Tess of d’urbevilles – moving novel

Tess of d'urbevilles is a moving novel about challenging relationships and moral struggles.

Tess of d'urbevilles was published in 1891 in the imaginary "Wessex" which is based on Dorset. Hardy's objective was simple; to show the treatment of women at the time of release. Hardy uses Tess as the main character motivating the theme. She has a troublesome time trying to socialise with men.

Hardy also introduces religion and nature in the novel. The author shows contradictory views of religion and what people would have had.A noticeable used by hardy is the (setting) nature. He links nature strongly to women and tries to prove "women are more closely linked to nature than men". Later on in the novel hardy mentions the agricultural revolution, here he puts forward his own opinion, and he claims that the machine development is taking over manual jobs usually done by humans e. g.

the threshing machine causing havoc. Tess is shown as parcel which is being passed around as she commutes to various places in the course of the novel.Tess uses this opportunities to use the setting to reflect Tess's life and emotions. E.

g. Tess went to Talbathoys in search of a new begging and hardy echo her thought using positive and fresh images such as "Hazy sunlight", whereas in Flinctomb-Ash he portrays a ever darkening images. These are two places that play a major part in Tess's life. Before going to Talbathoys Tess's life has been a calamity.

Tess was in emotional crisis as well as economical ones. In the Victorian era a women with such a life would have been looked down upon as if she was an outcast.Tess becomes pregnant due to being raped by Alec'durbville who tricked her into believing that he was related to her. Due to this the society has a lowly view on Tess and other "women who have been gifted this curse". Hardy uses nature to predict the future and to reflect Tess's current situation as in autumn trees dies and so Hardy uses that fact that the baby has died.

He sues them in sects or even in periods to show different stages in Tess's life. I chapter 14 the sun is shown to have life/light giving properties (the baby is born).Hardy claims that there has never been a better religion than paganism by this he shows how bright Tess's life is at this stage and if every one followed the sun we all be happy. Thomas Hardy establishes a hitch as he shows it also has the life taking supremacy. The darkness at the end o f the chapter shows Tess having to hide her baby. Hardy shows dark and horrid scene, an it doesn't take a genius to work out that hardy is trying to show how low the Victorian judgment was and the selfish that had been established.

This is one of Hardy's contradictory views, so therefore some critics might have been very infuriated as he just ignores there view completely and tries to prove they have appalling judgments. He shows clearly that the vicars are also being very unsupportive and not very religious almost as if they were bound by the society to do as they did. After a couple of years Tess decides to make a fresh start as she heads of to Talbathoys to become a dairy maid (following in her mothers footstep.This is clearly a time of ecstasy and happiness as she falls in love with Angel Clare (Tess has met him earlier) On a thyme-scented, bird-hatching morning in May...

" already the starting of the chapter predicts a new beginning. The particular quote shows spring, start of new life and Tess' life. "She felt akin to the landscape. " This shows us that she is already feeling at home. "White-coated animals returned to the in rays almost dazzling. " The colours of the animals show purity.

"From waters were clear as the pure River of Life. " The rivers of Talbothay are new and fresh for her. This completely new place lifts her spirits after her dark past.Mentioning her dark past, during the chapter, Hardy refers to a "dark patch". "Not so very far to the left of her, she could discern a dark patch in the scenery.

.. " This "dark patch" reflects to her past, her ancestors. Before she arrived at Talbothay she went past the graveyard of her ancestors.

Hardy refers to the dark patch because the graveyard was dark, but it mainly reminded her that, her ancestors led her to a terrible life, her ancestors were the reason for her not being wealthy, and the reason Alec Durbeyfield raped her.Not quite sure of her direction, Tess stood still upon the hemmed expanse of verdant flatness, like a fly on a billiard-table of indefinite length and of no more consequence to the surroundings than that fly. " Despite the dark patch, Hardy uses the previous quote to attract the reader; the use of the language in the text is amazing. Hardy compares Tess to a fly, and the land to a billiard table. The bigness of the land is nothing compared to a minute fly, so if the fly flew onto the table, no one would notice it because it is small.Like Tess, this land is something new to her, anybody that lives in this place has no idea of Tess' past, so she can roam free and enjoy herself.

Despite Talbothay being the highest point of her life, Flintcomb-Ash on the other hand turns out to be the worst and lowest point of her life. After losing Angel, she ends her bright future in the disastrous Flintcomb-Ash. To make matters worse, she bumps into Alec Durbeyfield. Her stay in Talbothay was going really well, everything suited her, the weather, the land and overall nature. As she entered Talbothay, she already "felt akin to the landscape".Plenty of imagery throughout the chapter showed her happiness in Talbothay.

She eventually lost Angel because she told him that Alec raped her and in result of that, she gave birth to Sorrow after their wedding. Yet, despite Angel saying that he had an affair with another woman in London, he believes that because he is a man it is all right to have an affair with other women, but it is wrong for Tess to do so because she is a women. Hardy feels this is wrong, because he feels that women are tied to nature more than men are henceforth the quote, Mother Nature.Hardy thinks judging a woman by society's laws is wrong.

In the end, Tess ends up in Flintcomb-Ash, blaming her beauty for what has happened to her, cutting her hair, shaving her eyebrows off. Everything there is terrible to her, the weather, the land and nature overall. Mentioning the land and nature, Hardy talks about the threshing machine. Earlier on in the novel, we came across the threshing machine and that it gave out a positive image upon nature, it even helped bring out the joy of summer.

Now, the threshing machine is referred to as the reaping-machine.You can compare the reaping-machine to the Grim Reaper, the Grim Reaper takes people away, while Hardy mentions that the reaping-machine and machines overall, take over man. The reaping-machine actually, in some sort of way describes the conditions of the workers, the men and the women. If you judge the threshing machine to a tyrant, a tyrant makes his people work hard, makes them sweat until the last drop, in a way, this is what the threshing machine does to the workers.

Working with the threshing machine, you really put your bones and flesh into completing your job, helping you get stronger and keeping your muscles working.So really, the working conditions of the men and women are tough, yet the workers work hard in order to complete their job. In conclusion I think that hardy has used imaginative settings to portray his message about woman quite appropriately and the settings were well placed in accordance to the storyline. The setting is used well in transitions. I believe this use of technique has brought a tedious tale to life. The language he uses.

Hardy's description of the scenery reflect Tess' feelings not just accurately, but brilliantly.Talbothay brought out a positive image towards her, making her feelings extremely happy, while in Flintcomb-Ash, her feelings are extremely upsetting as Hardy uses nature to predict this. Towards the ending of the novel, Hardy mentions the Stonehenge. As Hardy refers to Pagan religion throughout the novel, for example, Heliolatries, sun worshippers, and that woman are tied into nature. This ties together, Pagan religion -which celebrates nature.

This comes to a appropriate conclusion with the fact that Tess feels totally at ease in Stonehenge - a place of Pagan worship I believe this use of technique has brought a tedious tale to life.