
- Who are Durbeyfields? ๐คทโโ๏ธ
- Does Tess Choose to go? ๐ค Has she fallen in love with Angel Clare๐ ?ย
- Tess moves ๐ to Tantridge
- Can Alec d’Urbervilles Make Tess Fall in Love ๐ With Him?
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles Back to the Durbeyfields
- ‘Sorrow’, The Apple of Her Eyes
- Angel & Tess Meets for the Second Time ๐ฅฐ
- Will Tess Accept the Proposal๐? Tess to Reveal her Haunting Past? ๐จ
- Tess and Angel Marry ๐ฐ๐คต
- Tess in Destitute ๐
- Can Angel Forgive Tess ๐คจ?
- Who is the Preacher in the Town? ๐
- Alec to Love Tess Again๐
- Alec Masters Tess ๐
- Angel Wants Tess But Can He?
- Will Angel and Tess Live Happily Ever After ๐ค ?
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles and Her Sport With Fate
- Don’t Miss the Sale ๐คฉ ๐
‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles’ is a novel written โ๏ธ by Thomas Hardy. It was published ๐ณ๏ธ in a serialised manner in The Graphic, a British newspaper ๐ in 1891. The story narrates ๐ฃ๏ธ the life of a fallen woman named Tess ๐ธ๐ผ, whose fate never favoured fortune. ‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles‘ deals with love, despair and poverty.
Beauty lay not in the thing, but in what the thing symbolized.
Tess of the d’Urbervilles
Who are Durbeyfields? ๐คทโโ๏ธ
Tess is the eldest daughter of John and Joan Durbeyfield, a poor peasant family ๐จโ๐พ๐ฉโ๐พ. But John realises that he hails from a noble family๐จโโ๏ธ๐ฉโโ๏ธ named d’Urbervilles and decides to send Tess to join the d’Urbervilles in Trantridge and claim their inheritance.
Does Tess Choose to go? ๐ค Has she fallen in love with Angel Clare๐ ?ย

Tess is 16 ๐ง๐ป when the novel begins. She is advised to join the d’Urbervilles but she is not interested ๐. It isn’t because she has fallen in love, and has no serious love affairs that stops her here.
But she feels infatuated ๐ with Angel Clare whom she met in the May Day Dance๐. They just exchange a glance ๐ there. No talks ๐ค, no dance ๐ but just a glance ๐คฉ.
Tess moves ๐ to Tantridge
She is supposed to move to Trantridge to locate the d’Urbervilles as their horse ๐ dies which was the only source of income๐ฐ. She finds the Mrs d’Urbervilles who is blind ๐ and her son Alec d’Urbervilles ๐ค . Alec is fascinated by her beauty and appoints her as the poultry keeper ๐ฅ๐.
Can Alec d’Urbervilles Make Tess Fall in Love ๐ With Him?

Tess now lives under the same roof with Alec. He tries to seduce her and kiss ๐ her many times, to which she refuses ๐ โโ๏ธ. She is offered a ride by Alec one night ๐ when she is attacked by another maid. Alec takes her to an ancient grove on that foggy ๐ซ night and rapes her ๐ฉ.
Tess of the d’Urbervilles Back to the Durbeyfields

Tess couldn’t stay there again after the incident even though Alec persuades her to stay. Alec apologies ๐ but she goes back to her home ๐ก, shares it with her mother and decides never to return. She is ashamed ๐ for losing her virginity. But she soon realises that she is pregnant ๐คฐ with his child.
‘Sorrow’, The Apple of Her Eyes

Tess delivers her baby๐คฑ whom the society rejects and the baby is not baptised. The child was born unhealthy๐ค and was sure to die. Therefore, Tess baptises it herself and names it Sorrow. Sorrow dies soon and she buries it in the shabby corner where the unbaptised are buried.
Angel & Tess Meets for the Second Time ๐ฅฐ

Tess finds work as a milkmaid๐ถat the Talbothays Dairy and befriends Izz, Retty and Marian. Tess is 20 now ๐ฉโ๐ฆฐ. At the dairy, she meets Angel Clare again who is learning dairy management at the farm๐. Angel feels attracted to her and proposes to marry him ๐.
Will Tess Accept the Proposal๐? Tess to Reveal her Haunting Past? ๐จ
Tess rejects the marriage proposal as a dirty past haunts ๐ฐ her. She wants to reveal it to Alec but decides not as her mother ๐ฉโ๐ฆณ forbids her. Tess is ashamed of herself when Angel describes her as a ‘child of nature’ ๐ผ. She cannot sin again by deceiving Angel.
Tess and Angel Marry ๐ฐ๐คต

Tess loves Angel but her sin stops her from loving him. She eventually accepts his proposal โบ๏ธ. She writes a letter โ๏ธ regarding her past and slides it through the door๐ช . She thinks that he has read it and forgiven her till the day of their marriage. She finds it unopened in his room and destroys it๐ฅ .
Tess in Destitute ๐
Angel gifts Tess with diamonds ๐ in the first night. Angel then confesses of his relationship with an older woman in London and requests her to forgive ๐. She forgives him thinking that Angel would now understand her. She reveals her past and Angel is shocked๐ฒ.
Can Angel Forgive Tess ๐คจ?
โHere was I thinking you a new-sprung child of nature; there were you, the belated seedling of an effete aristocracy!โ
Tess of the d’Urbervilles
Angel leaves to Brazil ๐ง๐ท planning to establish his dairy farm there. He asks some time from Tess to adjust to this. But also says Tess to contact him or his family in case of any needs. He gives her some money.
โHow can we live together while that man lives?โhe being your husband in nature, and not I. If he were dead it might be different.โ
Tess of the d’Urbervilles
Who is the Preacher in the Town? ๐

Tess begins to work in a farm ๐๏ธ called Flintcomb Ash. She lives with her friend Marian. She is shocked ๐ฒ to meet the Evangelist preacher. He was the one who tore her life๐ญ, the one who snatched her happiness, Mr.Alec d’Urbervilles ๐ค .
Can Alec stand still on his Methodist views or loses himself on seeing Tess? Will he let his desire go ahead discipline? ๐ฅบ

Alec to Love Tess Again๐
Alec comes to know that her husband abandoned her on her revelation ๐ of past and now wishes to marry ๐ her. In other words to master her. He follows ๐ถโโ๏ธ๐โโ๏ธher multiple times to convince her but fails. In the midst of all these, Tess keeps on writing ๐ to Angel.
โO why have you treated me so monstrously, Angel! I do not deserve it. I have thought it all over carefully, and I can never, never forgive you!โ
Tess of the d’Urbervilles
Alec Masters Tess ๐
โRemember, my lady, I was your master once! I will be your master again. If you are any man’s wife you are mine!โ
Tess of the d’Urbervilles
Tess was helpless when her father died โฐ๏ธ. Alec offers her help, ๐ค and provides her family. Alec affirms that Angel would never return. She had no choice rather than to accept. On the other side, Angel was sick ๐ค for a very long time which has given him the time to rethink about Tess.
Angel Wants Tess But Can He?
Tess now lives in an expensive house ๐ฏ in Sandbourne with Alec. Angel asks Tess to forgive him ๐ฃ but it she says that it’s too late. Angel leaves desperately ๐ถ.

Tess argues ๐ก with Alec for being the reason for losing her love ๐ for the second time. Alec reveals that he is not a d’Urberville but Stokes, and that they have adopted this name. He has protected and provided her just because he loves Tess. Frustrated on realising his deception, Tess stabs ๐ช Alec.
Will Angel and Tess Live Happily Ever After ๐ค ?

Tess joins Angel after murdering Alec. Angel refuses to believe her initially but later realises its true. They hide in an empty mansion ๐๏ธ for five days where they consummate their love ๐.
Murder was a forgivable offence to Angel, but losing her virginity wasn’t? ๐คฆโโ๏ธ

They take rest in the Stonehenge at night. She tells Angel to marry her sister Liza-lu after her death and by morning ๐ they are surrounded by a group of policemen ๐ฎโโ๏ธ. She is arrested. The novel ends when a black flag ๐ด raises over the prison indicating the execution of Tess. Angel and Liza-lu walks away clasping their hands ๐.
Tess of the d’Urbervilles and Her Sport With Fate

‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles’ is subtitled as ‘A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented’. It brings out the belief systems of the Victorian Era. Being born poor๐ฉโ๐พ, made Tess a victim. Not just a rape victim, but fate’s victim. When the rapist was busy preaching๐ค๐, Tess was working โ๏ธ hard to feed ๐ฝ๏ธ herself and her family. ‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles’ was criticised by many for questioning the beliefs of the period.

Naeema Jaleel
Writer at Inclined ScorpioOn an extended process of giving birth to myself structuring own concepts & beliefs.

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1 Comment
zortilonrel · September 15, 2021 at 11:37 am
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