Tess of the d’Urbervilles

In Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy has directly satirized nature. This novel revealed the tragedy of lower classes’ destiny and flayed hypocritical gentlemen and morals. In this novel, Hardy demonstrated his deep sense of moral sympathy for England’s lower classes, particularly for women. The novel, which indicated the tendency of anti-religious sentiments, against feudal morality and the laws of capitalists, was warmly received by the reading public though British upper class was bitter against it.

In the novel, Thomas Hardy succeeded in portraying an artistic image- Tess. There were sensitivity and beauty to her that have nothing to do with looks. Her beauty is not kind of stunning beauty, but the more you approach to her, you will be more likely to indulge in her beauty. Although she is not an orthodox believer, she has her own pure pursuits of life and living criteria. Her integrated image of kindness and tenderness, tough-minded and plainness should own her a happy life. But it seems that God leaves her out. Alec in the novel is the son of a Manor owner, being dissolute and flirtatious in conduct; however, generally, he is not essentially a bad man. His strong desire to Tess is out of a sort of inherently desire and desire for possession. It’s very normal for such a young man. But he adopts a wrong way-he abducts Tess. He would like to take a part of responsibility of his behavior but Tess turn down his

suggestion without hesitation. Tess’s self-respect can’t allow herself bend down to harm. Such a pure girl, should be so strong-mind to bear neighbor’s discrimination and secular pressure and to take the consequences by herself. She has never asked Alec for help even when she is driven to the last ditch.

Finally, Tess chooses to leave for another village where her past is not known and secures a job as a milkmaid at Talbothays Dairy. She escapes from the old environment, meanwhile, prepares to make a new start. She fears a romantic love, at the same time, strongly looks forward to it. Anyway, she is only 21years old, she has the right to enjoy the pleasure that love can bring to her. There, she re-encounters Angel Clare who is eager for nature and full of dreams, is Tess’s Prince Charming, one of unfinished dreams in her girlhood. As for Angel Clare, Tess is part of his persistent vision. What he wants is a pure girl to be his wife. Such a match made in heaven will certainly wipe out spark of love. However, the process of their love is filled with difficulties and hardship. Tess, who is pure in mind, is tightly tided by worldly views so that she thinks she can’t marry to Clare for her unclean body. All the time she is hesitating about, bearing a keen pressure of sentiment and intellect, weather should her tell Angel about her past without reserve. The pain that Angel suffers in the pursuit of Tess is far away from Tess’s inner struggle. She could not confess to her lover for being terrified of losing him. And she could not

give up the happiness within her grasp to refuse Clare against her will.

At their wedding night, Angel confesses that he once had a brief affair with an older woman. When she hears this story, Tess feels sure that Angel will forgive her own indiscretion, and finally tells about her relationship with Alec. But things go contrary to her wishes. Angel, however, is appalled by Tess’s confession. His love to Tess is based on the sky garden of pure tower. Once the base is deprived, his love will collapse. His love is too fragile and vulnerable. Finally, he leaves for Brazil, leaving Tess alone, no messages, no letters and never back again. Tess has waiting for him eight years but can’t win back his hearts. When he realizes his heart, everything is too late. Tess has married to Alec after a long hopeless waiting. Afterwards, when Angel back, on the one hand, Tess felt happy, for her long waiting has come to an end. But on the other hand, she was more distressful and could not control her abhor to Alec. Thus, she killed the man who had destroyed her life.

Though, Tess and Angel have spent the five happy days, her life is ended in revenge for love. But she is quiet when she faces the people coming to arrest her. She says,”I was ready.” I know that Tess is happy at the last moment of her life. Because it’s her hope to be with the man who she loves sincerely and there is no need for her to worry about Angel’s despise.

Tess, such a pretty and virtuous girl, should have led a happy and

peaceful life, but God, “the president of the moral” plays a joke on her. The real tragedy is to display the process of ruining the perfection. Tess’s fate is a good representation.

 

第二篇：Tess_of_the_D'Urbervilles读后感

My Reflections on the film of

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

姓名:罗增

学号:40904058

班级:09级英语2班

My Reflections on the film of Tess of the D'Urbervilles

As is well-known, “Tess of the D'Urbervilles” is the most famous novel of Thomas Hardy. The imaginary story of this novel happened in the Victorian period. A rural

clergyman in England told Durbeyfield, a simple farmer, that he was descended from the illustrious d'Urberville family, now extinct or maybe not. Therefore, Durbeyfield sent his daughter Tess to check on a family named D'Urberville living in a manor house and the distance of which was less than a day's carriage ride away. There Alec D'Urberville was delighted to meet his beautiful cousin, and he seduced her with strawberries and roses. But Alec was no relation to Tess; he had gotten his illustrious name and coated of arms by purchasing them. Soon Alec fell in love with Tess, even seduced her. Then Tess left,

pregnant; back at home, the baby died. Some time later, Tess began to work as a milkmaid, and there she met her true love Angel Clare, who believed her completely innocent. However, Angel did not learn of her previous relationship with Alec until their wedding night, and rejected her. Deserted by her husband, Tess met Alec again, and poverty forced her to

resume their relationship. Years later, Angel returned from travelling abroad, remorseful at his treatment of Tess, but found her with Alec. Finally, Tess murdered Alec in order to run away with Angel. And they spent one night of happiness together, before she was arrested. Actually, the first time I watched the movie was in high school. At that moment, I

thought that Tess was really a tragic figure in the book “Tess of the D’Urbervilles”. She was seduced by a so-called gentleman—Alec, and from then on her life totally changed from the loss of innocence. People looked down on her and respected her no more. Virtually, she did nothing wrong because before she was seduced she knew nothing of men. She was just a girl when she first met that terrible man. Nonetheless, she was forced by the gossips and the church to blame herself for this accident, so she thought she deserved nothing good. In order

to get rid of the past, she decided to go to a distant dairy farm but was still saying to herself that she was wrong. Maybe God didn’t agree with that, because the Lord gave her someone she loved with her whole heart and life—Angel Chare. Unfortunately, it was still a sad ending.

When I watched the film again, I had different affections to the figures of this novel. I could not tell any merits from Angel from the very beginning, even back to that May Dance on the lawn. Honestly, at the first glance, I concluded that he was an emotional unstable youngster who can barely bear any responsibility. He adopted dual moral standards, I bet Tess's life would be getting better, or even a happy ending with Alec or other normal but kind man without ever getting the chance to meet Angel. And I was more than willing to adapt this sentence "If we had danced that day, how happy we might have be" to " If we have hadn't met on that day, how happy I might have be". Poor Tess, you got the wrong way! Obviously, Angel was a devil, but this can still make no difference to Tess if she chose to keep that secret what she had already sworn to her mum, an incapable but intelligent mother who always cared for Tess. That's to say, Tess's purity should be blamed, at least partly, for her own tragedy, devil needs counterparts not a real angel to match with each other. In the mean time, Tess is a perfectionist, she can't stand any flaws lying between Angel and herself, yes, her pursuit of perfect love without any reserve from that man she deeply loves predicts her destiny. Poor Tess, I can't help feeling badly sad for her, she shall know the principle of equity can't be translated into reality, particularly a world ruled by men back then, which is almost the case nowadays.

Overall, I emphasize that Tess' s purity, perfectionism, principle of equity, and

poignancy ended herself up in hanging. Anyway, it's just a fictive movie but there must be something in common which is applicable even today.