British novels”. 1.2 Background of the novelThis story happened in the late of Victorian Age, this work reflect the change of social economy, political, moral and tradition in England at Victorian Age. England developed rapidly into the industrialized nation from the agricultural one due to the industrial revolution. Agriculture was future mechanized. Capitalist class controlled all rights, and the law were serviced for them. Farmers were at the bottle of the society, more and more farmers ran into poverty and bankrupt in the end. These laborers are mercilessly exploited by the rich landowners. The poor is governed by the rich. At that time, the feudal social system made women lost their independent status. In the male consciousness,. woman must remain virgin before marriage, but men could have their fling. The “Hegemony” father right consciousness to “woman” nature understanding is seriously. Public notions on sexual morals are that women never equal with men ,farmers never have equal rights as the capitalist class. The male requests feminine to be loyal and the bodily pure and chaste, actually disregards own indulging.Tess cannot avoid the tragic fate as a poor woman in the Victorian era, she has low social status and a woman who has lost her charity will be regarded as “a fallen woman. Naturally will received oppression and humiliation in the capitalist society. The social moral rules is the part of her tragedy. Therefore the social environment is the background of the tragedy.1.3 Tess of the DUrbervillesTess of the DUrbervilles was published in1891, its the treasure of literature history. The novel describes a girl named Tess who is beautiful, pure, strong, and diligent. But she lives a poor and tough life. Tess comes from a farmers family. In order to support her poor family, Tess is persuaded by her mother to work as a maid for a more prosperous branch of the DUrbervilles family. Unfortunately, the beautiful and pure girl is seduced by Alec, the young master of the house. She has to go home, she gives birth to a baby, who dies soon. Tess is hurt deeply. With the heavy burden of the family, Tess chooses to start her new life and face the setbacks valorously. Later, she goes to work on a dairy farm where she meets Angel Claire, the intellectual and free-thinking son of a clergyman. They fall in love with each other and become engaged. She starts to forget the hurts and enjoy the new life full of love, passion, and hope. On their wedding night, she decides to tell Clare all the truth about her past and hope to be forgiven by each other. However, Clare cant accept the truth and leaves her. Tess has to work at a farm again. She is insulted and ill-treated by her master. At the same time, Alec continues to harass Tess. Whats worse, her dads death makes the family lose their home. She writes several letters to Clare to ask for help, but she waits for nothing. Tess has to give in and living with Alec. At last, Tess kills Alec in despair but she is soon arrested and hanged. 2. The reasons of Tesss tragic fateTess is a typical tragic character. A young woman struggles to fight with the society but helpless. A pure girl go to the abyss step by step. The reasons can be analyzed from different perspectives. In this article, the reasons are both objective and subjective. And we will analyze four key characters. 2.1 The objective reasonsTess lived in the middle of 19th century of England. At that time, the society was a society of capitalist. The emergence of locomotives throws Britain into a frenzy of railway building. Hypocritical capitalism morals view and unequal legal system. Tess was lived in the Victorian era which capitalism invasion the rural England.2.1.1 Social environmentTess lived in the late of Britains Victorian era. Her tragedy was closed to the social conventions and the hypocritical moral value. The industrial revolution continues to develop. The great transformation makes England from an agricultural base to an industrial base. The social evils accompanied with the development of the capitalist world. The capitalist class was cruel, cool and selfish. The farmers are very poor in economy. Under the process of industrialism and the disintegration of peasantry. More and more peasants become impoverished and live a miserable life. Capitalism brings a great harm to this old, rural and agricultural region. The self-supporting peasants are displaced and impoverished and live a extremely poor life. At the bottom of the society, farmers had never equal rights as the Capital class. Most of them lost their jobs and were in miserable conditions.As a daughter of a poor villager, it is very difficult for Tess to live a better life. The family of Tess is too poor to support themselves. The poor life pushes Tess into the trap of the wicked man, and it is the capitalist exploitation that brings about their poor life.The family of Tess is no exception. As a daughter of a poor villager, and a wage-laborer later, it is very difficult for Tess to live a better life. It is under the capitalist exploitation that Tess is seduced and ruined badly. The poor life pushes Tess into the trap of the wicked man, and it is the capitalist exploitation that brings about their poor life.2.1.2 False moral rulesVictorian Age is also a patriarchal world in which men is the center of the society and the master of a family, and women is only the accessory of men and the society. By the Capitalist invasion, the female are often treated as the inferior sex and men as the superior one. They dont have the right to choose their own happiness and fate. In the male consciousness, The male requests feminine to be loyal and the bodily pure and chaste, actually disregards own indulging.Tess of the DUrbervilles describes how the traditional moral rules kills the pure, beautiful, smart country girl. Alec seduced her by taking advantage of her ignorance and pure. Finally she killed Alec after suffering all pain, but the society still discuss her virginity. What a numb society it is! This inequality between men and women resulted in the traditional and hypocritical moral standard. A hopeless battle against the hypocritical social morality.According to the traditional moral rules, the virginity of wife is the privilege of husband. A woman who lost virginity is a fallen woman. Tess loves Angles very much, therefore she tells him what happened to her and waits for his forgiveness. Angles loves Tess, but he is defeated by the traditional moral rules. “Nothing so pure, so sweet, so beautiful as Tess had seemed possible all the long while that he had adored her. But the little less, and what worlds away!” (Thomas Hardy 297) He hurts Tess deeply. The society is unfair and cruel. Tess is helpless and poor. She is the victim of the false moral rules.Research this novel we can know at that time in Victoria dynasty time England bourgeois societies moral ethics view, Tesss tragedy was due to social morals root mainly is in the masculine central society that kind of firm woman chastity idea. People are taught to live and behave in accordance to the Bible and its ethics. It is a classic statement of social double standard, which judges mens sexual behavior leniently and punishes women for the same behavior. The traditional vanity moral rules are the source of the tragedy. 2.1.3 The unjust, hypocritical lawCapitalist law exists for the interests of the bourgeoisie. Everyone is equal before the law is just a slogan. After raped by Alec, Tess chooses to go home and endure the despise and the pain. However, Alec still bullying in the country. One of the most important reasons is that he is protected by the capitalist law. The law is just a tool for bourgeoisie. But when Tess killed Alec, the capitalist law punishes Tess immediately. Soon Tess is hanged. Under the protection of this kind of law, the rich like Alec can do everything they want, and the poor like Tess actually become the victim. The tragedy of Tess indicates that the capitalist law system is only protect the superior class, the poor cannot be protected. In the capitalist society, legal regime and moral outlook all were take maintains the exploiting class the benefit and the acknowledgment Capitalist class controlled all rights, and the law were serviced for them. The law is cruel and hypocritical. She was a hardworking, kind-hearted, intelligent and beautiful girl but regard as a laborer, a man of poor agricultural workers. The unfair and hypocritical law protect the capitalist class, Tess is helpless in the face of the unfair society. This is a factor to cause Tesss tragedy. As Hardy says at the end of the novel :“Justice was done, and the President of the Immortals, in Aeschylean phrase, had ended his sport with Tess.”(Tess, 467) Obviously, she is the victim of the unjust, hypocritical law. 2.2 The subjective reasonsBesides the objective reasons, the subjective reason is also an important factor of her tragedy. Compromise, ignorance and her honesty are the features of her character and cause her tragedy. Her purity of morals and innocence make her on the point of no return.2.2.1 Compromise Tesss compromise shows from two typical things. One is her compromise on her parents. The other is her compromise on Alec.Tess is full of the sense of the of responsibility for her family. Tess comes from a poor family and she is the eldest daughter in this poor rural working family. Whats more, she has parents who with ignorance and irresponsibility. She must earn money to support her poor family. At that time, poverty is the source of all the evil. Because of poverty, they have no social status, they cannot feed on themselves. And she has a lazy father and a vanity mother. Because of her fathers laziness and mothers simple mindedness. But Tess is full of the sense of the of responsibility for her family. Though she unwilling to visit that family, she still go there. Without her responsibility for her family, she wont meet Alec, her tragedy wont happen. But Tess clearly knew that she was the eldest daughter and what her responsibility was. Her ignorant parents dont tell poor Tess the darkness of the society. Tess becomes their tool to step into the superior class. Tess just want to support this family by her work. The original purpose is simple, but this is the beginning of her tragedy. Tess is a sensible and compliant child in her family. She has responsibility for her family. She compromise on her parents. This guilt leads her to visit the DUrbervilles and puts her into an uncertain and potentially dangerous situation. At the same time, this is the beginning of her tragedy. If the compromise on her parents can be understood because of her respo